Blue Academy
Entrepreneurs Sandbox, Kakaʻako

Startup Accelerator

12-Week Program

July 20 – October 9, 2026

Blue Startups

HTDC

Idea & Market Validation
Product Development
Go-to-Market Launch

Overview

The Blue Startups Accelerator is a 12-week, mentor-driven program for capital-efficient, scalable technology companies. Founded in 2012 and ranked a Top 20 accelerator in the U.S. by TechCrunch, Blue Startups has run 17 cohorts and backs each company with up to $250,000 and a lead mentor inside a network of 250+ mentors spanning Asia to Silicon Valley.

The program turns Hawaiʻi's position between East and West into a market advantage. Cohorts run online, in Honolulu, and in San Francisco: weekly check-ins with the Managing Partner, mentor office hours, workshops, and pitch practice, building from customer discovery to a running go-to-market engine to an investor-ready raise.

Demo Day lands mid-program on the Hawaii Tech Week stage, and the mentored weeks after it convert attention into customers and checks. The program closes with a week of investor meetings in San Francisco. On average, companies raise $500,000 within 6 months of the program.

Schedule

  1. Phase ICustomer and Company(Weeks 1–4, Customer Discovery)
  2. Phase IIProduct and Market(Weeks 5–9, Go-to-Market)
  3. Phase IIITraction and Investor Readiness(Weeks 10–12, Run the Raise)
  4. Demo DayHawaii Tech Week, Honolulu(September 4, 2026)
  5. SF WeekInvestor meetings in San Francisco(October 5–9, 2026)

Learning Outcomes

  • —Validate your customer and problem with logged interviews, a written point of view, and a focus decision: 1 feature, 1 category, 1 market.
  • —Build and run a go-to-market engine with a defensible business model, a real pipeline, and the metrics investors expect: CAC, LTV, and churn.
  • —Run a raise process with an audited data room, an 18 to 36 month financial model, a 3-minute pitch, and a CRM of live investor conversations.

Deliverables

(Per Company)

  • —Evidence of demand: 20+ B2B or 100 B2C customer interviews logged
  • —A running go-to-market engine and sales pipeline
  • —A 3-minute investor pitch, a send-ahead deck, and a bar pitch
  • —An audited data room with an 18 to 36 month financial model
  • —A company AI Brain you own and keep after the program
  • —A lead mentor and allies inside the 250+ mentor network
  • —Demo Day on the Hawaii Tech Week stage and a week of investor meetings in San Francisco

Instructors

Chenoa Farnsworth

Chenoa Farnsworth (Blue Startups)

LinkedIn

Chenoa Farnsworth is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Blue Startups, which she started in 2012 with Henk Rogers and Maya Rogers. She is also a General Partner at Blue Ventures and sits on the boards of Hawaii Angels and The Bond Fund, with roughly 25 years of experience screening and backing Hawaiʻi startups. At Blue Startups she leads the organization, its investor and partner relationships, and the fund. During the accelerator she runs the weekly check-ins with each portfolio company and leads the mentor network orientation.

David Holt

David Holt (Blue Startups)

LinkedIn

David Holt is the Program Director at Blue Startups and runs the accelerator program: the curriculum, the screening sessions, the offer letters, and the mentor and advisory follow-ups. Before Blue Startups he co-founded VarsityPrep, a private and small-group sports coaching company, where he led marketing strategy, investor communications, fundraising, financials, and business development. He was also Sales Manager at Activiter, a Honolulu travel-platform startup. He started his first company at a Startup Weekend in Honolulu while still in college, and studied at UH Mānoa.

Partners

Blue Startups logo

Blue Startups

Blue Startups is Hawai'i's premier tech accelerator. Its nationally recognized program, ranked a Top 20 in the U.S. by TechCrunch, helps tech companies scale globally. With deep expertise in tech and an extensive network across the pacific, Blue Startups serves as a hub for Hawaii's innovation ecosystem. Blue Academy is the education arm of Blue Startups that offers courses at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) to help entrepreneurs take business from idea to launch.

Hawaii Technology Development Corporation logo

Hawaii Technology Development Corporation

The Hawaii Technology Development Corporation is the State of Hawaiʻi agency for technology and innovation, attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. HTDC has been part of Blue Startups from the start: the accelerator was founded in 2012 as a public-private partnership between the State of Hawaiʻi, HTDC, The Tetris Company, and private investors. HTDC supports startups scaling and staying in Hawaiʻi, and its Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Kakaʻako is where the cohort works during the Honolulu weeks.

FAQ

How do I apply?+

Applications for Cohort 18 are closed. Applications open each spring and run through F6S, linked from bluestartups.com/apply. There is no fee to apply.

What does Blue Startups invest?+

The up-front SAFE scales with stage: $25,000 pre-revenue, $50,000 post-revenue, and $100,000 with significant traction, up to $250,000 total per company with the balance held as a follow-on reserve. Target equity is 2 to 5 percent. Final terms are determined at the sole discretion of Blue Startups.

What kinds of companies fit the program?+

Capital-efficient, scalable technology companies, pre-revenue through significant traction. Focus sectors are Software and Gaming, Travel Tech, Sustainability, and Ocean Tech. Hawaiʻi-connected founders, teams with at least 1 female founder, and teams expanding between Asia and North America get selection priority.

Do I need to be based in Hawaiʻi?+

No, but at least 2 founders are on-site in Honolulu for the in-person weeks. The 12 weeks split across online sessions, Honolulu, and a closing week in San Francisco.

How much time does the program take?+

Plan for at least 5 hours a day plus planned activities. Workshops and mentor meetings are mandatory. Weekly check-ins with the Managing Partner track milestones set in the first weeks of the program.

What is Demo Day?+

Demo Day is the capstone of Hawaii Tech Week in Honolulu, with introductions to local investors and corporate partners. It lands mid-program by design, so the mentored weeks after it convert stage attention into customers and investor conversations.

What happens after the program?+

Alumni keep the network for life. The follow-on reserve unlocks once a company secures $250,000 or more in a negotiated round during or after the program. On average, companies raise $500,000 within 6 months of the program.

An intensive 12-week, mentor-driven accelerator for scalable technology companies.

Up to $250,000 per company through a tiered SAFE, with a follow-on reserve.

250+ mentors from Asia to Silicon Valley, and a lead mentor matched to your company.

Demo Day during Hawaii Tech Week, then a week of investor meetings in San Francisco.

Applications for Cohort 18 are closed. The next cohort opens in the spring at bluestartups.com/apply.

Apply Now

Cohort 18 runs July 20 – October 9, 2026

Blue Startups logo

Blue Academy helps entrepreneurs
take their business from idea to launch.

Hawaii Technology Development Corporation