AKAMAI Finance Academy provides Hawaii students with an opportunity to learn about the areas of Investment Banking, Private Equity, and Asset Management as a career path. The academy has historically focused on socioeconomically disadvantaged communities across the State with the goal of helping those students rise out of generational poverty. Students receiving training from AKAMAI Finance Academy are provided the opportunity to gain on-the-job training working for AKAMAI Capital.
The AKAMAI Foundation is a Hawaii-based 501(c)3 non-profit that operates AKAMAI Finance Academy and is the sole owner of AKAMAI Capital. The Foundation’s mission is to provide community economic development and training for local students pursuing a career in Finance.
What does AKAMAI mean?
Our first name is spelled in all capital letters intentionally for reasons rooted in our Hawaiian origins:
Alahaki (~ascend~):
Climb, master, and enhance Hawaii’s financial services sector. Assist others while scaling together to new heights
Kāhea (~call out~):
Proclaim the inherent attributes, advantages, and unique opportunities that Hawaii offers to Pacific-focused asset managers, venture capitalists, and investors
Alu (~cooperate~):
Bridge the gap between perceived opportunities and the achievement of tangible results. Be consistent with our elders’ recognition of the connectivity of all things and all beings. Bring together industry, academia, and government in order to achieve triple-bottom-line returns
Mahi (~cultivate~):
Till, seed, nourish, and harvest an entirely new, highly talented generation—and consequently an entire financial industry—thereby contributing to a healthy diversification and enrichment of Hawaii’s overall economy
Amo (~carry burden~):
Ensure full professional performance of the responsibilities entrusted to us as guardians and trustees over the precious resources of our clients, our investors, our people, our students, our graduates, and our communities
ʻImi (~seek~):
Engage in a continual search for improvement to ourselves and our processes
History
The AKAMAI Foundation is founded by Louis Perez III and other students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It began with the idea that Hawaii –as the bridge between Asia and North America –is a great location for a robust financial industry.
The AKAMAI Initiative is officially launched.
The AKAMAI Finance Academy is created to provide an opportunity for local students to learn about “high finance” as a career path, in hopes of building a talent pool of highly skilled finance workers.
The Pan-Asia fund is capitalized, and AKAMAI Capital is established to spur the economic development of the Hawaii market.
Capital Markets Group starts the revolving loan fund.
The AKAMAI Foundation changes its structure to focus on AKAMAI Finance Academy with the goal of recruiting students on an annual basis.
Our Team
Johnny Chankhamany
President, AKAMAI Foundation
Louis Perez III
Chairman & co-founder, AKAMAI Foundation