# Meli James

> Meli James is a non-equity assistance investor at Mana Up backing Fashion. See 22 investments, check sizes, portfolio and contact details. Updated Oct 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Mana Up](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mana-up)
- Location: Honolulu, United States
- Total investments: 22
- Last investment: May 2023
- Lead investor: 100%
- Last updated: Oct 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melialani
- X (Twitter): https://x.com/melij
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melialani

Meli James is a non-equity assistance investor at Mana Up in Honolulu focused on Fashion and Food and Beverage. Meli James is the co-founder of Mana Up. She attended Cornell University.

## Contacts

5 contacts available for Meli James: work email, personal email, work phone, personal phone and socials. Sign up free to unlock them: https://app.shizune.co/sign-up/investor-profiles/find-email/meli-james?utm_source=investor_profile

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fashion | 5 | 23% |
| Food and Beverage | 4 | 18% |
| Retail | 2 | 9% |
| E-Commerce | 2 | 9% |
| Performing Arts | 2 | 9% |

18 industries tracked in total.

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sweet Land Farm | Sweet Land Farm, which produces locally crafted cheese, has evolved into a fully integrated dairy operation. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://www.sweetlandfarmhawaii.com |
| Hawaiian Soda Co. | Hawaiian Soda Co. makes healthier soda alternatives with real fruit juice, crisp fizz, and prebiotics inspired by Hawaiian flavour. The fizzy drinks include no added sugar or preservatives. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://hawaiiansodaco.com |
| Liquid Life Hawaii | Liquid Life Hawaii produces super-food items like cold-pressed juices and nutraceuticals utilizing locally sourced ingredients. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | http://www.liquidlifehawaii.com/#ride |
| Hobbs Tea | Hobbs Tea sells organic and sustainably farmed tea from Hawaii, which aids in the conservation of endemic Hawaiian species and their habitats. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://www.hobbstea.com |
| Brianne & Co. | Brianne & Co. Jewellery is handcrafted, woman-owned, sourced locally, and manufactured on Kauai. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://brianneandco.com |
| Lotus & Lime | Lotus & Lime is a mother-daughter fashion label founded by Kim and Jade-Alexis Ryusaki that honors both their Native Hawaiian and Japanese heritages via distinctive designs. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://lotusandlimeshop.com |
| UBAE | UBAE offers a variety of delicious dishes created with ube, ranging from cheesecake to cookies. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | http://www.ubaehawaii.com |
| Averylily | Averylily is an interior design firm that curates a range of move-in necessities for new homeowners, including bedding, bath, decorative throw pillows, and tabletop. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://www.averylily.com |
| Maui Chili Chili Oil | Maui Chilli Chilli Oil is a condiment with a distinct flavour that is gaining popularity. Founded during the epidemic, the company makes small batches of Szechuan-style chilli oil with garlic and Maui onion cultivated locally |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://mauichilichilioil.com |
| Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals | Hawaiian Rainforest Naturals offers an extraordinary collection of healing floral essences, body care products, and spa treatments inspired. |  | Non-equity Assistance | May 22, 2023 | https://hawaiianrainforestnaturals.com |

10 of 22 investments shown.

## About Mana Up

VC Fund · Honolulu, United States

Mana Up's accelerator is a 12-week intensive program designed to uncover high-impact sales opportunities, tackle production challenges, and develop executive leadership. The program includes workshops, connections to a network of advisers, help in crafting an attractive narrative for expansion, and access to distribution channels throughpartners and digital platforms.

3 contacts available at Mana Up.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meli James | Co-Founder | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/meli-james |
| Brittany Heyd | Co-founder | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/brittany-heyd |
| Cynthia Williams | Executive Advisor | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cynthia-williams-d7a9 |

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## FAQ

### What does Meli James invest in?

Meli James invests primarily in Fashion, Food and Beverage and Retail startups, most often at Non-equity Assistance stage. Most of the 22 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### How do I contact Meli James?

Public channels for Meli James include LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook. For a verified work email and phone number, create a free Shizune account — contact data is searched across 20+ sources and validated before delivery, so your outreach lands in the right inbox.

### When did Meli James last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Meli James closed in May 2023. Shizune tracks 22 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Oct 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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