Page 6 - MidWeek - July 14, 2021

6 MIDWEEK JULY 14, 2021
PROOF POSITIVE
Helping Women-led Businesses
COVID-19
VACCINE is available to eligible people
Walk-in’s accepted and by appointment is welcomed.
Check eligibility and schedule an appointment at CVS.com, CVS app
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M By Darien Siguenza, program manager with Mai‘a Foundation
aiʻa Foundation 40% of the Purple Prize’s co- porting women and mother en- has a history of hort. Throughout the pandem- trepreneurs in the state. supporting local ic, Kālisi took care of her two Hawaiʻi FoundHer is a new
in caretaking roles, whether they have children or take care of their kūpuna.”
and indigenous women-led kids, maintained her existing six-month accelerator pro-
Hawaiʻi FoundHer’s re- view committee will select five small businesses in tech, fashion, consumer goods, food systems/restaurants and keiki/education. Purple Maiʻa’s goal is to help found- ers increase their confidence and grow their companies by 100%-300% in the year they participate. Applications have closed for Cohort 1. To stay updated on future cohort deadlines, submit an inquiry at foundher.org.
ventures through place-based programming. Since 2016, the Purple Prize has connect- ed community members to imagine ways technologies can serve Hawaiʻi. Over four years, this endeavor has suc- cessfully supported more than 50 teams and incubated over a dozen companies, some of which are now employing lo- cal people and bringing talent- ed kamaʻāina home. However, unlike many innovation com- petitions, venture accelerators and incubators, their cohorts were filled with indigenous peoples, women and mothers. This highlighted the need for a program specifically tailored to these women.
Last year, mothers like Kālisi Mausio comprised over
farm business and pursued a Ph.D. at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Re- sources — all while also start- ing Kanu Offset, a tech plat- form that aims to sink carbon while increasing food security.
gram for small businesses led by Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and Asian American women. The program aims to provide wāhine-led compa- nies with mentorship, vetted service providers, business education, care stipends and capital, among other resourc- es. The program will debut this September.
The Purple Prize was struc- tured so Kālisi could easily attend meetings, but there was still a need for childcare sup- port. The team recognized the need to develop a program that acknowledges the various roles that women play, and supports them holistically so they can focus on growing their busi- nesses. This led to the part- nership with Bella Hughes of Shaka Tea, and Gloria Lau, former CEO of YWCA, who conceptualized a program sup-
“Women and especially women of color are historical- ly over-mentored and under- funded,” says Hughes. “We are thrilled to offer a program fo- cused on Asian American, Na- tive Hawaiian and Pacific Is- lander women businesses that combines tailored mentorship with non-dilutive, early-stage capital to grow their business, coupled with support for those
We are actively fundraising through September to fund FoundHers. We aim to give each FoundHer $100,000 in non-dilutive grants. Please reach out to darien@purple- maia.org if you are interested in supporting a FoundHer’s journey to success.
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