Tech View: New Mana Up store offers local shopping with style

’Tis the season for gift giving, but with 10 days left until the traditional deadline, finding something unique and thoughtful can be a challenge.

As it turns out, though, there is a local retail oasis where you can only buy products from Hawaii companies, created by Hawaii entrepreneurs — products based on uniquely Hawaii ingredients and designs. A place that disguises its mission of supporting local entrepreneurs and diversifying the island economy behind a stylish, story-filled boutique shopping experience.

Four places, in fact — the latest just opened last week in the lobby of the Prince Waikiki.

House of Mana Up is the brick-and-mortar gateway to the products made by the companies that have graduated from Mana Up, a Hawaii “product accelerator” founded in 2017 by Punahou School graduate and Silicon Valley startup veteran Meli James and venture fund founder Brittany Heyd.

Their ambitious goal was launching 100 Hawaii-based companies earning over $10 million in annual revenue through products from the islands. At the time, a central strategy was helping cohort companies get into e-commerce, setting up their own online stores.

A lot has changed in the 14 months since I last wrote about the program (bit.ly/3Plr1w8).

“We started as an accelerator program to help local companies solve their business with resources, mentorship and access to capital so they can scale,” James tells me. “Since then we have grown with four retail locations, a fulfillment center and a $6.3M venture capital fund.”

House of Mana Up is both an overarching online shop — offering global shipping for more than 1,400 Hawaii products from 64 Mana Up-nurtured brands — and an in-person shopping experience at the Prince and Royal Hawaiian Center on Oahu and at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Mauna Loa Visitor Center on Hawaii island.

The locations are strategically chosen to reach the visitor market, but Hawaii residents also appreciate the stories behind each product and the mission of Mana Up — stories that are displayed next to and included with every product.

“We are seeing firsthand the demand from tourists and locals who are valuing authenticity, transparency and deeper storytelling when choosing how they spend their dollars,” Heyd says. “It’s a perfect example of regenerative tourism as we look to spread the benefits of tourism to more stakeholders across our community.”

Hawaii is, after all, a globally loved brand. But instead of bringing fans here, Mana Up is making it easy to send Hawaii anywhere in the world. And the approach is working.

“Our companies have been growing an average of 65% year over year and generated $60 million in revenue to the state of Hawaii, with 52% of that coming from outside the state,” James says.

“And over 40% of Mana Up graduates are now at $1 million in annual revenue,” Heyd adds. “Now we are working on next-level challenges — what got them from $100,000 to $1 million is going to be very different than from $1 million to $10 million.”

The store shelves are elegantly stocked with apparel, health and beauty goods, baby and family items, snacks and books. But the latest additions are part of a Duke Kahanamoku Collection unveiled last week.

Special Duke designs adorn T-shirts, microfiber beach towels, sunscreen, a chocolate bar and a lotion and body wash set. And proceeds support the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation — which provides grants and scholarships to develop Hawaii’s ocean athletes — and Na Kama Kai, which teaches kids ocean safety, conservation and stewardship.

“Duke is such an icon, and we are excited for the eight Mana Up companies who are aligned with many attributes of Duke around sustainability, the water, surfing and more,” James says.

It’s a rare win-win-win, where gift givers and receivers, local small businesses and worthy island causes all get something special.

“We are entrepreneurs ourselves and love diving into new territory to help companies grow,” Heyd says. “We feel privileged to be able to be part of a growing industry that continues to prove it can be a solution to diversification of our local economy.”

Visit houseofmanaup.com to learn more.

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Ryan Kawailani Ozawa is the Pacific news editor for Decrypt, a Web3 media company, and publisher of the Hawaii Bulletin tech newsletter at HawaiiBulletin.com.