Board of Directors

 


Meli James
President

 

Meli James is the cofounder of Mana Up, a Hawaii-based product accelerator and venture fund building the state’s next generation of consumer brands. She is also the president of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association. Born and raised in Honolulu, Meli lived in Silicon Valley for more than 10 years where she co-founded numerous startups including Nirvino – a #1 ranked wine app and Apple Platform Top 100 App, during its time. Meli has been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of five Women to Watch and as one of eight Women Leaders Who Are Disrupting Entrepreneurship. She serves on the board of UHA Health Insurance, board of regents for Chaminade University and is a 2020 Omidyar Fellow. Meli is a graduate of Punahou School and Cornell University.


 

   
Donavan Kealoha
Board Member

 

Donavan is a Director at Startup Capital Ventures and serves on the board of portfolio company AreaMetrics, Hobnob, and board observer at Breinify.

Prior to joining Startup Capital, Donavan co-founded Adama Materials, a venture-capital backed materials science company and Asio Corporation, a software development consulting firm.

Donavan is also co-founder of the Purple Maiʻa Foundation, a 501(c)(3) focused on empowering high opportunity youth in underserved Hawaiʻi communities that possess rich cultural heritages by providing indigenized technology education.  Donavan is a licensed attorney and holds a BA, and JD/MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

 

     

Bill Spencer
Former President

  

Bill led the Hawaii Venture Capital Association from 1999 – 2013 and is a co-founder of the aquaculture venture, Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc.  

 


Chenoa Farnsworth
Board Member

 

Chenoa has more than 15 years experience in business strategy and private equity investing. Farnsworth is the managing director of Blue Startups and the Hawaii Angels, Hawaii’s only angel capital investment network. In 2006, she co-founded Kolohala Ventures, a Hawai’i-based venture capital firm that has invested $50 million into Hawai’i-based technology start-ups. 

 

     
Rob Robinson
Board Member

 

Founder of Hawaii’s angel investor network, the Hawaii Angels. Co-author of Angel Investing: Matching Startup Funds with Startup Companies. Award-winning author on business negotiation and conflict management, has over 20 years of experience in coaching companies in valuation and other negotiations.

 

Peter Rowan
Board Member

 

Peter Rowan is the Executive Director, Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and a Senior Lecturer at the Shidler College of Business at UH Manoa. He was Corporate Vice President, New Ventures at Coinstar from 2001-2010. During his tenure, the company grew from $150 million to $1.3 billion in revenue, entered new lines of business and introduced innovative growth initiatives like its DVD kiosks, money transfer, and e-payment programs. At Coinstar, Peter led more than 20 acquisitions, investments and divestitures, including its investment in Redbox. Peter has taught entrepreneurship and new venture strategy since 2005. He is active in the entrepreneurial community as an advisor, mentor and investor. He has a BA in Russian History from Cornell University, an MA in International Policy Studies and an MBA from Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

 

HVCA Team  

Shelbie Woods
Administrative Assistant
 
Shelbie Woods has served as the Administrative Assistant for the Hawaii Venture Capital Association for two years. She also works as the Account Manager for Mana Up. She is based on Maui and holds a B.S. in Religion with a cognate in Leadership from Liberty University.