Fellows mentioned in this story: Meli James, Cohort VII

From Midweek:

There’s a price (literally) to living in paradise. But according to Mana Up co-founder Meli James, it doesn’t have to be this way.

“We can create this place where ideas can come to fruition in an innovative ecosystem,” she states. “Any idea that you have, you can build here in Hawai‘i — how amazing would that be? Now that I’ve been an entrepreneur and seen success with my businesses, (I wanted to) bring what I learned to Hawai‘i so more people can come home or stay home.”

James’ introduction to entrepreneurship was all boots on the ground after a quarter-life crisis made her shift gears from the hospitality industry to starting her own venture — a wine app called Nirvino — at the age of 27. Nirvino started in 2007 as a mobile website that helped people find good wines at the grocery store or restaurants, and then capitalized on Apple’s app store launch a year later by converting to a cell phone application that allowed online purchases.

Continue reading at midweek.com.