A recently held Blue Startups Maui Founders Mixer and Pau Hana, presented by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), proved to be a great opportunity for the community to connect, collaborate, and grow alongside fellow entrepreneurs and innovators. Attendees met the builders shaping Maui’s startup scene and were able to network to help expand their businesses, pitch their own startups, and learn about Blue Startups in Hawai’i.  

Blue Startups was founded in 2012 with the goal of diversifying Hawai’i’s economy by leveraging its unique strengths. It was designed to give startup companies every advantage: mentorship, access to business expertise, product testing, peer review, customer acquisition, pitch development, introductions to investors, and seed funding. 

David Holt, Program Director at Blue Startups, explained, “Given that the development of a technology sector in Hawai’i is relatively new and growing, it is important to foster the community. We emphasize product development and global go-to-market strategies following a mentor-driven approach to acceleration. Focused on recruiting capital-efficient and scalable technology companies, we strive for 50% of our companies to be female founded and led” 

Blue Startups welcomes ambitious, creative, and well-organized individuals to apply to join the next cohort. Held annually, the program is an opportunity to gain firsthand experience with the day-to-day workings of the startup/venture capital ecosystem. Selectees join a 12- week program: 3 weeks virtual, 8 weeks on-site at their Honolulu headquarters, and 1 week in San Francisco where there is access to a 400+ investor network.   

“A Top 20 Accelerator in the U.S., we are very focused on helping scalable-technology companies compete globally,” Holt said. “We aim to stimulate economic growth in Hawai’i and create new business opportunities by providing the most promising entrepreneurs with the advice and connections they need the most.” 

Maui entrepreneurs excitedly pitched their businesses during the event. John Dobovan, Founder & CEO of Maui Trout Company said, “Like so many other under-capitalized small businesses, we are still working to secure financial footing. Blue Startups offered great advice.