Inoa was inspired by a need for strategic adoption and implementation of blockchain technology with social impact outcomes. Prior to starting Inoa, Ellen served as the economic development specialist at the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, a state agency attached to the State of Hawaii’s Department for Business, Economic Development and Tourism. In that capacity, she also served as the program manager for the State of Hawaii’s Digital Currency Innovation Lab (DCIL), a pilot program focused on establishing a regulatory framework for crypto exchanges to operate in Hawaii and identifying economic development opportunities leveraging blockchain technology for the state.

As the Program Manager of the DCIL, she spearheaded the state government’s first collaborative fundraising initiative through NFTs to generate revenue for community beautification in an underserved area in Oahu. Additionally, she recognized the lack of access to legitimate and trustworthy sources for learning about non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which led her to help artists, nonprofits and businesses with their NFT projects through pro-bono consulting. However, as demand for more extensive engagements grew, the idea for INOA was born.

Born and raised in Singapore, Ellen's international career in tech brought her to Silicon Valley, Seoul and New Delhi, working for LG and Samsung in numerous roles spanning strategic planning, go-to-market and partnerships. Now she calls Hawaii home.

Ellen graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelors and Masters in Communications and New Media with honors; as well as completed an Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy at the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a native English speaker, Ellen is also fluent in Korean and Mandarin Chinese.

In 2021, she was selected by Pacific Business News as a 40 Under 40 Honoree for her work in economic development. Ellen also organized Hawaii’s first-ever industry conference bringing the Web3 community together in the state - the Hawaii Blockchain Summit in 2024.