Mana Up’s annual Showcase will return next month with an expanded lineup featuring a series of events, Mana Up announced Wednesday.
Mana Up is a Hawaii-based initiative that helps local businesses scale globally, and the Showcase highlights businesses that have gone through its accelerator program. The latest cohort, Cohort 8, launched in May and will conclude with the Showcase.
Businesses from the current cohort will be featured at the main event, the Mana Up Showcase Celebration and Marketplace, which will take place at 5 p.m. Nov. 9 at Bloomingdale’s at Ala Moana Center. The event will feature a marketplace with more than 50 local vendors, all of which will be offering special products, new releases and discounts. Craft cocktails by Ko Hana Rum and local food will be provided.
New this year is also two additional events — including a pitch competition and a concert — held the day before the main showcase. The Mana Up x Pow Wow Pitch will begin at 3 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Hawaii Convention Center. For this event, Mana Up has partnered with international organization Pow Wow Pitch to host a pitch contest for Native-owned businesses. Participating companies will pitch their business idea to the crowd and a panel of judges, and have the opportunity to win a cash prize and the chance to pitch at a global competition.
The contest will be followed by Artists to Watch + Anuhea Live Concert, which will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Hawaii Convention Center. The concert will feature a number of emerging local musicians, with a headline performance by local singer-songwriter Anuhea.
For those who can’t attend in person, a virtual component will be available, too. On Nov. 19, highlights from the showcase will air on Hawaii News Now and social streaming platforms. The broadcast will feature Mana Up entrepreneurs sharing their stories, as well as the Artists to Watch performances, live shopping and more.
The Mana Up Showcase has drawn in thousands of attendees, with the virtual portion bringing in an audience from around the world. According to Mana Up, past in-person events have attracted more than 5,000 attendees, and more than 700,000 people have tuned into the Showcase virtually over the past three years.
Founded by Meli James and Brittany Heyd, Mana Up launched in 2017 with the goal of helping local consumer brands scale globally, in an effort to diversify Hawaii’s economy and increase local job opportunities. Since its inception, 85 companies have participated in the six-month accelerator program, including the 11 that comprise the current cohort. Businesses from Cohort 8 that will be featured at this year’s showcase event include: Averylily, Brianne & Co., Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals, Hawaiian Soda Co, Hobbs Tea, Liquid Life Hawaii, Lotus & Lime, Kakaako Kasuals, Maui Chili Chili Oil, Sweet Land Farm, and UBAE.
When asked how she has seen the current cohort grow, James told Pacific Business News, “With this cohort, we’ve seen the importance of brand narrative and what it looks like to develop that out more with these local entrepreneurs as they grow their business and prepare to scale their companies.”
“A few of our cohort 8 companies including Liquid Life, Kakaako Kasuals and Hobbs Tea are preparing to scale to global markets and wanting to deepen their storytelling and brand as part of their journey with Mana Up,” she said. “Local companies are looking at the next evolution of their brand and narrative. We’ve been working with them through workshops and weekly one-on-one meetings to help prepare them for the long haul in scaling globally — including branding help through consultants like SAE Design and Knobbe Martens — and the community will get to discover and learn more about these companies’ authentic Hawaii stories during Showcase, especially during our one-hour Hawaii broadcast and global livestream.”
Registration for the in-person events, as well as the livestream and broadcast, launched on Wednesday. For the in-person events, attendees must purchase a ticket, with ticket prices ranging from $45 to $75. Livestream viewing is free.
For more information, visit manaupshowcase.com or manauphawaii.com.
