Makana Solutions was founded by CEO Liz Cobb to help companies use their incentive compensation more effectively to achieve company objectives and to enable them to simply, cost-effectively, and efficiently reward the individuals and teams who help companies succeed.

"Makana" means reward in Hawaiian, and it's no coincidence that the word figures prominently in Makana Solutions' name, since Hawaii represents the ultimate reward in many sales incentive programs. 

Self-Service Sales Compensation

Founded in 2004, Makana Solutions offers powerful tools that enable even occasional plan designers to devise and build effective sales comp plans that attract and retain key employees, motivate groups to work together to achieve corporate goals, and enable executives to predict costs associated with the plans. Built-in best practices lead users through the process. The outcome is easy-to-build plans that get results, and employees who know exactly what they must do to win. 

The Market

Makana Solutions estimates that 28 million people in the United States are being paid sales or other incentive compensation—that equates to 60,000 companies, or approximately half of all US businesses, and a $500 billion annual payout. Next to salaries, incentive pay is the second-largest line item for many companies, on average accounting for 10 percent of total revenue.

With as many as 40 percent of employees qualifying for some form of incentive comp, managing plan outcomes has become increasingly important and failures have become increasingly expensive.

Financial

Makana Solutions is financed by private investors and venture capital.