Kai Sato has joined Mauloa as General Partner, helping lead its West Coast efforts from Los Angeles. Mauloa, which is Hawaiian for "endless," invests in cash flow positive companies but does so without any exit timetable, also preferring to leave existing management in control. Now on its third fund, Mauloa, has backed over 20 companies and deployed over $200M across a range of industries, since its inception in 2007 as Sachs Capital. As reported by the Washington Business Journal, Mauloa's newest fund completed its first close of $36.2M in October of 2023 and subsequently invested in O'Connor Plumbing, a 70-year old company in Maryland that primarily services commercial buildings.
Mauloa Founding Partner, Andrew Sachs, said, "I'd first approached Kai about joining our Advisory Board, but it quickly became evident that he should be an even bigger part of Mauloa. Kai's background as an entrepreneur, chief marketing officer, and investor have already added value to our fund and existing portfolio companies, so we're excited that he's joined as a general partner. As a Southern California native, I am also pleased to now have a presence on the West Coast."
Kai Sato, said, "As an unabashed Warren Buffett disciple, I'm thrilled to be a part of Mauloa, where we similarly look to invest in great companies and hold onto them indefinitely. Furthermore, the timing couldn't be more appropriate as baby boomers inevitably face retirement, forcing millions of companies to navigate succession challenges where Mauloa can be a uniquely-valuable, long-term partner."
Prior to Mauloa, Kai founded Kaizen Reserve, Inc., which exists to foster innovation and unlock new growth avenues, primarily advising family offices and corporations on the design, implementation, and oversight of their venture capital portfolios. He has worked with companies throughout the United States, Mexico, Norway, Ireland, and Singapore, with multiple portfolio companies having been acquired and another going public on Nasdaq. Previously, Kai was the co-president & chief marketing officer of Crown Electrokinetics (public), the chief marketing & innovation officer of Rubicon Resources (acquired), the co-founder of FieldLevel, and a board member of SportTechie (acquired). He has also been a contributor to publications like Inc., Entrepreneur, IR Magazine, and HuffPost, as well as a speaker at various industry conferences. He graduated from the University of Southern California as a Presidential Scholar and now chairs the alumni board of its John H. Mitchell Business of Cinematic Arts Program.
In addition to Mauloa, Kai is an advisor to Forma Capital, a consumer-focused venture firm and a fund advisor to Hatch, a global startup accelerator focused on helping feed the world through sustainable aquaculture technologies. Kai is the author of "Marketing Architecture: How to Attract Customers, Hires, and Investors for Any Company Under 50 Employees."
Preferably the first and only outside investor in its companies, Mauloa provides funding for owner liquidity, partner buyout, growth equity, acquisitions, refinancing or working capital. To learn more or to get in touch, visit www.mauloainc.com.
About Mauloa
Mauloa, which means "endless" in Hawaiian, is a patient, sophisticated financial partner whose core philosophy aligns its interests with business owners through non-control, equity positions. Mauloa brings endless perspective by making $15M to $30M investments into cash flow positive companies for growth and recapitalization. Mauloa further demonstrates its moniker by leaving business owners in control of their own destiny, without the burden of a predetermined exit horizon. Originally founded in 2007 as Sachs Capital, Mauloa has deployed over $200M and partnered with more than 20 companies across a range of industries. Bolstered by its experienced Operating Partners and esteemed Advisory Board, Mauloa focuses on creating value for all stakeholders by helping build great companies that are excellent places to work, which collectively strengthen our communities and the U.S. economy.