Hub Coworking Hawaii

Hawai‘i's Best Coworking Space

Impact Partners

Ulupono Initiative is a Mission-Aligned Impact Partner

Ulupono Initiative has been an Impact Partner for Impact Hub HNL for two years, and we’re grateful for our ongoing partnership that supports our work and bridges our two organizations.

Ulupono is an impact investment firm located in Hawaii that is building a more self-sufficient and sustainable island.

Ulupono offers for-profit investments, non-profit investments (grants), and social investments aimed at helping for-profit and non-profit sectors ‘harness [the] good and inspire catalytic change for Hawaii.’ Overall, the focus areas include food and agriculture, renewable energy, and waste reduction within businesses and organizations across the islands.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Murray Clay, President of Ulupono Initiative to talk about how our organizations align. Learn more about what Murray thinks about our entrepreneurial ecosystem, and why we need more of it.

Elemental Excelerator: Social & Environmental Impact Partner

Elemental Excelerator is a global climate-tech accelerator based in Hawaii that funds early- and mid-stage startups focused on impact across a wide variety of sectors to create measurable social and environmental impact. To date, they have supported 99 companies and 8 cohorts (#8 was just announced, and includes Member organization FarmLink Hawaii).

Each year their application process brings in some of the most innovative companies from around the world, and this year saw the most ever, at 800 startups. According to a recent article, 81% of those companies have technologies that lead directly to greenhouse gas reductions, and 67% indicated that their technologies have specific applications in low-income communities.

From its applicant pool, Elemental selects 15-20 companies annually to be part of their newest cohort. Companies chosen usually focus on solving systemic issues in agriculture, energy, water, mobility, and the circular economy.

Elemental has been an instrumental partner for Impact Hub, signing on as an official Impact Partner for both 2018 and 2019, and we are grateful for their support, guidance, and friendship over the years.

During our Wefunder campaign, the Elemental team talked about how the work they are doing aligns with work Impact Hub Honolulu is doing to build an interconnected Hawaii to support and grow entrepreneurs locally and beyond.