By George Yarbrough
We are so excited to be a part of the #startupparadise that is Hawaii. We share a vision with many accelerators, businesses, organizations, and individuals to expand business opportunities here in the islands, and beyond.
One such visionary, whom we are proud to call a friend and a partner, is Meli James. She’s the President of the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association and the Founder of Mana Up, an accelerator for packaged goods and brands in Hawaii. She’s a leader in the business community here in Honolulu, and she had some awesome thoughts to share during a recent conversation at her offices in Honolulu.
Meli understands that connecting Hawaii’s business leaders at locations like Impact Hub HNL is vital to the growth of our startup ecosystem, and is helpful to connect entrepreneurs with each other. Along with alternative workspaces, she’s excited to see the type of investment campaign we’re running. She says these different types of investment – beyond the traditional bank loan or angel investors– can create a lot more opportunity in the islands.
Take a peek at the video below to learn more about her thoughts!
