Blue Startups

Blue Startups Blue Startups is a venture accelerator in Hawaii, ranked in the top 20 in the U.S. by TechCrunch, that helps scalable tech companies compete globally.

by TechCrunch, that helps tech founders and companies compete across the Pacific and globally. Blue Startups is a venture accelerator in Hawaii, ranked among the top 20 in the U.S. With an extensive network across the Pacific, Asia, and North America, Blue Startups serves as a hub for Hawaii’s innovation ecosystem.

From Hawai’i to Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, and PG&E, these 3 Blue Startups alumni accelerated straight to the biggest name...
06/22/2026

From Hawai’i to Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, and PG&E, these 3 Blue Startups alumni accelerated straight to the biggest names in their industries.

From Talent Marketplace to Amazon's First Partner

Instant Teams (Cohort 11). Liza Rodewald and Erica McMannes built a marketplace that connects military spouses with flexible, remote careers. A $1.5M seed right after the program, then a $13M Series A led by Tiger Global. When Amazon launched its military-spouse remote work program, Instant Teams was its first hiring partner.

Where Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Send Their Returns

LiquiDonate (Cohort 14). Disney Petit,'s platform routes retail returns and excess inventory to nonprofits and schools instead of the landfill. Room & Board, Williams-Sonoma, and Liquid Death send their returns through it. It raised a $3.75M seed led by Laconia Capital and won a 2026 NRF VIP Award for Supply Chain Innovation.

A Home-Energy Coach Partnering with PG&E

Maiven Energy (Cohort 16). Jacqueline Hall spent 14 years inside the utility world before she built Maiven, an AI home-energy assistant that helps utilities hit their decarbonization targets without drowning in manual program paperwork. Now she sells back into the same industry she came from, this time on the other side of the table.

This is what building from Hawaiʻi at Blue Startups looks like!

Chenoa Farnsworth, sat down with Ashley Lukens, and Wren Wescoatt on the Pilali Podcast to talk story about the future o...
06/09/2026

Chenoa Farnsworth, sat down with Ashley Lukens, and Wren Wescoatt on the Pilali Podcast to talk story about the future of Hawaiʻi's economy.

- Let's Diversify Hawaiʻi's economy beyond tourism.
- The real value is access to our network, not the check.
- We want a hundred zebras, not one billion-dollar unicorn.
- Revenue-based funding for companies grow without an exit.
- Every cohort we run is at least more than half female founded.
- Ocean tech in Hawai’i is the bet, not to build another Silicon Valley.

Mahalo to the Pilali Podcast team at Funder Hui for telling the stories of the people building Hawaiʻi's future. The episode is live now. Give it a listen!

Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJbYrlKlPgU

We received more than 600 Applications to Cohort 18!Last year, we accepted only the top 2% into our cohort, and more tha...
06/01/2026

We received more than 600 Applications to Cohort 18!

Last year, we accepted only the top 2% into our cohort, and more than 60% of our startups were founded or led by women. This year, with over 600 startups applying to Blue Startups, we want to raise the bar even higher.

The early read is what we hoped for: a strong showing by women founders and teams in our focus sectors (AI, Sustainability, Ocean Tech, and Travel). Now, founders are ready to come build in Hawaiʻi for the summer.

Blue Startups now has a 3-tier investment program:

25,000 → Pre-revenue
$50,000 → Post-revenue
$100,000 → Significant traction

Plus up to $250,000 in total startup funding.
As always, our equity stake is flexible via SAFE.

Did you miss the deadline? You can still apply.
https://www.bluestartups.com/apply/

We do review late applications when we have the time. We cannot promise the same timeline or the full process we give to on-time applicants, but it’s better to apply late than never.

250K views in 7 days. Wow!!!Chenoa Farnsworth, sat down with Erica Lockheimer on the HumanizeHer Podcast to talk story a...
05/27/2026

250K views in 7 days. Wow!!!

Chenoa Farnsworth, sat down with Erica Lockheimer on the HumanizeHer Podcast to talk story about building a mindful tech ecosystem in Hawaiʻi.

One week in, the conversation is about to cross 250,000 views on YouTube.

If you've seen it, leave a comment.
If you haven't, what are you waiting for?
Go Watch → https://youtu.be/hziSfTFe2JM

05/19/2026

That’s what the right accelerator can do for your startup! We just dropped a new reel featuring 3 founders from Cohort 17.

"Blue Startups is an accelerator that really pushes you every single week."
-- John Hoegger (Bayze)

"Chenoa Farnsworth was able to provide me the type of guidance I needed."
-- Miki Hardisty (Olelo Intelligence)

"Now we know exactly what it takes [...] to make the company successful."
-- Dr. Ioana Cozmuta (G-SPACE, Inc)

We extended the Cohort 18 Deadline to Friday, May 22.
Apply Now → https://www.bluestartups.com/apply/

If you’re building now and looking for mentorship, investment, and community, this is your sign to apply to Blue Startups.

Last call. Applications for Blue Startups Cohort 18 close TODAY!- Dates: July to October 2026- Up to $250K Investment- 2...
05/15/2026

Last call. Applications for Blue Startups Cohort 18 close TODAY!

- Dates: July to October 2026
- Up to $250K Investment
- 250+ Mentor Network
- Reach 500+ investors
- 8 weeks in Honolulu
- 1 week at SF Tech Week

Blue Startups is Hawaii's Premier Tech Accelerator Program.

If you're building a startup, get your application in today:
https://www.bluestartups.com/apply/

P.S. Tag a founder/company in the comments and re-post.

The Entrepreneurs Sandbox was elbow-to-elbow last night for the Blue Startups Oʻahu Founders Mixer x ThriveHI Pau Hana. ...
05/15/2026

The Entrepreneurs Sandbox was elbow-to-elbow last night for the Blue Startups Oʻahu Founders Mixer x ThriveHI Pau Hana. Founders, mentors, investors, and ecosystem friends all in one room.

Great to see plenty of new founders thinking about Cohort 18. The energy was the kind this community is famous for. Mahalo to HTDC (Hawaii Technology Development Corporation) for our partnership.

Blue Startups Cohort 18 applications close this Friday, May 15. If you're a founder building a startup in Hawaii and have been on the fence, this is your last chance for 2026. Apply Now: https://www.bluestartups.com/apply/

Mahalo to David Holt, Alexi Drouin, Zack Hernandez, Gigi Dawn, Johnny Chankhamany, Trung Lam, Miki Hardisty, Ed Lallier, Kainoa de Angelis — and to everyone who showed up and made it happened. 🤙

05/07/2026

Here's why you should apply to Blue Startups Cohort 18 by May 15, 2026.

Blue Startups, a top-rated tech accelerator, is looking for Hawaiʻi-connected founders and female-led teams doing business across the Pacific.

If you're building a SaaS or AI startup in 🌎 travel, 🌊 ocean, or 🌱 climate, and you're ready to scale, our accelerator program is built for you.

Our accelerator:

- Top 20 US accelerator (TechCrunch)
- Invested in +150 companies to date
- $1B+ raised across entire portfolio
- Up to $250K direct investment
- 250 international mentors
- $1M+ in perks

Our program:

12 weeks total.
- 3 weeks online
- 8 weeks in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
- 1 week in San Francisco during SF Tech Week

Blue Startups is a community of mentors, investors, founders, and partners who want you to succeed and will help you build with momentum.

If you're a founder building in SaaS, AI, travel, ocean, or climate, or you know a founder building a startup, send this video with David Holt today.

Apply by May 15: bluestartups.com/apply

Blue Startups is coming to Kauaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island, and Oʻahu to connect with founders, builders, and the tech comm...
05/01/2026

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!

Address

55 Merchant Street Ste 1700
Honolulu, HI
96813

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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