Hawaii Leadership Forum

What Hawaii Leadership Forum does

Hawai'i Leadership Forum (HLF) is a Honolulu-based nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that develops, engages, and inspires leaders to drive impact and catalyze positive change across the state of Hawai'i. Its core offerings are the Omidyar Fellows program — a flagship, cohort-based fellowship that unites diverse leaders statewide and equips them with skills, networks, and a values-driven leadership practice grounded in Hawaiian cultural concepts such as kuleana, kūlana, ʻāina, and community — and Leaders Lab, launched in 2024 as an immersive, one-day cohort experience convening 15–20 participants per session. Leaders Lab operates across five thematic cohorts (Entrepreneurs/Business/Labor; Community Organizers/Nonprofit; Public Officials/Government; Health/Science/Technology; Educators/Academic) and three neighbor island cohorts on Maui, Hawai'i Island, and Kaua'i. A partnership with SMALLIFY (led by Dave Viotti) extends the product surface with coaching, facilitation, and capacity-building for impact project teams using a six-factor community-centered innovation methodology. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors that includes Pam Omidyar and is staffed by a small team led by President AJ Halagao.

The business model is philanthropic rather than commercial: HLF operates as a 501(c)-style nonprofit funded primarily by the Omidyar 'Ohana Fund of the Hawai'i Community Foundation, with all program costs underwritten so that participants attend Omidyar Fellows, Leaders Lab, and SMALLIFY-supported sessions at no charge. Programs are delivered directly to participants through facilitated in-person sessions rather than via resellers or digital channels, and go-to-market is community-led and event-driven — relying on alumni referrals through the Forum of Fellows network, local co-facilitators on each neighbor island, word-of-mouth within Hawai'i's leadership community, and an annual Impact Report ('Waves of Change,' published 2024) as the primary outward communications vehicle. HLF's technology stack is essentially non-existent in the conventional product sense — there is no app, API, SDK, or proprietary software platform; the 'technology' is the 12-year curriculum, the Forum of Fellows alumni network, and the place-based cultural integration that differentiates its programming.

Name

Hawaii Leadership Forum

Legal name

Hawai'i Leadership Forum

Website

https://hawaiileadershipforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hawai'i Leadership Forum is a Honolulu-based nonprofit, founded in 2012, that runs the Omidyar Fellows program, Leaders Lab cohorts, and a SMALLIFY coaching partnership to develop and convene diverse leaders across the Hawaiian Islands at no cost to participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Leadership Development Programs

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Remote/Hybrid Leadership & Distributed Team Management (EDABAAAN), Executive Leadership Summits (C-Suite, Board, Strategy Offsites) (THAHAMAA)

Keywords

• Leadership development programs
• Nonprofit fellowship programs
• Community leadership training
• Executive coaching services
• Civic capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Funding: The organization operates as a nonprofit receiving funding primarily from the Omidyar 'Ohana Fund of the Hawaii Community Foundation. Program costs are covered for all participants at no charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hawai'i Leadership Forum is a nonprofit organization that develops, engages, and inspires leaders across Hawai'i through its cornerstone Omidyar Fellows program and Leaders Lab, a series of immersive one-day labs convening 15-20 participants for collective learning, peer exchange, and personal growth. The organization also partners with SMALLIFY to provide coaching, facilitation, and capacity-building services to Fellows and impact project teams using a community-centered innovation methodology. All programs are offered at no cost to accepted participants.

Product overview

Hawaii Leadership Forum is a nonprofit organization running leadership development programs. The core offerings include the Omidyar Fellows (cornerstone fellowship program), Leaders Lab (immersive multi-session leadership labs), and a partnership with SMALLIFY for coaching and facilitation. Leaders Lab has expanded to include five thematic groups and three neighbor island groups. These programs form a dynamic ecosystem of changemakers focused on developing leaders who embrace shared responsibility for addressing Hawaii's most pressing issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Omidyar Fellows: Cornerstone program of HLF that unites diverse leaders across Hawaii who share a vision for a brighter future, equipped with essential skills and a vibrant network.
• Leaders Lab
• SMALLIFY

Products and services

• Omidyar Fellows Cornerstone fellowship program of Hawai'i Leadership Forum that unites diverse leaders across Hawai'i who share a vision for a brighter future. Fellows are equipped with essential leadership skills and join an active alumni network (Forum of Fellows) that supports purpose-driven leadership, community mobilization, and lasting improvements for the islands.
• Leaders Lab Dynamic platform of immersive one-day labs convening 15-20 participants for collective learning, peer exchange, and personal growth, deepening leadership practice in the values of kuleana, kūlana, ʻāina, and community. Co-facilitated by Omidyar Fellows and organized into eight groups: five thematic groups (Entrepreneurs/Business/Labor Leaders; Community Organizers/Nonprofit Leaders; Public Officials/Government Leaders; Health/Science/Technology Leaders; Educators/Academic Leaders) and three neighbor island groups (Hawai'i Island, Kaua'i, Maui).

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Neighbor Island Leaders (Local Co-Facilitators)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Leaders Lab on each neighbor island is co-facilitated by a local leader: Marissa Sandblom on Kauai, Kapa Oliveira on Maui, and Mahina Paishon on Hawai'i Island, alongside Nicole Velasco who supports all three sessions.
• SMALLIFY (led by Dave Viotti)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHawaii Leadership Forum partners with SMALLIFY to offer coaching, facilitation, capacity building, and other supports to Fellows and their colleagues and teams. SMALLIFY works with impact project teams comprised of Omidyar Fellows and other community leaders addressing collective challenges using community-centered innovation methodology focused on six essential factors for transformative change.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aspen Institute: Major policy and leadership organization running convenings, fellowships, and seminars (e.g., Aspen Executive Seminars, Socrates Program) that develop values-based leaders across sectors. Larger and broader incumbent operating in HLF's niche but with a much wider portfolio.
• National Civic League: Nonprofit advancing civic engagement and cross-sector community leadership nationally, including the All-America City Awards and the Civic Index. Comparable peer in cross-sector civic convening mission, though with a policy/research emphasis rather than direct cohort training.
• Fetzer Institute: Michigan-based private foundation that invests in programs fostering spiritual transformation and leadership, with cohort-based leadership initiatives. Adjacent peer in the leadership/spirituality intersection; operates nationally rather than as a place-based program.

Emerging players

• Echoing Green: Global fellowship identifying and developing leaders for social impact, with cohort-based programming, peer networks, and seed funding for fellows. Comparable in cohort + network + values-driven model, but oriented toward individual social entrepreneurs rather than place-based civic leadership.

Others

• Hawaii Community Foundation: Hawaii's largest community foundation and the parent organization of the Omidyar 'Ohana Fund that funds HLF. Ecosystem peer as the funding intermediary and the Hawaii-focused philanthropic infrastructure that HLF both draws from and contributes leadership into.
• Independent Sector: National membership organization representing nonprofits, foundations, and corporate giving programs; runs convenings and leadership networks for the charitable sector. Ecosystem peer to HLF as a community-builder and advocate for civil society leadership.

Direct peers

• CompassPoint Nonprofit Services: Bay Area-based nonprofit providing leadership development, coaching, and management training for nonprofit leaders, with cohort programs and executive coaching. Peer in training/coaching delivery model serving the nonprofit and civic leadership pipeline.
• Rockwood Leadership Institute: National nonprofit that provides leadership training, coaching, and capacity-building to social justice leaders and movement leaders. Comparable peer due to focus on adaptive leadership, cohort/peer learning, and commitment to community-centered change methodology similar to HLF/SMALLIFY.
• Coro Foundation: National nonprofit running cohort-based civic leadership fellowships that train diverse leaders across sectors to address community challenges. Directly comparable to HLF's Omidyar Fellows in structure (intensive cohort, cross-sector, values-driven), though operating in larger metros (NYC, SF, St. Louis, LA).
• American Leadership Forum (ALF): Multi-state network of local Leadership Forum chapters running cohort-based, cross-sector leadership development programs for civic, business, and community leaders. ALF shares HLF's name, model (immersive cohorts), and mission to cultivate place-based leadership, making it the closest structural peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hawaii-leadership-forum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaii Leadership Forum