Blue Startups

What is Blue Startups?

Blue Startups is a venture accelerator located in Honolulu, Hawaii, exemplifying the 'East Meets West' philosophy by facilitating connections across the Pacific and fostering collaboration and innovation. As a Top 20 US Accelerator recognized by TechCrunch, they emphasize a mentor-driven acceleration approach, aimed at stimulating economic growth in Hawaii and creating new business opportunities. They offer an array of support to entrepreneurs including mentorship from an extensive international network, access to business expertise, product testing, peer review, pitch development, and introductions to investors.

Blue Startups targets companies that are capital efficient and scalable, with a focus on industries such as software, hospitality & events, education, and CleanTech.

With investment parameters ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 and a sweet spot of around $63,000, they cater to stages from Pre-Seed and Seed up to Early Stage and Series C. Moreover, Blue Startups commits to diversity and inclusion, striving for 50% of their companies to be female-founded and led.

Their program offers 12 weeks of intensive mentorship and support to up to 10 companies per session, underscoring lean product development and global go-to-market strategies. As part of their community support, they host the East Meets West global conference in Honolulu and cohort demo days, which serve as networking and investor events.

Founded in 2012 by a team from the Tetris Company and Hawaii Angels, Blue Startups is a public-private partnership also funded by the State of Hawaii and other private investors. Additionally, they are a member of the Morrow Global Accelerator Network, which provides startups with crucial resources for growth.

What they say:

We are a leading accelerator in the US, recognized for our focus on empowering businesses to compete internationally.

What we look for: We invest in scalable technology and information technology companies with global potential.