Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Idea & Market Validation

Product Development

Go-to-Market Launch

Overview

This program is a free 5-day entrepreneurship bootcamp for Hawaiʻi high school students, designed by Blue Startups and Hawaiʻi Pacific University to help students go from idea to launch.

Alexi Drouin will teach you how to launch a business by actually building one. You will talk to customers, build a live website, and launch using AI tools that help you build easier and faster.

In 5 days, you will transform from student to entrepreneur by ideating, building, and launching your business idea to a panel of top founders and investors from Hawaiʻi's tech ecosystem.

Schedule

Day 1Find Your Opportunity(Introduction)
Day 2Design Your Solution(Ideation)
Day 3Build Your Website(Design)
Day 4Launch Your Idea(Marketing)
Day 5Pitch Your Business(Presentation)

Learning Outcomes

—Apply how startups progress from idea to launch using lean methodology, customer discovery, and go-to-market principles.
—Use AI-powered tools to validate a business idea, build a functional website, and produce real marketing materials.
—Create and launch an original startup, including brand identity, MVP, and investor pitch, and present it to a panel of founders and investors.

Deliverables

(Per Student/Team)

—Company Identity (Name, Logo, One-Liner)
—Live Website and/or Landing Page
—Pitch deck or 60-Second Video
—Presentation to Panel of Investors
—Certificate of Completion (LinkedIn)

Instructors

Alexi Drouin (Blue Startups)

Alexi Drouin is a Hawaiʻi-based entrepreneur, investor, and educator with 20+ years of technical founder hands-on experience in marketing, operations, and leadership. He serves as Assistant Director of Hawaii Angels, leads Program Operations at Blue Startups, organizes the East Meets West conference, and is an Ambassador for Hawaii Tech Week. He is currently working with the University of Hawaii (UH), Windward Community College (WCC), and Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) to build a entrepreneurship curriculum for Blue Academy. Alexi is passionate about AI in education, accelerating startups, and showcasing Hawaiʻi's innovation ecosystem to the world.

Dr. Gerard Dericks (HPU)

Dr. Gerard Dericks (PhD, London School of Economics) is the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU). He was previously a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, and his research has been featured in the Economist, NY Times, Financial Times, Nikkei Business, BBC, CBS, Psychology Today, Science Magazine, and Nature. He has provided economic consulting to Morgan Stanley, Lloyd's, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Siemens, European Commission, HG Capital, World Economic Forum, and more. He is additionally the founding director of the academic summer school World Scholars Academy.

Partners

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 Pacific University

Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) is Hawaii's largest nationally recognized private university, educating students from across the globe in the heart of Honolulu. The Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education is dedicated to fostering innovation, entrepreneurial thinking, and economic literacy across the islands. The John F. Scarpa Entrepreneurial Pathway serves as a cornerstone of HPU's commitment to cultivating Hawaii's next generation of entrepreneurs.