Aloha from Blue Startups!

Cohort 18 landed in Honolulu! The 12 startup companies met in person at their new office, the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Kaka’ako. Here is what Week 3 looked like!

Week 3: The Cohort Lands in Kaka’ako

Monday kicked off with the weekly stand-up where each company gives a high and a low, then David Holt (Program Director) walks everyone through the week ahead.

Tuesday the cohort walked into the Blue Startups office to meet Henk Rogers. Henk brought the iconic game Tetris from the Soviet Union to the world and also co‑founded Blue Startups alongside Maya Rogers and Chenoa Farnsworth.

On Wednesday, Joey Katzen opened with how to tell a fundraising story. His advice: create FOMO by making every slide leave you eager for the next. The cohort put this into practice with the “Bar Pitch”—1 sentence to earn a good follow-up question.

John Gleeson closed with a lesson on customer success, drawing on his experience scaling a startup from $1M to $300M in ARR. His advice to founders: price software by the unit of work it delivers, and use AI where context is strong and clearly verified.

Thursday centered on brand and pitch. Sam Frentzel-Beyme helped founders sharpen their messaging during brand office hours, while Chenoa Farnsworth led Perfect Your Pitch, helping founders understand what resonates with investors.

On Friday, the cohort met with Blue Startups alumni John Hoegger of Bayze and Miki Hardisty of ʻŌlelo Intelligence, who shared insights from the program, their industry experience, and their journeys growing their companies.

We closed the week outside. Sunday was Chenoa’s birthday, and the cohort spent the morning hiking to Manoa Falls, and poke after. Everyone got a look at why we build here, and the founders got a few hours together to bond in nature.

Cohort 18 Spotlight Series

Paws Abroad

Paws Abroad Is Building the Future of Global Pet Travel

Marisa and Adrian Hoskins built Paws Abroad from a problem they experienced firsthand. After a difficult move with her dogs from Hong Kong, Marisa saw the need for a simpler way to manage pet relocation. Their platform combines travel planning software with hands-on support and has completed more than 100 relocations across 14 countries, all successfully.

Learn more ›

Pacific Hybreed

Pacific Hybreed Is Breeding the Future of Shellfish Farming

Pacific Hybreed is bringing advanced genetics to shellfish farming. Led by CEO Melissa DellaTorre, the company develops shellfish family lines suited to each farm’s conditions, improving survival, growth, and consistency. Pilot farms are already seeing yields about 30 percent higher than commodity seed. Now, the team is preparing to move from years of research and testing into commercial scale.

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Cohort 18 Honolulu Demo Day

Alumni News

G-SPACE Wins the 2026 Joseph C. Belden Innovation Award

G-SPACE (Cohort 17) received the award for its machine learning platform for microgravity product design. The technology turns complex experiment data into actionable insights, helping research and manufacturing teams move faster from testing to scalable, repeatable processes.

Learn more ›

Community Events

Hawaii Tech Week opens Monday, August 31 with the Official HTW Kickoff Party on the Ambassador Hotel pool deck in Waikiki, 7:00 to 10:00 PM. DJ and visual artist CALDEE headlines. Hosted by The Goods Social Club. 21 and over.

Blue Startups Partners