PACE brings Startup Weekend to campus on November 16-18

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Krystal K S Lee, (808) 956-5092
Program Manager, Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and E-Bu
Posted: Nov 15, 2012

Startup Weekend University of Hawaii logo
Startup Weekend University of Hawaii logo
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) is excited to bring Startup Weekend to campus starting this Friday, November 16. Startup Weekend University of Hawaiʻi (SWUH) will connect entrepreneurs, students, researchers, developers, designers and startup enthusiasts with mentors and resources at its inaugural event. Beginning on Friday night, attendees will pitch ideas, build teams, strategize, collect customer validation and build a solid foundation for a successful business.
 
SWUH provides unique advantages not offered by other Startup Weekend programs in Honolulu. First, by encouraging all ideas including research-based innovation, the event will help further UH research initiatives by bringing diverse talents together to go through the initial stages of gathering market validation and analysis of high tech innovation. Second, SWUH will incorporate more education throughout the weekend by providing books and poster-sized business model canvases.
 
“We’re excited to bring the innovative approach of Startup Weekend to campus,” said Susan Yamada, executive director of PACE. “Whether you have a business idea or skills necessary to build a successful startup, all aspiring entrepreneurs should not miss this weekend’s event. It will be a valuable, transformative learning experience.”
 
Local business professionals and startup veterans will be on hand to inspire and provide expertise. On the final day, teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges who will award prizes in three categories—most evolved, best pitch, and most likely to succeed. Winners will receive co-working space and a cloud plan of virtual office services, a chance to pitch to the directors of an accelerator, a chance to pitch to a microloan board, mentorship from two PACE board members, and a bunch of swag. In addition, SWUH will join 130 cities in Global Startup Battle, the largest entrepreneurial competition in the world, where winners will have a chance to win a prize package valued at more than $50,000.
 
“Startup Weekend is the best place for first time entrepreneurs to learn about entrepreneurship and build a sense of community,” said Joey Aquino, UH alumni and current managing director for Startup Weekend University, based in Seattle, WA.
 
SWUH is organized locally by the UH Mānoa Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, All-Pro Hawaiʻi, UH Manoa College of Engineering, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, UH Mānoa College of Natural Sciences, Resource Suites, The Upside Fund and XLR8HI are sponsors.
 
The event is open to the public and tickets are still available. SWUH will run from 5 p.m. on Friday, November 16 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, November 18 at the UH Mānoa campus. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.uofhawaii.startupweekend.org. Group rates are available at $40. Individual tickets are $50.
 

For more information, visit: http://uofhawaii.startupweekend.org