Build Hawaiʻi Ventures
Build Hawaiʻi doesn't end at Demo Day.
When a builder pair creates something with real traction, Ventures is the lightweight structure that supports them without getting in the way.
The two outcomes every builder aims for
Most pairs land in Outcome A. A small number land in Outcome B. Both are wins. Both are real.
Your First Client
The business you built for wants you to keep building. They’re paying you $500–$1,000/month to maintain and improve the tools you made together. At 15, 16, or 17 years old you have a paying client, a real portfolio, and a reference from a local business owner.
This is how careers start. This is how Hawaiʻi keeps its talent.
A Real Venture
You built something for one business and realized 50 others need the same thing. You have a working product, a first customer, and proof it works. Build Hawaiʻi Ventures steps in with a SAFE, mentorship, and introductions.
This is where Hawaiʻi’s next generation of founders comes from.
The Deal
Founder-friendly terms
Why so small? Because these are kids and small business owners, not Silicon Valley founders. A 2\u20135% stake that compounds across companies is meaningful. Taking 7\u201310% from an 18-year-old is predatory.
Beyond the SAFE
What Ventures actually does
Office Hours
Monthly 1-on-1s with mentors from the alumni network. No agenda required. Show up with your problems.
Investor Introductions
Warm intros to Hawaiʻi angels and mainland funds. University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, Blue Startups alumni, East-West Center network.
Peer Network
Access to all Build Hawaiʻi graduates. Need a developer? There’s a 17-year-old who built one. Need a first customer? Another graduate is in that industry.
PR and Storytelling
Build Hawaiʻi actively tells the story of graduate companies. A 16-year-old who built a working AI tool is a story every Hawaiʻi media outlet wants to run.
The Long Game
Where this is going
Pilot cohort. 10 pairs. First showcase.
2nd and 3rd cohorts. First graduate company emerges. First Ventures SAFE signed.
10+ graduates. 3–5 active Ventures companies. Micro-fund raised from Hawaiʻi LPs.
First Ventures company raises a priced round. Build Hawaiʻi on a real cap table.
15–20 portfolio companies. First exit funds future cohorts. The flywheel is real.
“They went through Build Hawaiʻi” means something.
The program funds the fund. The fund funds the program. Hawaiʻi capital stays in Hawaiʻi.
Built something in our cohort?
If you shipped a working product and have customers asking for more, let's talk.
Get in Touch