Our Team

Danya Hakeem

Vice President of Portfolio

Danya is a longtime food system advocate, with a diverse background in impact investing, activism and storytelling. As Vice President of Portfolio, she looks after a growing portfolio of over 150 climate tech startups representing over $50M in investment capital. She strives to facilitate key inflection points for portfolio companies in the form of new revenue opportunities, pilots, investments and acquisitions. Over her many years with Elemental, she has built the strategy and managed the startups working to transform the food and agriculture, circular economy, land use and water sectors.

Prior to Elemental Excelerator

Previously, Danya worked in policy and community organizing, advocating for a just, regenerative food system and in documentary film production for National Geographic and Discovery Communications. She has also worked as an independent consultant, providing fundraising, strategic partnership, and digital content support to a range of business and non-profit clients, including Elemental portfolio company, Kunoa Cattle. She is the recipient of Pacific Business News 40 Under 40, Hawaii Business Magazine’s 20 for the Next 20 and Edible Hawaiian Islands Local Heroes Award, among other honors.

She holds an M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, where she focused on climate change induced conflict and migration, and a B.A. in Communications and Entrepreneurial, Innovation and Technology Management from Virginia Tech University. She is originally from Washington, D.C. and resides in Honolulu.

Outside of the office

Outside of the office, you can find her exploring– whether it be hiking in the woods, sailing across the islands, or (attempting) to cook some delicious Syrian food.