Indigenous Women's Incubator
A true incubator for Native Hawaiian and Indigenous women entrepreneurs - from idea to operating business, delivered in community, on every island. We go to you.
A true incubator for Native Hawaiian-owned Businesses.
Most programs expect you to arrive already baked — with a business plan, a revenue stream, and a polished pitch. IWI starts from wherever you actually are. From the idea that's still just a feeling, an inner knowing, an inkling from your kupuna. From the business that's been running on instinct and hustle, and the pivot you're trying to figure out how to execute.
We created this program because we kept seeing the same gap: Native Hawaiian and Indigenous women with extraordinary potential and no place that was truly built for them. Not culturally, not relationally, not practically. So we built one.
IWI is cohort-based, deeply relational, and delivered in person on every island. We don't expect you to travel to us. We come to you — because presence is part of the work, and showing up in your community sends a message that no Zoom call ever could.
01
Discovery & Foundation
We start by exploring who you are as a Native Hawaiian, as someone who carries generational kuleana. Beyond business fundamentals, the IWI program supports not just your business, but the cultural lens that makes your work yours.
Experience IWI
Every IWI cohort is built around one non-negotiable: safety. Not just physical safety, but the kind of space where your voice matters, where confidence and the understanding of self, culture, and community are treated as seriously as business plans, and where you feel welcomed and encouraged to show up as you are.
02
Build & Structure
Business planning, legal setup, pricing models, financial foundations, and the operational infrastructure your business needs to grow with intention and not just by accident.
03
Brand & Market
Bringing your brand to life, building your online presence, understanding your audience, and learning how to communicate what you do in a way that attracts the right people and opportunities.
04
Growth & Kuleana
Exit planning, scaling strategies, mentorship, and the mindset shift from building a business for yourself to building one that contributes to the strength and abundance of the whole lāhui.
The IWI Impact
These aren't just numbers - they represent businesses that are operating, communities that are stronger, and women who are standing fully in their kuleana.
6+
COHORTS
COMPLETED
30+
BUSINESSES
INCUBATED
4
ISLANDS
REPRESENTED
100%
GRADUATE BUSINESSES
IN OPERATIION
Revenue Growth
[X]% of IWI graduates reported significant revenue growth in the 12 months following program completion. Placeholder — update with real data from Kūkolu records.
Community Reinvestment
IWI graduates have gone on to employ community members, sponsor scholarships, donate to local causes, and mentor the next generation of Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs.
Graduates Become Mentors
Multiple IWI alumni have returned to the program as mentors and community resources — the ecosystem growing and sustaining itself exactly as it was designed to.
In Her Artist Era
Emily States is the creator behind Kaulumaika, a company rooted in Hawaiian language, culture, and education. Her work spans original artwork, interactive products, immersive experiences, and large-scale murals — with pieces now visible across O'ahu and Hawai'i Island. Emily's practice is built around two things she has always cared about most: art and education for Native Hawaiians and those drawn to learning more about Hawaiian language and culture.
As a member of IWI Cohort IV, Emily used her time in the program to expand Kaulumaika in ways that aligned with that vision — bringing new collaborations, commissioned work, and educational workshops to life, and continuing to build alongside her husband to bring Hawaiian language resources directly into the community. The growth she has built over the last several years has allowed her to support her family while sharing her art in one of the most visible ways possible — on big walls, in public spaces, for everyone.
Emily?
Cohort Testimonials
[Alumni Name]
[Business Name]
[Industry] · [Island]
"[Short transformation quote from the alumni — 1-2 sentences in their own voice about what changed.]"
Read Her Story →
Every IWI graduate carries a story. These are just a few of the experiences from women who showed up, did the work, and walked away with something they will carry with them into the future of their businesses and their lives.
[Alumni Name]
[Business Name]
[Industry] · [Island]
"[Short transformation quote from the alumni — 1-2 sentences in their own voice about what changed.]"
Read Her Story →
[Alumni Name]
[Business Name]
[Industry] · [Island]
"[Short transformation quote from the alumni — 1-2 sentences in their own voice about what changed.]"
Read Her Story →
Our mentors have walked the path.
Now they are giving back to the future leaders in business in Hawaiʻi.
IWI mentors are Native Hawaiian business professionals who have built things, led organizations, and navigated hard seasons — and they bring all of that into the room with every cohort they support.
Cohort V
-
ALOHA BITES & SIGHTS
Rachel Patrick | Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
BIG ISLAND SMOKEHOUSE
Kainoelani Lee | Hilo, Hawaiʻi | Native Hawaiian
-
HUI COME EAT TRAILER
Leiani Delatorre-Ganon | Hilo, Hawaiʻi | Native Hawaiian
-
KW HAIR DESIGNS. HILO BAE
Kristina Lewis | Honolulu & Hilo | Native Hawaiian
-
PŪʻĀ ANIMAL SERVICES
Sariah Ani Kaakimaka | Oʻahu | Native Hawaiian
-
WEHILANI LYMPHATICS
Brigitte Wehilani McInerny | O'ahu | Native Hawaiian
Cohort IV
-
ECHO
Nicole Velasco | Honolulu, O'ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
KAULUMAIKA
Emily States | Honolulu, O'ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
LO'IHI DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY
Alyssa Rodrigues | Kona, Moku O Keawe | Native Hawaiian
-
MAIAVA MANAGEMENT
Litea Maiava | Lahaina, Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
RBL MEDIA
Pualena Pakele & Cabot | Oʻahu | Native Hawaiian
-
TRUSTWORTHY CLEANING MAUI
Karlee Brown | Maui | Native Hawaiian
Cohort Maui
-
HAPA HOUR
Halli Marie Ancheta | Wai’ehu, Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
HERE IN THE SUN
Pomaika’i Marmolejos | Kula, Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
KAPUNA FARMS
Miki’ala Pua’a-Freitas | Waihe’e, Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
WAIWAOLANI
Roselani Aiwohi | Wai’ehu, Maui | Native Hawaiian
Cohort III
-
'AU 'AU HI
Deneen Dwyer Hesia | Kane’ohe, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian & Puerto Rican
-
[EP-IK] STYLE
Sydney Yap-Kalipi | Kaunakakai, Moloka’i | Native Hawaiian
-
HULALEI DESIGNS
Lehua Greenwell | Moloka’i Island | Native Hawaiian
-
IOLANI MORIKAMI
Iolani Morikami | Honolulu, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
ISLAND SWIM
Lilinoe Wedemeyer | Kealakekua, Hawai’i | Native Hawaiian & Chamorro
-
KŌ KĀKOU 'ĀINA
Thelma Tomich | Kaiwiki, Hilo Hema, Hawai’i | Native Hawaiian
-
ONWARD + UPWARD
Raenissa (Noe) Sagapolutele | Kapolei, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
PIKO THERAPY HAWAI'I
Lauren Melendez | Kapolei, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian & Filipina
-
SOULÉ
Kecia Littman | Honolulu, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
Cohort II
-
B.ALIA
Brandy Alia Serikaku | Hilo, Hawai’i | Native Hawaiian
-
FOUNDRY SALON
Mahina Ho | Kailua, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
GENUINE GUAVA
Kawehi Hopkins | Kaimuki, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
HUAKA'I HONEY
Teleise Scanlan | Hilo, Hawai’i | Native Hawaiian and Samoan
-
NĀ'OHU / UNION PASIFIKA
Marissa Kihoi | Waimea, Hawai’i | Native Hawaiian
-
NŌHIE
Sweetheart Eleneki | Wailuku, Maui | Native Hawaiian
-
SLK CONSULTING
Summer Kapanui | Kaimuki, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
Cohort I
-
HOOKED UP HAWAI'I
Kehaunani Reis | Kane’ohe, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
KAHIKOLU
Brytni Kalei K-Aloha | Punalu’u, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
KA MOANA BOUTIQUE
Moana Noa | Nanakuli, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
KAMAILEAULI'IL'I
Kim Scott | Kailua, O’ahu | Native Hawaiian
-
SIMPLY HEALTHY WITH ESTEE
Estee Shizuru | Kuli’ou’ou, O’ahu | Maori
Meet the Mentors
-
Crissy Gayagas
Colonel (US Army, Ret.) and Business Consultant
-
Dani Aiu
EVP, Consumer Banking, American Savings Bank
-
Debbi Eleneki
Honolulu Fire Department Battalion Chief (Ret.)
-
Donalyn Dela Cruz
Principal, DDC Consulting
-
Kelly Dukelow
Assistant Head of School, Kamehameha Schools Maui
-
Kimberly Lord
Senior Managing Director, CB Richard Ellis Hawai’i (Ret.)
-
Lisa Kracher
VP, Array Corp. and President, Staffing Solutions of Hawai’i and Kahu Malama Nurses
-
Nalani Simpson
Business Consultant