Our goal is to develop a coalition of Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs focused on aloha ‘āina, sustainability, and regenerative business models to cultivate waiwai and uplift the lāhui.
As a studio, we are here to fill operational gaps in key functions for these companies, empowering them to grow faster, larger, and create greater impact.
As sons and daughters rooted in Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian culture, we are driven to see our communities thrive economically, and we aspire to see a world that resembles the moʻolelo of our ancestors.
Aloha ‘āina is a central pillar in our approach to entrepreneurship and design-thinking. By emphasizing connections between land, people, and communities, we develop a uniquely regenerative, circular economy rooted in ʻIke Kūpuna. Which then serves as a global model for self-sufficiency, environmental sustainability, and social justice.
We provide support through curriculum, workshops, hackathons, and physical community spaces for people to gather and collectively build. We provide workplace training and inspiration for the next generation of creators and leaders. While our services include design, communications, and facilitation, our larger work is to uplift the lāhui to the next steps of economic acceleration.
As a studio and division of Purple Maiʻa, Mālama Studios is intentionally developing waiwai. By working with businesses in areas of food security, land stewardship, health and wellness, sustainability, and biocultural restoration, we aim to create a foundation that ensure Hawaiʻi’s economy can survive on its own. Deliberate efforts generate meaningful outcomes.
Our pewa symbolize Hawaiʻi as a nation under duress and the lahui’s collective mana working to restore Ea. The infinity loop is our aspiration to build a regenerative, circular economy. The pewa can also be interpreted as the vertebrae of a mo’o, symbolizing the ongoing creation of new moʻokūʻauhau (genealogy) along our quest and the circular nature of our connection to kūpuna. We hope you’ll join us along the journey.
2016
2019
From those competitions came curriculum.
Late 2020
In response, Mālama Venture Studio was created.
Fall 2021
Then came FoundHer.
2022
Mālama Studios was launched.
2023
Established Ka Maka ʻĪnana and Digital Creators.
2024
The Purple Prize returns.
We partner with startup companies and organizations by infilling functional operating roles, and deploying high-leverage interventions at critical points in their early lifecycle. Here are a few companies we currently service!
Our training programs aim to educate, equip, and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs and designers. Curriculum and outcomes are designed using culturally grounded frameworks that provide the skills necessary to transform our communities.
Ethical Design in a Hawaiian Context
Ka Maka ‘Inana (KMI) seeks to inform the way we think about and practice design to embed more equity and cultural groundedness in all the things that we create. KMI hosts monthly Think Tanks and meetups.
Digital Skills in a Hawaiian Context
The Digital Creators (DC) program is an intensive learning experience that introduces participants to the basics of digital marketing, visual design, and the power of storytelling. Summer internships starting in 2023!
A business accelerator created and operated by women for women. FoundHer provides research-tested resources critical to the success of an early-stage wāhine-led business. Over the course of 6 months, the goal is to grow five small businesses by 100-300% by providing resources including funding, mentorship, childcare, and workspace.
A 9 month program aimed to implement practical and innovative solutions for Kānaka Maoli owned companies to scale across the pae ʻāina and into new markets. Addressing key areas of inequality, MDS Accelerator has chosen companies that focus on regenerative, environmentally sustainable, and a socially just Hawaiian economy.
