Blue Startups

Blue Startups is coming to Kauaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and Oʻahu to connect with founders, builders, and the tech community as we open applications for Blue Startups Cohort 18. David Holt is traveling to your island to meet you. This is a great chance to meet him in person, learn more about the application process, and get plugged into the local startup community. Thinking about applying to Blue Startups? Looking for a co-founder? Have an idea for a startup? Come talk story with us at these special Pau Hana style mixer with pupus and drinks. Schedule: Kauaʻi Founders Mixer - Monday, May 4 - 5:00–7:00 PM - Hale Līhuʻe - 4286 Rice St, Līhuʻe, HI 96766 Register: https://luma.com/74b39qlo Maui Founders Mixer - Wednesday, May 6 - 5:00–7:00 PM - Malcolm Center - 1305 N. Holopono Street, Suite 5, Kīhei, HI 96753 Register: https://luma.com/kgt4c49n Hawaiʻi Island Founders Mixer - Monday, May 11 - 5:00–7:00 PM - Nelha Hale Iako - 73-987 Makako Bay Dr, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Register: https://luma.com/m0l8q7o1 Oʻahu Founders Mixer - Wednesday, May 13 - 5:00–7:00 PM - Entrepreneurs Sandbox - 643 Ilalo St, Honolulu, HI 96813 Register: https://luma.com/eqial4am If you’re on one of these islands, we’d love to see you there! And if you know anyone who should be applying to Blue Startups, please let them know to come. Help us spread the word!

This one hits differently for me. I'm both a Hawaii Pacific University alum and a Trustee. Which means I get to watch the university that shaped me invest in students the same way it once invested in me. That's the lens I read this article through. Twelve HPU students walked into East Meets West and walked out changed by it. Their reflections speak for themselves, and you should read them. But what I want to call attention to is what made it possible. It wasn't a sponsorship line in a program. It was a partnership. Years of trust between HPU and organizations like Blue Startups, who didn't just open a door for our students. They pulled them into the room. EMW isn't just a conference. It's a catalyst. And Blue Startups is the team that engineers it. You can see it in what students walked out with. Jenna Bond walked out with a venture partner and a startup mentor in the same week. Mika Mailani Chang is integrating what she learned into her clinical practice and her work at Mindful Gallery. Sonny Corleone Delos Santos, a nursing student, called the experience transformative. Those moments don't happen because of policy. They happen because of relationships. And this is part of what makes Hawaii special. Our community is small enough that trust travels fast, and big enough that the ambitions unlocked here can carry anywhere in the world. A university's value to its students is shaped less by what happens inside its walls, and more by who it knows, who it trusts, and who trusts it back. That's the work I'm here to help build. Mahalo to Blue Startups for the partnership. Mahalo to Dean Amy Nguyen-Chyung, Paul Gene, and the John F. Scarpa Entrepreneurial Pathway team for the work behind the scenes that makes moments like this possible. And mahalo to Jenna, Mika, Sonny, and the rest of the HPU students who showed up and made the most of it. Ma ka hana ka 'ike. In working, one learns. This is just the beginning. Hawaii Tech Week is this fall. August 31. See you there! Article in the comments 👇 . #Leadership #HigherEducation #Hawaii #Partnerships #HawaiiTechWeek

This is what it's all about… 12 Hawaii Pacific University students attended East Meets West 2026 and their insights say it better than we ever could: "Being in a room with founders, investors, and innovators who are actively shaping the future — not theorizing about it — grounded me in a way that's hard to get from a classroom alone." - Jenna Bond, MBA '26: "The experience was nothing short of transformative — from the thought-provoking sessions to the connections forged with brilliant professionals." - Sonny Corleone Delos Santos "It was a deeply personal reminder of the power of connection and vision. I am walking away with a renewed sense of purpose." - Mika Mailani Chang, PsyD '26: When students walk into EMW and walk out with new connections, sharper perspectives, and a fire to move forward that's the impact we want to see. Mahalo to HPU, the John F. Scarpa Entrepreneurial Pathway, Paul Gene, Dean Amy Nguyen-Chyung, and Trustee Iven S. for making this possible. Read Full Article on HPU's Website: https://lnkd.in/gcVUA8Na

East Meets West. Every conversation turned into SurveyGuard. Here is what I shared with VCs and angel investors: ➡️ Raising $1M via SAFE note ➡️ $50K already raised ➡️ 15 signed LOIs representing ~$200K ARR ➡️ 2 buildings onboarding within 60 days ➡️ Connected to major post-acute care EMRs ➡️ Built from real operational failure “I ran a hospital that received 36 citations. It shut down and displaced 150 residents. SurveyGuard is built to prevent that.” SurveyGuard is proactive compliance. AI-driven survey readiness. Built specifically for post-acute care. How you can help: ➡️ Like ➡️ Comment ➡️ Share with investors ➡️ Make an intro ➡️ Message me for the deck #SurveyGuard #HealthTech #DigitalHealth #AIHealthcare #SaaSStartup #StartupFunding #SAFE #AngelInvestors #VentureCapital #StartupRaise #HealthIT #PostAcuteCare #LongTermCare #NursingHomes #HealthcareInnovation

What a privilege it was to attend the East Meets West 2026 Conference. 🌺🌊Mahalo Nui to Hawaii Pacific University for the opportunity to be part of such a remarkable gathering of minds. The experience was nothing short of transformative — from the thought-provoking sessions to the connections forged with brilliant professionals.

Look, I know we usually talk about what’s happening on the ground, but I just learned about incredible space 🛰️ 👩🚀 🌌 🪐 innovations at East Meets West, and you all need to know this. Have you all heard about manufacturing in *space*? Henk Rogers -- yes, of TETRIS fame, but also the founder of Blue Planet Alliance -- isn’t new to this; he owns HI-SEAS, that moon simulation on the Big Island where astronauts live for months in total isolation to figure out how to, you know, not die on the moon. Henk told us that sending stuff to the moon costs $1,000,000 per kilogram, which is absolutely wild.. Though it didn't stop him from having some of his personal belongings currently sitting on the space station. We also chatted with Dr. Ioana Cozmuta from G-Space. She’s ex-NASA and basically a fountain of space wisdom. The highlights (for when you want to sound smart at dinner): • Orbiting data centers: We talked about building data centers in space or on the moon. They’d leverage the extreme shade for cooling and solar for power. • Upcycling space trash: There are 20,000 objects (mostly defunct satellites) floating up there. The idea is to use that debris as "ink" for 3D printers. Apparently, NVIDIA might even be interested. • Zero-G bio innovations: This is the cool part. On Earth, gravity makes things like artificial retinas collapse under their own weight during production. In space, you can bioprint organs and create the gold nanoparticles used in vaccines without that pesky gravity getting in the way. Okay, so we’ve had satellites and Google Maps for a while, but actual space manufacturing could materially change our lives. It’s a bit surreal, but the investment is very real (including Blue Startups being very bullish on all of that). So, what do we think? How close to reality is this for you? Meanwhile, here's a picture of me looking at Henk and Ioana with what I can only describe as pure inspired curiosity.

Join our Founders Mixer on your island! Thinking about applying to Blue Startups Cohort 18 or looking for a co-founder? Join us to pitch your idea, meet builders, and connect with your local startup community. 📍 Kauaʻi — May 4 📍 Maui — May 6 📍 Hawaiʻi Island — May 11 📍 Oʻahu — May 13 Pau hana with pupus + drinks 👉 RSVP now https://lnkd.in/gDJzHjuQ Mahalo to our partners that make these events possible! Hawaii Technology Development Corporation Maui Economic Development Board, Inc. Hale Lihue HIplan Honolulu Beerworks