Two University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa fashion design and merchandising students, Amelie Berg and Skylar Conley, have each been awarded a Kalo Grant from the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE).
Berg’s project, Well Within, will be a subscription app and platform focused on helping users sustain a healthy mental and physical lifestyle. The platform will connect users and offer access to fitness classes and community events, in one easy-to-use application.
She was inspired by her experience using ClassPass in Australia, where she noticed more options, including beauty services, were available compared to the U.S. She aims for Well Within to collaborate with creators who may not have a large audience, offering activities that are free or more cost-efficient.
Conley’s project, Da Rack, is a mobile retail store that will curate and sell secondhand items, operating via pop-up events. She was inspired to create a mobile concept because many good secondhand shopping locations are not easy to get to without a car. Her goal is to “come to you,” traveling into neighborhoods, shopping malls and other areas not typically located in Honolulu. Conley also plans to source products from local small businesses that align with her brand and vision.
The Fashion, Design, and Merchandising program is housed in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience.
The Kalo Grant Program is a key initiative of PACE, and housed in the UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business. It is designed to empower student entrepreneurs across the UH System by providing seed funding to develop and launch new business ventures.