Aloha Blue Startups ʻOhana,
As we step into 2026, I’m filled with gratitude for the founders, mentors, investors, partners, and community leaders who showed up again and again to build what’s next for Hawaii.
Blue Startups exists for a simple reason: to help founders turn ideas into real companies. To connect Hawaii to the world. To prove that world-class startups can be built here with aloha.
In 2025, we delivered on that mission through these core initiatives:
Hawaii Community
In March, we brought the Blue Startups experience to Maui through a startup bootcamp focused on customer discovery, product development, and fundraising. We also gathered founders through our statewide Founders Mixer series on Maui, in Kona, Oahu, and Kauai. During Honolulu Tech Week, we hosted the defining event of the week: Cohort 17 Demo Day. We also joined several panels and many events featured Cohort 17 founders and Blue Startups alumni.
East Meets West 2025
EMW 2025 was our biggest year yet. We broke ticket records and welcomed hundreds of innovators, investors, and leaders who believe in Hawaii’s role as a bridge between Asia, the US, and the Pacific.
We hosted over 400 attendees, 50 speakers, 100 startups, and 20 venture capital firms.
Nine global pitch finalists competed in the Startup World Cup regional, and we were proud to see Maiven Energy win and represent Blue Startups at the finals in San Francisco on the global stage.
We explored the AI hype cycle, cross-cultural storytelling, and the future of venture capital. SHōGUN gave us a behind-the-scenes look at creative production across borders.
But the real EMW magic happens off stage. That is where relationships form, founders find mentors, and investors discover companies they never expected to meet.
Cohort 17
Cohort 17 was the heart of our year. We worked with 12 startups selected from 585 applications (top 2%). These companies spanned AI, gaming, health, sustainability, hospitality, and software and 60% were founded or led by women.
We started with customer discovery online, spent eight weeks building in Honolulu, and ended in Silicon Valley with investor meetings and Demo Day.
We kicked off with a community Open House, and packed the house for Honolulu Demo Day during Tech Week with more than 250 attendees. In the Bay Area, we hosted our Demo Day at Wilson Sonsini and a networking Mixer in San Francisco.
Mentor-Led
Blue Startups’ accelerator program is mentor-led, and in 2025 that was more true than ever.
Our network of over 250 mentors stretches from Hawaii to Silicon Valley. Every founder got guidance. Every company was challenged. Every team leveled up. We hosted a mentor celebration this year to honor the backbone of the accelerator.
To every mentor who made time, gave feedback, took a call, reviewed a deck, made an intro, or showed up in person, thank you. You are building Hawaii’s future alongside our founders.
Alumni Momentum
Our Blue ʻOhana continues to thrive.
Hostfully (Cohort 8) secured a $50 million strategic investment from Blue Star Innovation Partners.
LiquiDonate (Cohort 14) was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025.
dataplor (Cohort 10) raised a $20.5 million Series B to fuel global expansion.
In total, Blue Startups alumni raised $75 million in FY2025. These are not isolated wins. They are signals of compounding progress that started right here in Hawaii.
Looking Ahead
We are heading into 2026 with momentum and clarity.
East Meets West returns April 8 to 9 in Honolulu. The Startup World Cup pitch competition is back. Meet the Drapers will be filmed live. This is a spotlight on Hawaii’s founders and a sign that our ecosystem is ready to lead globally.
Our focus remains clear.
Find great founders early
Help them build real companies
Connect Hawaii to capital and opportunity
Do it with integrity, grit, and most of all Aloha!
We’re also working on bold new initiatives that will connect education, industry, and capital across the islands to kick start Hawaii’s tech flywheel. Let’s just say… something blue is coming.
We also plan to take Blue further around the globe. In 2025, our footprint expanded from Honolulu to San Francisco, Palo Alto, Tokyo, Okinawa, and New York, and that’s just the beginning.
Thank you for being part of this journey. Thank you for believing in Hawaii. Thank you for building with us.
With gratitude,
Managing Partner, Blue Startups
