The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is currently recruiting entrepreneurs for the next cohort of its accelerator program, the KuHana Business Program.
Geared toward early-stage businesses, the program is designed to help entrepreneurs fine-tune their business plan. It targets businesses within the first five years of their launch, with a particular focus on Native Hawaiian-owned and minority-owned companies, although it’s also open to any Hawaii-based business.
“KuHana is designed for folks to be able to walk away with something concrete: a business plan,” Max Mukai, the program manager, told PBN in an email. “Our hope is that when the businesses leave the program, they are able to go after the funding they need to implement their plans, whether it be to launch their company, or develop a new line of business or go after a new market. The 8- to 10-week class also provides other business tools, technical assistance and many opportunities for networking and collaboration.”
Applications for the next cohort are due Friday, and the program is slated to run for eight weeks beginning Aug. 9. The cohort has at least 20 slots, but CNHA said this could be increased depending on need.
This will mark the ninth cohort for the program since its launch in January 2020. To date, the program has supported more than 160 businesses that represent a range of sectors. Collectively, participating businesses have gone on to secure a total of about $630,000 in funding through varied sources including grants, loans, and equity investment.
Some funding also is available through CNHA. Companies from the program’s most recent cohort were invited to participate in a pitch competition held at the annual CNHA Convention last month. The winner, an LGBTQ+-inclusive wedding and event planning company called The Gay Agenda Collective, was awarded $10,000 — a $5,000 cash prize, and $5,000 in a technical assistance grant.
CNHA is a nonprofit organization that works to enhance the cultural, economic, political, and community development of Native Hawaiians.
Mukai told PBN that, in 2019, the organization began “to provide more opportunities for the community to increase their household income.” To that end, in addition to the KuHana Business Program, CNHA also created the Hawaiian Trades Academy, a workforce development program that provides training for a variety of trade jobs.
"Economic development plays a huge role in our mission to uplift lahui and our communities," Mukai said.
The deadline to apply for the ninth cohort of the KuHana Business Program is 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. Participation costs $250. For more information and to apply, visit hawaiiancouncil.org/kuhana.
