Advancing Entrepreneurs
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower small businesses by enhancing their ability to establish, sustain, and grow their ventures. We achieve this through personalized business counseling, targeted training, and facilitating access to capital.
Our Vision
To be the leading resource that advances professional success for entrepreneurs in Hawaii.
Our Values
To conduct ourselves with aloha in all we do. Hawaii Revised Statues 5-7.5 "Aloha Spirit"
Our Beginnings
The Kokokahi Women’s Business Center (KWBC) was established by YWCA O‘ahu, funded in part by dedicated community partners, and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) grants. Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs through several key initiatives. The Open for Business (OFB) Initiative, funded by Wells Fargo, focuses on supporting small business recovery and workforce development in the wake of Covid-19, resulted in the launch of ShopYWCA ecommerce platform. Our Enterprising Women of Color (EWOC) program, funded by MBDA, specifically aimed to assist minority women-owned businesses in securing contracts and capital, thereby fostering job creation and business growth. Today, the Kokokahi Women’s Business Center is home to the Capital Readiness Program (CRP), designed to help entrepreneurs effectively start, grow, and access the necessary capital to scale their enterprises. We are committed to nurturing a thriving ecosystem for entrepreneurs in Hawaii, with a focus on Windward Oahu.
In 2019, HEDCO and community partners provided funding for the renovation of offices 101 and 102 at Kokokahi Midkiff, as well as the resurfacing of one of the primary walkways on campus to enhance accessibility and ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This initiative culminated in the much-anticipated inauguration of the Kokokahi Women’s Business Center Satellite, enabling an expansion of business services to the small business community in the Windward area and facilitating the preparation for additional programming.
Wells Fargo's Open for Business Fund, a roughly $420 million initiative, launched in 2020 to support small businesses, particularly those impacted by the pandemic. This fund aimed to provide access to capital and resources, offering grants CDFIs and nonprofits to assist entrepreneurs. The initiative has helped over 336,000 small businesses and created or preserved over 461,000 jobs.
$2.5M MBDA EWOC (one of five awardees nationwide). The 2021 Enterprising Women of Color initiative, launched by the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), aimed to promote women entrepreneurs of color as engines of economic growth in their communities. This initiative focused on supporting minority women-owned businesses in securing contracts and capital, creating jobs, and fostering competitive business growth.
The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)'s Capital Readiness Program (CRP) is a $125 million technical assistance initiative aimed at helping socially and economically disadvantaged (SEDI) entrepreneurs secure capital. In its first year (2023), the CRP served over 6,300 entrepreneurs and helped raise $263 million in capital. The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center honored CRP awardees on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square.