Nov 18, 2015 | Community
Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and High Technology Development Corporation sponsored Maui County’s participation in the first statewide, 36-hour, 2015 DevLeague/Uber Hawaii Hackathon. The free event, held October 23rd to 25th, was partnered with Livecoding.tv, an educational streaming platform to connect participants around the state. Ten thousand dollars worth of prizes, and an opportunity to meet with an Uber engineering team in San Francisco, was offered to winning teams in various web-design categories. “This exciting event was a key initiative to continue to grow and connect the developer community and provide valuable skills,” said DevLeague co-founder Russel Cheng. “The weekend-long program and new partnership between DevLeague and Uber enabled participants to come together in both physical and virtual spaces.” The teams collaborated and built web-based transportation applications using Uber’s application programming interface (API) which are protocols and tools for building software applications.
“I’m thankful to MEDB for stepping up to host the Maui location,” said Web Designer Ben Ward. “The event brought entrepreneurs, programmers and designers together to build prototypes, test business ideas, assemble skills, make friends and lose sleep.” Beginning Friday night, participants presented their web and app ideas that could integrate with Uber.
“We ended up with two great projects,” explained Ward. “Ride Guardians, which allows the user to utilize a buddy system that will notify friends about where or when he/she will arrive at the agreed destination. This improves safety and builds trust with the Uber service.” The second project, Nightout, is a quick way for friends to vote on where to spend their night out and get around safely with Uber. “I’m happy to report that Nightout was selected out of nine teams across the state and took the Best Overall Application Award!” exclaimed Ward. “Our winning team, Jordan Amor, Milo Turner, Steve Homer and I, plus all Hawaii participants, proved that tech talent doesn’t just grow in California.” The main sponsor, DevLeague, is a Honolulu-based code boot camp where students can learn to code at a professional level through an intensive hands-on 12-week camp or a 26-week accelerated learning program.
I’m thankful to Maui Economic Development Board for hosting the first statewide, 36-hour, 2015 DevLeague/Uber Hawaii Hackathon on Maui, an event that brought entrepreneurs, programmers, and designers together. The winning Maui team, Jordan Amor, Milo Turner, Steve Homer, and I, plus all Hawaii participants, proved that tech talent doesn’t just grow in California. The Best Overall Application Award went to our app Nightout.
Ben Ward, Maui Web Developer
Nov 12, 2015 | Environment, Sustainability
Imagine a place where the community reflects what is important and precious in each member. Imagine a place where the meaningful work that each individual contributes to the community is healing and inspirational. La‘a Kea Farm on Baldwin Avenue in Pa‘ia is that place. Sitting on 12 acres overlooking the ocean, with double rainbows and majestic white clouds, the farm inspires residents and visitors alike. Founded in June 2000, La‘a Kea, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, provides day and residential programs for youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is the first of its kind in the State of Hawai‘i.
“Our mission is to create wholeness through education and therapy in extended family living,” said La‘a Kea Executive Director Andrea Hall Rodgers. “Being part of a thriving ‘ohana enables the members to fully unfold their potential and inspire each other. La‘a Kea’s programs include farming, economic ventures and the activities of daily living that come alive in a community with homes, farm buildings, a farmers’ market, cafe, craft studio and more,” said Rodgers. Inspired by the internationally known Camphill Village model, La‘a Kea offers a unique alternative to conventional care. Co-workers, residents and day program participants, regardless of their ability or disability, work in a supportive environment. They are all dedicated to discovering and enhancing the contribution of each individual through productive work.
In 2005, Rodgers presented the La‘a Kea project to Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa. “It is an exceptional model of organic farming and equitable community living designed specifically for the special-needs community,” she told the mayor. Recognizing the critical need for a community serving one of our most overlooked populations, Mayor Arakawa arranged the first long-term lease ever given to a nonprofit in the history of Maui County.
“During my first administration we realized there was a gap of service when it came to assisting adults, over 18 years old, with physical and mental challenges,” said the mayor. “I am very happy we have programs like La‘a Kea and others that care for our most vulnerable island residents.”
La‘a Kea Farm is an exceptional model of organic farming and equitable community living designed specifically for the special-needs community.
Everyone is invited to the 5th annual La‘a Kea Farm Fall Family Festival and Pie Contest on Sunday, November 15th, 2015 from noon to 4 pm. The event includes food and fun for the entire family with live music, tractor rides, silent auction and more.
Andrea Hall Rodgers, La‘a Kea Executive Director
Nov 5, 2015 | Education, Small Business
A recent seminar presented by Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB’s) Technical Assistance Workshop Series provided a hands-on look at apps available from the U.S. Census Bureau to give small businesses and startups the edge in exploring the demographics of potential markets. Jerry Wong, Data Dissemination Specialist for the Census Bureau’s Los Angeles Region, explained that census data allows business owners to research how to start or expand a business. “My intent is to inform individuals here on Maui, particularly entrepreneurs and company representatives, about the new tools that will assist them in the analysis of locations on Maui for business opportunities through looking at the census data for those specific areas,” said Wong. “This training applies to market research, community analysis and planning, grant proposals and general decision-making, all of which involve the use of statistical information.”
“The purpose of this seminar was to add another tool to each participant’s business toolkit,” said Frank De Rego, Jr., Director of Businesss Development Projects at MEDB. “The two new apps created by the U.S. Census Bureau, Census Business Builder and On the Map, along with Knight Ridder’s Census Reporter, now make accessing census data more user-friendly. As these tools are expanded and improved, they will be invaluable for strategic business planning,” said De Rego.
“We recently opened our first gallery here on Maui,” said Lisa Marie Corcoran of National Geographic Fine Arts Galleries in Wailea. “I very much appreciate this great opportunity to learn how to use census data to benefit our customers and community. Specifically, we are very interested in capabilities for exploring the demographics and socioeconomic characteristics of potential markets on-island,” she explained. “While we estimate 80 percent of our market to be tourist-driven, we want to better understand the community we operate in. MEDB and the Visitor Bureau also do a great job of publishing current and historical demographic data.”
Oct 28, 2015 | Community
Maui student Keola Paz Paredes, son of a Bolivian immigrant to the United States, has initiated an outstanding mission to help children in Bolivia who play soccer. Paredes, a senior on the Kamehameha High School soccer team in Pukalani, has been playing soccer since he was a young child. “I first got the idea for my project when I was 11 years old,” Paredes explained. “My family and I brought soccer shoes for three children belonging to the woman who helped in my grandmother’s house in Bolivia. When the kids tried on the shoes they had massive smiles on their face, a joy almost like nothing I had seen before. I got this amazing feeling of pride knowing I had helped to give that to them.”
A few years later, Keola and his family went to Bolivia with about 50 pairs of shoes and a bunch of other miscellaneous equipment and brought it to a barrio neighborhood in the upper reaches of La Paz. “When we got there, the children had their faces pressed up against the gate which surrounded the concrete field they played on. The best part was, they didn’t even know we were bringing them anything, they just thought we were going to play soccer with them,” Paredes exclaimed. “Needless to say, when we started handing out the gear, the children went wild! It was then that I realized how many people I could impact and I wanted to do even more.”
Paredes, realizing what he wanted to do next, recently collected 100 cleats and nine suitcases full of equipment from soccer teams around Maui, including brand new uniforms from the American Youth Soccer Organization. “I am currently working on a short documentary about the current situation in Bolivia and already have a confirmed TV channel to show it on. I’m going to advertise the need for good soccer gear and ask for more donations to keep the project running for years to come. I’d like to leave a lasting impact on the children in Bolivia.” To help Paredes, email keola@gmail.com.
Oct 21, 2015 | Small Business
Do you need capital to grow your company and achieve success?
Come learn from experts in the venture capital industry about how to attract needed venture capital to expand and grow your business. The focus of discussion will be on Silicon Valley-style venture funds. You will gain insights into what venture funds expect in an investment; what motivates them internally and externally; how to secure a meeting with a venture fund; how to prepare for a meeting with a venture fund; and how to structure your company to attract venture capital.
What you will learn
- What is venture capital?
- Why should I seek venture capital?
- How does venture capital work?
- How do I raise venture capital?
- How do I prepare my company for venture capital?
- What are other benefits of having a venture fund invest in my company?
- How do I connect with venture funds?
- What types of returns do their investors expect?
- What type of business models attract venture capital?
- How do I value my company?
- What are the pros and cons for Hawaii companies?
- How do I know that I’m getting a fair deal?
- How do I select a venture capital firm?
The workshop will be Thursday, September 24, 2015, from 9:30 am to 2:15 pm at MEDB’s Malcolm Center, 1305 N. Holopono St. in Kihei. Cost of the workshop is $20. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited, and reservations are required. Click here to register: https://hightechmaui.com/confregister/form-venturecapital.cfm
For more information, contact: Frank De Rego, Jr. MEDB Director of Business Development Projects, frank@medb.org, (808)270-6807.
