Hamakua Institute

What Hamakua Institute does

Hamakua Institute (Hāmākua Institute) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit international development consultancy founded in 2017 and headquartered in Nīnole, on Hawaii Island in the Hāmākua region. It operates with approximately six employees and provides consulting, training, facilitation, and data analysis services grounded in systems thinking, design thinking, and Market Systems Development (MSD) methodologies. Its flagship program, the Market Systems Development Initiative (MSDI), is a multi-year partnership with the County of Hawaii and the Hawaii Island Food Alliance (HIFA), anchored by the 2021 Hawaii Island Agriculture and Food System Study, which analyzes the island's agricultural value chain and food system resilience.

The institute's core customer base comprises Hawaii-based public, philanthropic, and academic institutions — notably the County of Hawaii, HIAP, HIFA, Kamehameha Schools, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo — alongside an international partnership with the ACCESS Facility of the Netherlands. Revenue is generated through consulting fees, training contracts, and grant-funded program work. In parallel with its advisory practice, the institute launched Airatae, a gig economy platform intended to connect Hawaii-based talent with local opportunities, representing its first commercial software product beyond direct consulting services.

The institute's strategic positioning centers on being a niche convener at the intersection of Pacific Island development, agricultural systems, and donor-funded program design. Geographic expansion is signaled through the Pacific Islands Rural Development Initiative with UH Hilo and the ACCESS Facility partnership, while the Airatae launch indicates early experimentation with technology-mediated revenue beyond grant cycles. As a small nonprofit, Hamakua Institute's growth capacity is constrained by its headcount and reliance on a concentrated set of institutional relationships, with the MSDI serving as the central anchor for both its programmatic identity and likely its financial base.

Name

Hamakua Institute

Legal name

Hamakua Institute

Website

https://hamakuainstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hamakua Institute is a Hawaii-based nonprofit international development consultancy founded in 2017, applying systems thinking and Market Systems Development methodologies to serve public, philanthropic, and academic clients across the Pacific Islands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Consulting

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAEAC

Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Development & Technical Assistance

SECONDARYBPAGAGAI

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGABAM

Microfinance, Financial Inclusion & Inclusive Markets

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

Keywords

• Economic development consulting
• Market systems development
• Value chain analysis
• Social impact facilitation
• Collective impact initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Nīnole

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: The organization provides consulting, planning, monitoring and evaluation for socio-economic development projects and strategies. Revenue appears to be generated through professional service engagements with government agencies, nonprofits, and private sector partners.
2. Partnership and Grant Funding: As a recently established nonprofit, the organization likely receives funding through partnerships with organizations such as County of Hawai'i, HIAP, and other development organizations for specific projects and initiatives.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hamakua Institute is a nonprofit consultancy that provides economic and social development services to government agencies, nonprofits, and agricultural stakeholders in Hawai'i County. The organization delivers value chain analysis, public-private partnership design, collective impact facilitation, training programs, and participatory program evaluation, alongside operating the Airatae gig-economy software platform that connects people with talent, materials, and funding to solve community social problems.

Product overview

Hamakua Institute is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of consulting services and one software product. The core offering includes three service lines: Data Collection and Analysis (value chain analysis, need assessments, system studies, project evaluations), Program and Partnership Support (public-private partnerships, social enterprise incubation, M&E consulting), and Training and Facilitation (market systems training, value chain analysis training). The primary software product is Airatae, a gig-economy platform for community problem-solving. Additionally, the Market Systems Development Initiative (MSDI) is a five-year programmatic initiative focused on Hawai'i County economic development through market systems approaches. The organization does not operate a unified platform but rather provides differentiated service offerings alongside one proprietary software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Airatae: A software platform that makes it easier to solve social problems by allowing people to find talent, materials, and funding for solving social problems in their community. Allows individuals with money and materials to donate or hire, and individuals with time to offer their talent, skills, and expertise as gig economy workers.

Products and services

• Airatae A software platform that enables people to solve social problems by finding talent, materials, and funding for community projects. Individuals with resources but limited time can donate or hire services, while those with time but limited funds can offer their skills and expertise as gig economy workers.
• Market Systems Development Initiative (MSDI) A five-year initiative to strengthen Hawai'i County's capacity for joint public-private economic analysis and action, with focus on agriculture and food systems development through public-private partnerships, cluster development, value chain analysis, and market facilitation.
• Data Collection and Analysis Services Professional services including value chain analysis, participatory need assessments, system studies, and project evaluations to help clients understand market constraints and stakeholder ecosystems.
• Program and Partnership Support Services Design and development of public-private partnerships, collective impact initiatives, social enterprise incubation, and consulting for socio-economic development projects.
• Training and Facilitation Services Training programs covering market systems facilitation, value chain analysis, and participatory processes for developing shared plans and project designs across multiple stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% of Hawai'i Island employment represented by four identified Clusters of Opportunity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• County of Hawai'icoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty of Hawai'i economic development department partners with the Market Systems Development Initiative to strengthen Hawai'i County's capacity for joint public-private economic analysis and action, with focus on agriculture and food systems development.
• Hawai'i Island Agriculture Partnership (HIAP)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHIAP is a public-private initiative aimed at revitalizing and transforming Hawai'i Island's agricultural economy. The MSDI supports HIAP's development and growth as its primary public-private partnership effort. HIAP represents 120+ agribusinesses, organizations, farmers, government agencies, UH organizations and nonprofits.
• Hawai'i Island Food Alliance (HIFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-conducted the Hawai'i Island Agriculture and Food System Study with HIAP to determine pathways for positive, system-wide change in the island's agricultural market system and local food supply.
• Kamehameha SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting economic and social progress initiatives in the Hāmākua region and Hawai'i Island.
• The Gallus EdgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization contributing to the Market Systems Development Initiative ecosystem supporting Hawai'i County economic development.
• Health Systems ThinkersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization contributing to the Market Systems Development Initiative ecosystem supporting Hawai'i County economic development.
• ACCESS Facility (Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hamakua Institute is partnering with the ACCESS Facility of the Netherlands to develop new spaces for reaching genuine collaboration that can produce sustainable results. Together they are establishing new mechanisms to enable people to better team up and demonstrating the value that neutral conveners and facilitators bring to cooperative efforts.
• University of Hawaii-Hilo, College of Agriculture Forestry and Natural Resource ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hamakua Institute is working with UH Hilo's CAFNRM to find solutions for forgotten island communities. The Pacific Islands Rural Development Initiative will work with institutional partners throughout the Pacific to train rural development workers on overcoming challenges to establishing sustainable livelihoods.
• Collaborative EconomicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe HICO Project follows a nationally tested process developed by Collaborative Economics and Next Generation Sector Partnerships, leveraging economic cluster data to foster industry-led growth strategies.
• Next Generation Sector PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative Economics and Next Generation Sector Partnerships developed the nationally tested process used by the HICO Project for engaging community leaders in building a more equitable, sustainable economy.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Winrock International: Larger international development nonprofit working on agriculture, economic development, and natural resource management — a broader incumbent with overlapping market systems and rural development capabilities.
• Mercy Corps: Large humanitarian and development nonprofit with market systems and economic development programming — a broader incumbent addressing similar problems through similar systems-thinking approaches.
• The Asia Foundation: Established international development nonprofit with deep Asia-Pacific programming — overlapping with the Institute's Pacific Islands Rural Development Initiative and Hawai'i-based Asia-Pacific convening role.

Direct peers

• Pact: International development nonprofit operating across multiple regions with capacity building, collective impact, and market systems programs — comparable in scope and methodology to the Institute's MSDI and Pacific Islands initiative.
• Heifer International: Nonprofit focused on sustainable agriculture and food systems development, comparable to Hamakua Institute's work with HIAP and HIFA on Hawai'i Island's agricultural market system transformation.
• TechnoServe: Nonprofit international development organization that applies market systems development approaches — the same methodology HI's MSDI is based on — to reduce poverty through agricultural and business value chain work in emerging economies.
• Counterpart International: International development nonprofit with a focus on civil society strengthening, partnerships, and community-led development — closely aligned with HI's collective impact and capacity-building methodology.
• Collaborative Economics: Nonprofit consulting firm that co-developed the HICO cluster methodology used by the Institute — a direct methodology partner and the most operationally comparable peer in economic cluster and sector partnership work.
• Root Capital: Nonprofit that invests in the growth of agricultural enterprises in underserved regions, closely overlapping with Hamakua Institute's agricultural value chain and food systems development work on Hawai'i Island.

Emerging players

• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): Research and development nonprofit that uses randomized evaluations to design and test programs addressing poverty — overlapping with HI's evidence-based, systems-thinking approach to development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hamakua-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hamakua Institute