Speakers
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole
Hawaii State Senate District 24
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole is a proud seventh-generation resident of the 24th Senate District, including Kāne‘ohe and Kailua.
He serves on the Senate Leadership team as an Assistant Majority Whip. He is the Chair of the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee (CPN), which is responsible for business regulation, including insurance, banking,
telecommunications, public utilities, licensing, and consumer protection.
He also serves as a member of the Hawaiian Affairs (HWN) and Health and Human Services Committees (HHS), and is the Co-Chair of the Native Hawaiian Caucus.
Sen. Keohokalole received a B.A. from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and a law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii.
Dawn Harflinger
Founder, Opihi Ventures
Dawn Harflinger, CFA, is a seasoned executive with over 15 years of institutional investment experience. She is the founder of Opihi Ventures, a Hawaii based firm providing investment and management services to non-profit and for-profit clients. Prior to Opihi Ventures, Dawn served as President and CEO of Liliuokalani Trust, a private foundation where she was the first institutional investor in several West Coast-based crypto/blockchain funds. Dawn serves on the board of University Health Alliance Health Insurance and is the past president of CFA Society Hawaii.
Connect: LinkedIn
Michael Ching
Head of Treasury & Operations, Aptos Foundation
Michael Ching leads the Treasury and Operations for Aptos Foundation, whose mission is to support the development of Aptos protocol, as well as drive engagement with the Aptos ecosystem. Aptos is a next generation layer 1 blockchain. Aptos’ breakthrough technology and programming language, Move, are designed to evolve, improve performance and strengthen user safeguards.
Prior to joining Aptos, Michael was a senior vice president at Bank of Hawaii. Over his 17-year career at the bank, he held numerous leadership roles, including strategic planning, online and mobile banking, investment services, and treasury. His responsibilities in treasury included overseeing the bank’s Foreign Exchange and Money Market, Asset Liability Management, Liquidity, Capital, and Derivative functions.
Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Michael earned his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Paul Apao
Founder, ALGH LLC
Paul is a seasoned agricultural leader with strong community ties across Hawai'i. As the proprietor of an 500+ acre organic macadamia nut farm on Maui, he brings unmatched land-based experience to the team.
Mel Pint
CEO, OpulenceX
Meilani Pint is the founder, CEO, and owner of OpulenceX Inc. She is a seasoned leader in reshaping finance and championing decentralization. With over five years as the Managing Director of The Pint Hawaii, she honed finance, project management, and asset analysis skills. Also, she demonstrated her commitment to financial inclusivity. Her broad skill set includes data analysis, finance, and analytical skills, allowing data-driven decision-making. She excels in account management, networking, investment, and corporate development. Meilani's expertise spans investments, minerals, marketing, and contract negotiation, with notable knowledge in coal, iron ore, and real estate.
In her visionary role at OpulenceX, she identifies market trends, anticipates challenges, and fosters a culture of innovation, driving the organization toward groundbreaking solutions. Her understanding of economic principles and collaborative leadership style position OpulenceX Inc for sustainable growth in the rapidly evolving financial landscape. Meilani Pint's innovative approach makes her a driving force in decentralized finance.
Maika Isogawa
CEO, Webacy
Maika is the CEO of Webacy, the leading risk engine for apps, protocols, and end-users in crypto. Maika is also a former professional acrobat and performer for Cirque Du Soleil. She attended Stanford University and specialized in Artificial Intelligence. She is a Forbes 30 Under 30 lister, and the recipient of the Innovative Web3 Female Entrepreneur Award.
Matthew Schneider
CEO, Building
Matthew A. Schneider is CEO of Building Inc, a company advancing real estate tokenization, digital asset securitization, and AI-driven property intelligence. Since 2020, he has led blockchain integration, digital twin development, and data-driven asset management for over $120M in real estate.
He serves as a corporate member of the Foundation for International Blockchain and Real Estate Expertise (FIBREE) and Organizing Committee Chairman of the International Security Token Association (ISTA).
Schneider has collaborated with institutional investors, developers, and technology firms across six continents to improve transparency, liquidity, and access in the built environment.
His academic work includes contributions to university-led research initiatives in the U.S. and Europe. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at global conferences and hosts Code & Concrete, a podcast exploring the future of smart cities, finance, and the built world.
James Dawson
James is a seasoned technology executive with over 25 years of leadership across venture-backed startups and global enterprises. As CEO of PreAct Technologies and former CRO/VP at firms like Cisco Jasper, Civil Maps, and Agero, he brings a proven track record in scaling teams, driving revenue, and delivering innovative customer solutions.
Connect: LinkedIn
Mark Munoz
Managing Director, OM Venture Capital
Mark has over two decades of experience building, advising and investing in companies that contribute to the innovation economy across Asia and the United States.
Connect: LinkedIn
Edwin Liava'a
Co-Founder, Pasifika Web3 Tech Hub
A results-driven technology leader with 30+ years pioneering digital innovation across the Pacific Islands. Currently serving as Co-Founder of Pasifika, building the first Web3 marketplace connecting Pacific Islander creators, farmers, and artisans to the global economy.
As GIS Specialist-Consultant at OCA GLOBAL, Edwin leads disaster risk resilience initiatives for the ADB Renewable Energy Development Project in FSM. He recently served as GIS Team Leader at Kahuto Pacific, overseeing geospatial projects within the Moana Database.
Edwin's multifaceted career spans executive leadership as former CEO of Tonga Cable Limited where he deployed submarine fiber networks, and as Corporate Development and Regional Director at Kacific Broadband Satellites Group, where he expanded high-speed satellite internet access throughout remote Pacific communities.
A passionate Web3 evangelist, Chainlink Developer Expert, and Hackathon Winner, Edwin is dedicated to creating digital ecosystems that unite our dispersed region while honoring Tonga's cultural heritage.
When not developing technological solutions, you'll find Edwin writing and publishing articles on HackerNoon, where he explores building a better world powered by cryptography.
Tatyana Cerullo
Principal, Marshall Islands Lawyers LLC
Tatyana Cerullo has over 17 years of experience practicing law in the Marshall Islands, specializing in corporate, maritime, and litigation matters. In the past few years, she has focused on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), advising numerous clients on registering their DAOs as Marshall Islands DAO LLCs, and Marshall Islands corporate and DAO law.. Tatyana played a key role in drafting the amendments to the Marshall Islands DAO Act and its accompanying regulations, and she provides ongoing legal counsel to the Marshall Islands DAO registered agent, MIDAO. The Marshall Islands offers a non-US legal entity with a legal framework tailored specifically to the unique characteristics of DAOs and Web3, that allows for flexible structures and does not require a board or managers or a huge sum of money to set up and maintain.
Tatyana is licensed to practice law in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, New York, Hawaii, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She has experience working with large U.S. law firms and as in-house counsel for both private and public companies. A member of the American Bar Association, Hawaii Bar Association, and New York Bar Association, Tatyana also served as a law clerk for United States District Judge Samuel P. King and United States Magistrate Judge Kevin S.C. Chang in the District of Hawaii.
Connect: LinkedIn
Reba Beeson
General Counsel, AlphaPoint Corporation
Reba Beeson is General Counsel for AlphaPoint, a digital assets software technology provider for exchanges, brokerages and financial services companies. She has extensive professional experience as an attorney and capital markets banker.
Prior to joining AlphaPoint, Reba was Deputy General Counsel – US for World Gold Council and its affiliated sponsor of the largest global gold-backed ETF (GLD). Her prior roles include her serving as lead counsel for UBS’s Alternative Investment Group and SVP/Head of Complex Financing – North America for BNP/Paribas.
Reba began her career as a tax attorney, first at Weil, Gotshal, then Sidley. She is a member of the New York bar and holds FINRA Series 7 and 24 licenses.
Reba is a member of TechGC and 100 Women in Finance and was an inaugural member of the Digital Asset and Regulatory Legal Alliance comprised of leading attorneys and thought leaders in digital assets and the associated market infrastructure.
Connect: LinkedIn
Donavan Kealoha
Managing Director,
Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund
Donavan is a venture capitalist, experienced entrepreneur, and community organizer. Donavan currently serves as Managing Director for SCV x SBI Fund. In this role, Donavan co-manages the overall operations of the firm, co-leads investments in early-stage companies, and provides support and guidance to portfolio companies.
Donavan is a licensed attorney and a product of the Hawaiʻi public educational system. He holds a BA, and JD/MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Connect: LinkedIn
Jennifer Ablan
Editor-in-Chief, Hawaii Business Magazine
Jennifer Ablan is the Editor-in-Chief of Hawaii Business Magazine. She returns home to Oahu after 28 years in New York City covering finance and business news as both a reporter and editor. Most recently, she served as Editor-in-Chief of Pensions & Investments. Prior to that, she was U.S. Assistant Managing Editor at the Financial Times, where she helped drive editorial expansion across the United States.
Earlier in her career, Ablan spent a decade at Reuters as U.S. Investments Editor, leading a team focused on asset management and “big money” coverage. She also held positions at Barron’s and Dow Jones Newswires, consistently specializing in money management and investing.
Widely known across Wall Street for breaking major stories, Ablan has interviewed many of the world’s most influential investors, including billionaire activist Carl Icahn, DoubleLine’s “Bond King” Jeffrey Gundlach, Pimco’s Dan Ivascyn, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett, Bridgewater’s Greg Jensen and Cathie Wood of Ark Invest, which invests in Bitcoin.
A proud graduate of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Ablan received the 2011 Rising Star award from the Women’s Bond Club and was named one of Business Insider’s “125 most important finance people you have to follow” on Twitter.
Myriam Benson
Capital Markets Lead, Kadena
Myriam serves as Capital Markets Lead at Kadena, where she advances blockchain adoption through real-world asset tokenization and partnerships with institutional and enterprise clients. She brings over a decade of experience in capital markets, digital assets, and sustainability.
Prior to Kadena, she led strategic digital initiatives for U.S. Bank’s Capital Markets Group, including building a blockchain & product agnostic digital assets platform and leading the issuance of a tokenized ESG bond for a California-based CDFI.
Myriam has also driven strategic investments in Web3 fintechs, proof-of-concepts, and client engagements across the U.S. and Europe, collaborating with regulators on digital assets matters. At Nasdaq, she managed programs in emerging tech and ESG data. She began her career in Crédit Agricole’s Global Markets Division in London.
Myriam holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, is fluent in French and English, and lives in Raleigh, NC. She enjoys ballet, cooking, traveling, and community volunteering.
Richard Ng
Program Manager, IndigiDAO
Richard Ng (Kānaka Maoli) was born on the island of O‘ahu and currently resides in Emeryville, CA. As the Program Manager for IndigiDAO, he is focused on designing economic cooperatives that are governed and owned by Indigenous communities. The IndigiDAO platform explores implementing web3 technologies and research area has been exploring the utility of blockchain to protect and preserve Indigenous knowledge.
Connect: LinkedIn
Alana Kanahele
Smart Contracts in Oceania (Project)
Alana Kanahele was born and raised on Oʻahu and received her Bachelor’s degree from Mills College. She then graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with a Master’s degree from the Center for Pacific Islands Studies. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography and serves as the Director of Research and Cultural Training at Waimea Valley.
Alana also serves as the Hub Manager for the Kaipumakani Project, which supports Pasifika communities to ethically manage, share, and curate their digital heritage items in a way that is reflective of community understanding and indigenous epistemologies.
Her dissertation focuses on the intersections of indigenous intellectual properties, data sovereignty, and digital preservation initiatives in the Pacific.
Tamara Szulc
Community Coordinator, Stand With Crypto
Tamara Szulc is the Community Coordinator at Stand With Crypto, where she leads grassroots organizing efforts to advance pro-crypto legislation.
She brings a diverse background spanning Web3 venture capital, law firms, and legal consulting, along with a J.D. from Emory University School of Law, where she focused on intellectual property and emerging technology.
Tamara combines legal expertise with a deep understanding of decentralized innovation to drive meaningful, community-led change in the future of crypto and Web3 policy.
Andrew Chu
Founder & CEO, One2All
Andrew Chu is the Founder and CEO of One2all.io, the leading web3 nocode development agency with over 800 discord members, 40+ web3 no-code plugins and 50+ projects built to date across a variety of business verticals. Andrew has over 20 years of product management experience in the fintech space and has designed and launched global electronic trading platforms for banks, multinational corporations and institutional investors that have collectively generated over $100 billion dollars in notional volume. Andrew currently resides in Honolulu with his wife and two boys, and is a proud alum of Dartmouth College and Columbia Business School.
Zac Manafort
Growth Lead, Phoenix Growth
Zac Manafort is the Growth Lead for Phoenix Marketing, a full-service Web3 marketing agency specializing in developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies, content creation, community management, advertising, and event curation.
He began his blockchain journey in 2017 by building Ethereum miners and ghostwriting for various projects. From 2021 to 2023, he created content for numerous Web3 games on the Avalanche Blockchain and later joined Avalabs' gaming marketing team after retiring from the military to pursue his passion to push blockchain innovation and adoption full-time.
With extensive experience advising and leading marketing efforts for games, DeFi protocols, and NFT projects he strives to use his passion to assist clients and mentor others on how to get started in the web3 space.
When he is not working he enjoys spending his time with his wife and 2 daughters, gaming, and being in the trenches with all the Web3 warriors on social media.
Iris Ikeda
Founder, FinReg Strategies
Iris Ikeda served as the Hawaii State Commissioner of Financial Institutions until July 2024 before she retired from state government.
Armed with solid knowledge of and experience working in the banking industry, Iris recognized the new wave of financial innovation through blockchain technology. As Commissioner, she leveraged her authority to create one of the earliest regulatory sandboxes in the nation -- the Digital Currency Innovation Lab -- which ran from 2020 to 2022 to conduct research on digital assets and determine whether consumer protection laws are needed. Her work was featured in Hawaii Business Magazine.
Today, Iris consults for companies, helping them navigate the nuances of financial regulation.
Connect: LinkedIn
Shayne Wolfe
Investments Manager, Liliʻuokalani Trust
Shayne Wolfe, CFA, is an Investment Manager at Liliʻuokalani Trust. He helps steward its $1.2 billion endowment—including an allocation to crypto and blockchain funds—all in service of the most vulnerable Native Hawaiian youth. He brings over seven years of institutional investing experience, including a prior role as an Investment Analyst at his alma mater, Kamehameha Schools. His work focuses on long-term, thematic capital deployment across both traditional and alternative assets.
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Shayne is a former beneficiary of the Trust and is deeply committed to building a more resilient future for local communities. Outside of work, he can often be found at the beach or at farmers markets with his wife, daughter, and two dogs.
Connect: LinkedIn
Shari Motooka-Higa
Partner, MOWA
Shari Motooka-Higa is a trailblazer at the intersection of real estate, technology, and education in Hawaii. She created the nation’s first state-approved continuing education course on Artificial Intelligence in Real Estate, empowering Realtors to leverage emerging AI tools with ethical and practical strategies.
Shari also developed Hawaii’s first state-approved course on Blockchain Technology, NFTs, and Cryptocurrency in Real Estate, bridging the gap between traditional property transactions and cutting-edge digital asset solutions.
Her work connects realtors and investors to the future of real estate, from tokenization and smart contracts to cross-border crypto transactions—equipping professionals to navigate innovation with confidence and compliance.
Jana Ireijo
Artist & Founder, Vanishing Murals
Jana Ireijo is a Hawaiʻi-born visual artist whose work explores the intersection of ecological art, social practice, and emerging technologies. Best known for her vanishing murals - ephemeral works created with wildfire charcoal, saltwater, and soil - she creates site-specific installations that address climate change, environmental justice, and impermanence. These works are intentionally washed away in public ceremony, transforming disappearance into an act of collective memory and healing.
Her NFT project, Vanishing Murals: Hawai‘i Ocean, uses real-time ocean temperature data to drive dynamic digital art reflecting coral reef health. By bridging ephemeral storytelling with blockchain transparency, the project invites deeper engagement with environmental systems and the urgency of climate action.
Ireijo collaborates closely with scientists, cultural practitioners, and community leaders to guide each project - from materials to meaning. Through this layered approach, her work becomes both an offering and a question: How do we grieve what is disappearing, and how might we reimagine our role in protecting what remains?
Sean Cover
Head of Finance, Eco
Sean Cover is the Head of Finance at the a16z-backed stablecoin company, Eco. He is the author of The Story of Money: The Journey From Shells and Shekels to Bills and Bitcoin and the co-creator and host of the Blockchain in Paradise meetup group.
Damon Rhys
Principal Broker, Damon Hawaii Pacific International Properties
Originally from California, Damon spent 13 years in Japan and much of his career across the Asia Pacific, earning degrees in Management Science and Pacific International Affairs from the University of California. After building a multi-national telecommunications firm in Tokyo and Singapore, he relocated to Hawaii in 2002 to pursue his passion for real estate.
Today, he is the Principal Broker of Damon Hawaii Pacific International Properties, specializing in luxury sales and managing a fast-growing vacation rentals business. In 2025, he completed Hawaii’s first-ever Real World Asset (RWA) NFT property sale, blending innovation with market expertise.
Fluent in English, Japanese, and Spanish, Damon brings an international perspective, sharp negotiation skills, and a client-focused approach to every transaction. Outside of work, you’ll find him boating, surfing, or exploring Hawaii’s coastlines.
Kasandra Vegas
Co-Founder, Bleu Water
Kas Vegas is a dynamic founder, artist, and entrepreneur, seamlessly bridging music, art, technology, culture, and provenance. As co-founder of Bleu Water, she was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 as a leader shaping blockchain’s future. Her music has been showcased on Disney Plus, Hulu (Not Dead Yet), and Amazon shows, highlighting her multifaceted talents.
Kas has advised a wide range of artists, brands, and companies with a passionate, forward-thinking approach. A renowned public speaker, she has presented at SXSW, VeeCon, and Render ATL Tech Week. Known for her expertise in community building and emerging tech advocacy, Kas continues to push the boundaries of innovation as an artist, musician, and educator.
Ellen Ng
Founder, Inoa
Ellen Ng is the founder of Inoa, a blockchain technology consulting firm. Prior, she oversaw the State Government of Hawaii’s Digital Currency Innovation Lab (DCIL), a pilot program established to create a regulatory framework for crypto exchanges operating in Hawaii.
Ellen is the organizer of the Pacific Blockchain Summit, the first of its kind in the Pacific. She is a strong advocate of common-sense crypto regulation and serves as the Hawaii Chapter President with Stand With Crypto.
A native of Singapore, her international career included working in Silicon Valley, Seoul and New Delhi for LG Electronics and Samsung, within roles in strategy and planning, partnerships, and go-to-market.
She is multilingual and holds a masters in Communications and New Media from the University of Singapore. In 2021, Ellen was selected by Pacific Business News as a 40 Under 40 Honoree for her work in economic development.
Jon Lewis
Head of Design, Self.xyz
Jon Lewis is an award-winning product designer whose work has been celebrated by Google and Apple and used by over 300 million people worldwide. He’s led product design for venture-backed startups across education, finance, government, dev tools, and consumer tech—helping teams backed by Y Combinator, Sequoia, and Coinbase Ventures turn zero-to-one ideas into unicorn companies.
Today, Jon leads product design at Self.xyz, an identity protocol leveraging zero-knowledge (zk) proofs to enable selective disclosure—allowing people to prove who they are without giving up their privacy or exposing themselves to bad actors. Self is redefining digital trust across wallets, dApps, and even web2 infrastructure like Google Cloud, powering use cases like proof-of-humanity, age verification, and Sybil resistance. Jon’s work lives at the intersection of design thinking, cryptography, and global impact—making the invisible rails of the internet both usable and human.
David Caspillo
Founder, Comerit / Tanglius
David Caspillo is an entrepreneur and founder of Comerit, a consulting firm specializing in SAP, data, and analytics solutions. With over 20 years of experience leading large-scale technology transformations across industries including utilities, pharma, manufacturing, and government, David bridges enterprise systems with emerging technologies.
He is also the creator of Tanglius.io, a blockchain platform that simplifies tokenization and digital certificates, and is actively developing frameworks that integrate Blockchain, AI, and Data Cloud ecosystems to help organizations achieve measurable ROI.
Beyond consulting, David is the host of the What’s Up Enterprise podcast, where he interviews thought leaders on how AI and digital transformation are reshaping business and society.
Drawing on his background in exercise physiology and passion for innovation, David brings a unique perspective on how technology, data, and human potential intersect to shape the future. A native of Kauai, he is currently based in California.
Connect: LinkedIn
Justin Rhedrick
Executive Director, Bitcoin Transformation Society
Justin Rhedrick, aka Bitcoin Vegan, turned his life around after homelessness, tragedy, and three years in prison. Discovering Bitcoin in 2016, he found a path to financial freedom and authored From Bars to Bitcoin, inspiring others with his journey. Now a global Bitcoin educator, Justin has been featured in AFROTECH, Nasdaq, VICE, and more. As co-founder of the Bitcoin Transformation Community (BTCTC), he leads efforts to demystify Bitcoin and empower underserved communities, including educating incarcerated individuals for reentry success. Justin’s mission is clear: make financial sovereignty accessible to everyone.