The Journey
From idea to venture.
Built in Hawaiʻi.
Build Hawaiʻi is more than an 8-week program. It's a pathway from curious to capable to founder.
Five Stages
The path from apply to venture
Stage 1: Apply
A young builder (14–24) and a local small business apply separately. If selected, they’re paired together as a Builder Pair.
10 pairs per cohort. Selected for curiosity and commitment, not experience.
Stage 2: Build
Eight weeks of discovery, prototyping, building, and shipping. Every pair works with a Pod Mentor. Every pair presents at Showcase Day.
Weekly rhythm, deliverables, guest speakers, pod accountability. No winners. Every team ships.
Stage 3: Ship
A public showcase where every pair presents their working solution to families, community members, local press, and potential sponsors. Not a competition. A celebration.
Every business walks away with a working AI tool. Every builder walks away with a real portfolio project.
Stage 4: Grow
Graduates join the Build Hawaiʻi alumni network. Builders who want to keep going can take their project further with support from Build Hawaiʻi Ventures.
Monthly alumni office hours. Young builders can become paid Pod Mentors in future cohorts. Standout teams referred to Ventures.
Stage 5: Venture
For the rare graduate pair who built something with real traction, Build Hawaiʻi Ventures offers a SAFE agreement, continued mentorship, and warm introductions to Hawaiʻi angels.
2–5% SAFE. Post-money. 20% discount. No board seat. Hawaiʻi capital backing Hawaiʻi builders.
Stage 1: Apply
A young builder (14–24) and a local small business apply separately. If selected, they’re paired together as a Builder Pair.
10 pairs per cohort. Selected for curiosity and commitment, not experience.
Stage 2: Build
Eight weeks of discovery, prototyping, building, and shipping. Every pair works with a Pod Mentor. Every pair presents at Showcase Day.
Weekly rhythm, deliverables, guest speakers, pod accountability. No winners. Every team ships.
Stage 3: Ship
A public showcase where every pair presents their working solution to families, community members, local press, and potential sponsors. Not a competition. A celebration.
Every business walks away with a working AI tool. Every builder walks away with a real portfolio project.
Stage 4: Grow
Graduates join the Build Hawaiʻi alumni network. Builders who want to keep going can take their project further with support from Build Hawaiʻi Ventures.
Monthly alumni office hours. Young builders can become paid Pod Mentors in future cohorts. Standout teams referred to Ventures.
Stage 5: Venture
For the rare graduate pair who built something with real traction, Build Hawaiʻi Ventures offers a SAFE agreement, continued mentorship, and warm introductions to Hawaiʻi angels.
2–5% SAFE. Post-money. 20% discount. No board seat. Hawaiʻi capital backing Hawaiʻi builders.
Every builder leaves with one of two things.
Your first paying client.
You built something real for a real business. They want you to keep building. That's a client. At 15, 16, 17 years old you have a portfolio, a reference, and income. That's not a school project. That's a career starting.
Apply as a Builder →A real venture.
You built something one business needed and realized 50 others need it too. You have a product, a first customer, and proof it works. Build Hawaiʻi Ventures can help you take it further.
Learn about Ventures →After the Cohort
Three paths forward
The Tool Lives in the Business
The most common outcome. The builder built something the business uses every day. The owner saves hours each week. The builder gets paid part-time to maintain and improve it. Both win.
The Builder Starts a Company
The builder realizes 50 other businesses need the same tool. They have a working product and a first customer. With support from Build Hawaiʻi Ventures, they take it further.
The Knowledge Stays
Not every project becomes a product. The builder learned how to build with AI. The owner learned what AI can and can’t do. Both are better prepared for the next thing. No shame, no failure.
The System
The flywheel
Every cohort makes the next one better. Every graduate who becomes a mentor brings real experience back. Every company that succeeds proves Hawaiʻi can build. The flywheel compounds.
The Long Game
Where we're headed
Pilot cohort. 10 pairs. First showcase. Prove the model works.
2–3 cohorts. First Ventures SAFE. Foundation fully 501(c)(3).
Multi-island. 40+ businesses transformed per year. Micro-fund raised from Hawaiʻi angels.
First Ventures company raises a priced round. Build Hawaiʻi on a real cap table.
15–20 portfolio companies. First exit funds future cohorts. Flywheel is real.
“They went through Build Hawaiʻi” means something. Hawaiʻi’s on-ramp to building companies.
Start your journey.
You don't need to know how to code. You need curiosity and 5 hours a week.
Apply as a BuilderBring your business into the AI age.
You bring the problem. Your builder brings the tools. Together you build something real.
Join as a Business