Today we’d like to introduce you to Navy McKee.
Hi Navy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, I spent just about every single day of my life in the ocean. I had seen it in every way imaginable from crystal clear and beaming with marine life to looking like chocolate milk after pollutants had made their way through the thousands of stormwater outlets on the island.
Upon entering college in 2017, I found myself very drawn towards entrepreneurship. I immediately joined the San Diego State University Zahn Innovation Center, and I started my first business as a freshman in college. Throughout the next few years of my college career, I found myself burnt out on “trendy” business ideas that I wasn’t passionate about, but I really knew that being an entrepreneur was the right path for me. My mentors in the program always urged me to “think big” and to do something world-changing. So I finally did.
I decided to sit down and really figure out what I have always cared a lot about, and that was the ocean. It was so easy for me to sit down and do research on why our ocean was so polluted, and it was so easy for me to feel fired up about it. After heavily researching a problem, it turned out that stormwater is the leading source of water quality impairment.
It turns out that the demographic that is responsible for stormwater discharge consists of Land Developers and Government Municipalities, and they are also responsible for reaching stormwater compliance standards set out by government agencies.
I immediately reached out to 30+ members who were a part of the demographic (Land Developers & Government Municipalities) and I asked them about their current methods. From these interviews, we found out that they all had one thing in common: each and every one of them have continuously tried new stormwater solutions and eventually ripped them out of their systems. 76% of industry professionals were unsatisfied with their current stormwater solutions and were actively looking for new ones. A deep pain point was found when over 70% of land developers, city officials, and port managers outwardly mentioned that cost and maintenance were a huge issue for them when analyzing their current systems, and market opportunity was validated when 100% of interviewees asked to be notified when we had a product so we could discuss future plans.
I pitched the idea of wanting to save the oceans to my father Dan McKee, who has had over 33 years of stormwater and construction experience, and he shared with me a very valuable concept that he had drawn up about 25 years ago before I was born. He never had the means to start a business in the industry, but he kept the idea on a piece of paper all of this time.
Together, we got to work on inventing Kai Pono Solutions in March of 2020, the world’s first low impact, low cost, and low maintenance design geared towards protecting and saving the beauty of our waterways one storm drain at a time.
Today, in March of 2022, we have assembled a team of four (Featured in the photos: Engineers: Jack Dickson, Edward Banuelos, Bailey Schantz, Sales&Marketing: Lanie Schwartz), and together we have been able to assemble a fully operating prototype. We are now at the stage of fundraising and setting up our manufacturing so we can officially launch in the Fall of 2022!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an entrepreneur comes with so many hidden tasks and assignments that people never really discuss, especially when you are starting a company as a Junior in college. Starting Kai Pono Solutions during the pandemic was a risky move, but it ultimately made sense for me because of how much time I ended up having without being in college classes all day.
I would say our biggest struggle has been bootstrapping and relying heavily on small amounts of money raised through college pitch competitions. Once we raise a sufficient amount of capital, we will overcome this challenge. Luckily, our team moves quick, and we get things done, so having the capital behind us will allow us to live up to our fullest potential and will be life-changing for our company.
Our team remains positive 100% of the time, and we work so well together. Our product also has a very strong relation to solving the problem at hand, which allows us to remain confident as a team. Knowing that what we are doing is going to save our customers 95% of the money they are currently spending while also saving the world keeps us going every single day, and it makes the struggles feel like a miniature bump in the road.
As you know, we’re big fans of Kai Pono Solutions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The main goal behind Kai Pono Solutions has been to modernize the stormwater industry. A majority of competitors have existed for a long time, yet there is still such a gap in the marketplace between these products and customer satisfaction.
Here are some great features from Kai Pono Solutions and things that we feel set us apart and make us special.
– Patent Pending: Patent pending filtration mechanism
– Gravity Fed: Entirely gravity fed with no moving parts or power sources, with the ability to withstand flow rates over 100gal/min.
– Permanent: Kai Pono was designed as a strong permanent solution that is installed once during early construction or adaptable to existing infrastructure. This takes the hassle out of faulty solutions that consistently need to be reinstalled or repurchased.
– IOT Data Acquisition System: Consumers will know exactly what is flowing through the filters so they can pinpoint environmental problems in the area. This also ensures that the filters are working and can signal maintenance calls when needed. Data will also provide information on flow rates and contaminant recognition.
– Low Cost: Kai Pono is about 95% cheaper than large competitors on the market.
– Universal: Kai Pono has the potential to be placed anywhere in the world. Since Kai Pono filters water on the street level, it does not need to be placed outside of a traditional storm drain, nor does it need to fit specifications of any type of inlet. The design can be placed in parking lots, traditional curb and gutters, car washing lots, etc. Kai Pono has the ability to filter water in a series which improves water quality.
– Simple Maintenance: Maintenance of our system does not involve any small parts or screws and can be achieved in 15 minutes.
– Custom: Kai Pono is a customizable stormwater filtration device that allows for interchangeable filters based on site-specific contaminants.
– Low Footprint: Kai Pono requires less than one cubic yard of excavation in comparison to competitors which often require more than.
At the moment, we are not currently publishing our design on the web or oversharing the design specifics publicly, but we are always open to sharing by connecting through email and setting up a quick chat with our team.
Our team consists mainly of college students and recently graduated students. Our branding takes a very “young”, “cool” and “simple” approach. We want people of all ages and professions to know about Kai Pono Solutions, and we want them to know what is currently going on with the immense amount of pollution that comes from stormwater, but we don’t want it to feel overcomplicated.
We have an engaging Instagram page for the public to follow along, and for our customers, we have a very personable yet lighthearted and professional approach at doing business. Saving the world and getting their jobs done should be simple and easy, not overly complicated and dragged out.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I have learned the power and authenticity of human connection through the Covid-19 Crisis. It was hard for me to not be able to give my team a high five for a huge accomplishment or for everyone to be in one place experiencing a huge milestone together.
In the moments where we did get to see each other in person, the productivity and brainstorming were electric! I look forward to slowly being able to have my team together in one place more often! In the past though, a virtual high five has gotten us this far 🙂
Contact Info:
- Email: navy@kaiponosolutions.com
- Website: https://www.kaiponosolutions.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiponosolutions/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kai-Pono-Solutions-100912382023704
