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Local Mauian, born and raised, moved to the mainland, and now working as developer in Los Angeles -- I know that place first hand -- nobody there is looking for

Local Mauian, born and raised, moved to the mainland, and now working as developer in Los Angeles -- I know that place first hand -- nobody there is looking for change -- you can't fight the culture there (probably more there than other small towns), no manner how hard you want it to change.

sterlingross 12y ago
Born and raised here also. Have you been back recently? They amount of new development land and business is a bit unsettling. I am surviving well as a developer, living off the grid, with a satellite internet connection.
- shuzchen 12y ago
  We're making some progress. Oahu has a very prominent and active makerspace (hicapacity.org) and co-working space (www.theboxjelly.com) around which a whole host of tech events, talks, and meetups are orbiting. Maui has a pretty active makerspace as well (www.mauimakers.com). This is a very good time to be a developer in Hawaii, at least in terms of connecting to talented peers. What we're still lacking is good jobs, and access to VC funding for companies we want to build. mbloom is not the fund that we need to grow our tech industry, if anything it's looking like it'll poison the waters.
- alphonse23 12y ago
  Haven't been back in a couple of years. I think I'll be visiting in a few months though. What's your secret to finding work and paying rent, isn't it expensive there?
manachar 12y ago
When were you last here? Maybe it's because I tend towards optimism, but I see a lot of hunger for change. Maui is changing fast. There's quite a bit of construction going on, and wonderfully it isn't all dedicated to resorts and condos. Tourism will probably always be part of the local equation but some businesses are starting to use those tourist dollars to build more sustainable businesses (e.g. Maui Brewing Company, Ocean Vodka, Maui Built, etc.). What I hope to have happen is to have that growth channeled into making Maui more friendly to developers such as yourself. Things such as more banking geared to handle businesses, more/better funding of schools, some "affordable" housing that isn't surrounded by timeshares, co-working spaces, more knowledge sharing opportunities (conferences, informal networks, etc), and of course attracting talented people who can leverage all of this to build some great stuff.
- samstave 12y ago
  Is there an "Uber for X-Service in Maui/Hawaii? Where X coud be boat/yacht/helicopter/whatever?

sterlingross 12y ago

Born and raised here also. Have you been back recently? They amount of new development land and business is a bit unsettling. I am surviving well as a developer, living off the grid, with a satellite internet connection.

shuzchen 12y ago
We're making some progress. Oahu has a very prominent and active makerspace (hicapacity.org) and co-working space (www.theboxjelly.com) around which a whole host of tech events, talks, and meetups are orbiting. Maui has a pretty active makerspace as well (www.mauimakers.com). This is a very good time to be a developer in Hawaii, at least in terms of connecting to talented peers. What we're still lacking is good jobs, and access to VC funding for companies we want to build. mbloom is not the fund that we need to grow our tech industry, if anything it's looking like it'll poison the waters.
alphonse23 12y ago
Haven't been back in a couple of years. I think I'll be visiting in a few months though. What's your secret to finding work and paying rent, isn't it expensive there?

manachar 12y ago

When were you last here? Maybe it's because I tend towards optimism, but I see a lot of hunger for change. Maui is changing fast. There's quite a bit of construction going on, and wonderfully it isn't all dedicated to resorts and condos. Tourism will probably always be part of the local equation but some businesses are starting to use those tourist dollars to build more sustainable businesses (e.g. Maui Brewing Company, Ocean Vodka, Maui Built, etc.). What I hope to have happen is to have that growth channeled into making Maui more friendly to developers such as yourself. Things such as more banking geared to handle businesses, more/better funding of schools, some "affordable" housing that isn't surrounded by timeshares, co-working spaces, more knowledge sharing opportunities (conferences, informal networks, etc), and of course attracting talented people who can leverage all of this to build some great stuff.

samstave 12y ago
Is there an "Uber for X-Service in Maui/Hawaii? Where X coud be boat/yacht/helicopter/whatever?