Purple Maiʻa

What Purple Maiʻa does

Purple Maiʻa Foundation is a Hawaiʻi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 by Olin Lagon, Donavan Kealoha, and Kelsey Amos, operating an integrated ecosystem across four departments — Kula (educational hub), Muʻo (student talent pipelines including the Lau Maiʻa Scholarship and PMF Internship Program), ʻĀina Foundry (applied technology prototyping), and Kaiāulu (community programs including the FoundHer women's business accelerator, Digital Creators training, Food+ Policy, and Makaliʻi Metrics). The organization serves Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, women-owned small businesses, community/land-steward organizations, and Hawaiʻi Island food and agriculture businesses, reaching 7,500+ individuals helped and 10K+ community members across four mokupuni and the Continental US with a team of 30+ staff/board members and 16 interns.

The technology stack centers on culturally grounded, offline-capable infrastructure rather than conventional SaaS. The flagship product, the KILO Dashboard (Kilo ʻIke Laulima na ʻŌiwi), is a community-driven environmental monitoring system measuring weather, water quality, and soil conditions under an Indigenous Data Sovereignty framework, backed by the Maui Cluster — a locally owned edge computing cluster of 5–6 machines running modified open-source AI models with data never routed to mainland data centers. Additional AI capabilities include edge-first LLM semantic routing on NVIDIA Jetson Nano, OpenClaw self-hosted agent runtime, and a Claude Code–driven local document research tool. Programs are delivered free or via non-dilutive grants ($20,000 plus $4,000 ʻohana stipends per FoundHer participant; $1,000 per Lau Maiʻa Scholar), with intellectual and methodological underpinnings licensed from the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation's kānāwai framework and research collaborations with Dr. Josiah Hester (Ka Moamoa Lab) and Dr. Keolu Fox.

The revenue model is philanthropic: foundation grants, individual donations (via purplemaia.org), and program-specific institutional support (e.g., Stupski Foundation for food policy), with no subscription, transaction, or equity-based revenue. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by the annual Eahou Fest (May 1–3, 2026 in Mōʻiliʻili, Oʻahu) and the Hālau ʻĪnana co-working space in Honolulu, complemented by direct program delivery through community partnerships (Hawaii Foodbank, Family Promise of Hawaii, UH West Oʻahu, DreamHouse Center, Kūlia All Stars). Customer concentration is diffuse across program participants but unmeasured on the funder side, and the 2025–2026 expansion into food/agriculture (FoundHer Kapalili), state-level policy advocacy (SB2320, SB2718), and edge-AI infrastructure represents a directional shift from pure service delivery toward embedded infrastructure and statutory influence.

Name

Purple Maiʻa

Legal name

Purple Mai'a Foundation

Website

https://purplemaia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purple Maiʻa Foundation is a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit that operates an integrated education, innovation, and community ecosystem — delivering culturally grounded technology education, a women's business accelerator, edge-AI environmental monitoring (KILO Dashboard), and statewide food and policy programs for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and broader Hawaiʻi communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Education and Community Innovation

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Monitoring, Evaluation, Learning (MEL) & Reporting for Donor Programs (BPADAOAL), International Development & Donor-Funded Education Programs (EDADALAB)

Keywords

• Nonprofit education programs
• Indigenous technology innovation
• Community workforce development
• Small business accelerator
• Environmental monitoring software

Headquarters

HQ city

Aiea

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants & Donations: Purple Mai'a operates as a nonprofit organization funded through grants and donations. The organization does not charge for most programs (Digital Creators is free, scholarships are provided). Revenue comes from philanthropic partnerships and community donations.
2. Non-dilutive Grants to Program Participants: FoundHer provides $20,000 non-dilutive grants and $4,000 ʻohana care stipends to women-owned businesses. These are not equity investments but grants supporting small business development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Purple Mai'a Foundation is a Hawaiʻi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers culturally grounded education, talent development, applied technology prototyping, and small-business accelerator programs across the Hawaiian Islands. Its portfolio includes the Kula educational hub, the Muʻo student pathways (scholarships and internships), the ʻĀina Foundry innovation and prototyping department (including the KILO Dashboard environmental monitoring system and Maui Cluster edge compute), and the Kaiāulu community programs such as FoundHer, Digital Creators, Food+ Policy, and Makaliʻi Metrics. Programs are funded by grants and donations and offered to participants free or with non-dilutive support.

Product overview

Purple Maiʻa Foundation is a nonprofit education and community organization—not a traditional SaaS product company. Its offering is a portfolio of interlinked departments, programs, and technology platforms centered on culturally grounded, community-serving innovation for Hawaiʻi. The core departments are: Kula (K–12 and higher education hub including Hālau Hekili, Waiw.AI Studios, Pilina Development, Kūkulu Ea, and Paʻa Moʻolelo), Muʻo (student talent pipelines comprising Lau Maiʻa Scholarships and PMF Internships), ʻĀina Foundry (applied tech prototyping with KiloTech/environmental monitoring as a flagship), and Kaiāulu (community programs including FoundHer accelerator, Digital Creators training, Food+ Policy, Makali'i Metrics, and Motherwit Cooperative). The flagship technology product is the KILO Dashboard—a community-driven, offline-capable environmental monitoring system built on Indigenous data sovereignty principles. Programs are complemented by Eahou Fest (annual festival), Hālau ʻĪnana (co-working space), and the MauI Cluster (locally owned AI compute infrastructure). Together, the portfolio forms an integrated ecosystem advancing regenerative, community-centered technology from education through prototyping to venture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kula: Educational hub of Purple Maiʻa Foundation - a wahi where Indigenous innovation, technology, and computer science serve community through culturally grounded learning experiences.
• Āina Foundry
• Kaiāulu
• Mu'o
• FoundHer
• Digital Creators
• Food+ Policy
• Waiw.ai Studios
• Hālau Īnana

Products and services

• KILO Dashboard (Kilo ʻIke Laulima na ʻŌiwi) Community-driven, offline-capable environmental monitoring system grounded in Native Hawaiian kilo (observation) principles; measures weather, water quality, soil, and ecological indicators so communities can observe environments in real time and track long-term trends while retaining control of their own data.
• Digital Creators Free 11-week creative training program building foundational skills in digital storytelling, marketing, and graphic design, rooted in moʻolelo and aloha ʻāina, designed for Hawaiʻi residents, particularly Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander participants.
• FoundHer Accelerator 6-month small business accelerator providing intensive online workshops, one-on-one mentorship, a $20,000 non-dilutive grant, and a $4,000 ʻohana care stipend to early-stage businesses in Hawaiʻi owned by Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian American women.
• Makaliʻi Metrics Local soil testing program providing farmers and land stewards with affordable, accessible soil analysis to support ʻāina restoration and agricultural productivity in Hawaiʻi.
• Food+ Policy Policy program addressing Hawaiʻi's food system through community-rooted legislative solutions, including the state's first food policy hackathon and Food Policy Incubator, which produced two bills introduced to the 2026 legislative session.
• Eahou Fest Annual conference-meets-festival in Mōʻiliʻili, Oʻahu that weaves tech, art, music, and education with community activations, exploring how ancestral Hawaiian knowledge can guide modern technology and stewardship systems.
• Hālau ʻĀnana Co-working Space Community-serving co-working space operated by Purple Maiʻa at 2438 S Beretania Street, Honolulu, providing free or discounted workspace amenities for organizations aligned with Aloha ʻĀina outcomes and home to the Nā Hoa Hana program.
• ʻĀina Foundry Applied innovation and prototyping department of Purple Maiʻa Foundation that builds culturally grounded technology serving ʻāina restoration and communities, moving community-vetted ideas into working prototypes and ventures.
• Kula Educational Hub Educational hub of Purple Maiʻa Foundation offering culturally grounded learning spaces and programs that empower keiki, haumāna, and educators to see technology as an expression of Hawaiian identity, including Hālau Hekili, Waiw.AI Studios, Pilina Development, Kūkulu Ea, and Paʻa Moʻolelo.
• Muʻo Talent Pathways Talent development platform bringing together the Lau Maiʻa Scholars post-secondary scholarship program (Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Mathematics) and the PMF Internship Program offering hands-on tech projects addressing real challenges in Hawaiʻi.

Quantifiable outcome

• FoundHer businesses 66% more likely to survive past 2-5 years than other Hawaiʻi businesses
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Dr. Josiah Hester (Ka Moamoa Lab)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for sustainable computing for environmental monitoring. Hester's research on sustainable computing and environmentally aware edge computing supports KILO Dashboard development. Collaborating on 'locally grown' compute clusters built from recycled hardware.
• Dr. Keolu FoxcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on creating hardware for Indigenous data sovereignty in science. Partnering to develop environmentally aware edge computing and compute infrastructure that keeps data on-site.
• Edith Kanakaʻole FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSource of kānāwai (ancestral ecological laws) methodology that inspired KILO Dashboard. Their framework for Native Hawaiian knowledge systems underpins Purple Maiʻa's approach to Indigenous innovation.
• Hawaiʻi Food+ PolicymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for food policy initiatives including hackathon and incubator. Led to development of SB2320 (Kuleana AgTech Pathways Program) and SB2718 (Food Hub Pilot Program) bills.
• Keauhou ShelterminorOthersCommunity partner for '1100 Meals for 11 Years' initiative serving meals to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Family Promise of HawaiiminorOthersCommunity partner for food insecurity relief through meal preparation, packing, and distribution.
• Maui Hui MalamaminorOthersYouth services organization on Maui serving as community partner for food distribution efforts.
• Hawaii FoodbankminorOthersStatewide food bank partnership for meal distribution across pae ʻāina.
• Na Pulapula Inc (Big Island)minorOthersBig Island youth organization partnered for food security initiative.
• PuʻuokapoleiminorOthersCommunity organization served through meal distribution program.
• Ulu Aʻe Learning CenterminorOthersEducation center where memorial gathering was held for Laʻa Carvalho.
• UH West OʻahuminorOthersUniversity location where Uluniu gatherings and Laʻa's memorial tree planting took place.
• DreamHouse CenterminorOthersCommunity partner location for Waiw.ai Studios spring hōʻike showcasing student work.
• Carvalho ʻOhana (Laʻa Carvalho Scholarship Fund)minorOthersFamily collaboration with Purple Maiʻa to establish scholarship fund in memory of Laʻa, supporting fellow studio alakaʻi in postsecondary education.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Year Up: National nonprofit workforce-development program providing training, stipends, and job placement for young adults from underserved communities; directly comparable accelerator/education-to-employment model, though not Indigenous-focused.
• Code for America: National nonprofit applying technology and human-centered design to improve public services; similar technology-for-good operating model though focused on civic/government rather than Indigenous community outcomes.
• Kamehameha Schools: Largest Native Hawaiian-serving private educational institution and one of Hawaiʻi's wealthiest foundations; operates K–12 education, post-secondary scholarships, and cultural programs at vastly larger scale — the dominant incumbent in the same cultural-education space Purple Maiʻa occupies.
• Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA): State agency and Native Hawaiian trust organization administering programs for Native Hawaiians across education, health, and economic self-sufficiency; overlapping mission of Hawaiian community empowerment though operating as a public trust rather than a private nonprofit.

Direct peers

• American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES): National nonprofit dedicated to Indigenous STEM education, scholarships, and career pathways; comparable model of culturally grounded STEM education for Indigenous students, with scholarships and internships analogous to Lau Maiʻa and Muʻo.
• Trickster Company: Native American nonprofit using film, art, and technology to amplify Indigenous storytelling; comparable as an Indigenous-led organization blending cultural preservation with technology-driven program delivery.
• First Nations / Oweesta Institute: Leading Native American nonprofit advancing tribal economic self-sufficiency, including financial education, small-business development, and capacity building; closest analog to Purple Maiʻa's FoundHer accelerator serving Indigenous entrepreneurs.
• Papa Ola Lōkahi: Hawaiʻi-based Native Hawaiian nonprofit advancing community health and cultural wellbeing; directly comparable as a Native Hawaiian-serving community foundation with similar grantmaking and program-delivery model grounded in Hawaiian epistemology.

Regional players

• Hawaiʻi Community Foundation: Statewide community foundation in Hawaiʻi distributing philanthropic capital to nonprofits; comparable as a Hawaiʻi-focused philanthropic intermediary, though operating as a grantmaker rather than direct program provider.
• Consuelo Foundation: Hawaiʻi-based private foundation supporting vulnerable children and families through grantmaking and program partnerships; comparable as a regional philanthropic foundation serving Hawaiʻi communities, though focused on direct services for at-risk populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/purple_maia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kokuapurplemaia6411
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/purplemaia
• Instagraminstagram.com/purple_maia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Purple Maiʻa