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 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Venture Accelerator |
| Founded | September 1, 2012 |
| Founder | Henk Rogers Maya Rogers Chenoa Farnsworth |
| Headquarters | , |
| Services | Assisting in business growth |
| Website | bluestartups |
Blue Startups is a Hawaii-based accelerator company co-founded by Henk Rogers, Maya Rogers and Chenoa Farnsworth in 2012. They created it to help startup companies, and help make Hawaii more identifiable as a technological business hub. The company has a network of over 120 mentors from the Hawaii, Silicon Valley, and Asia areas. The company's stated goal - according to former Program Manager Meli James - is to get companies started in Hawaii and make them want to keep working in the state.
The accelerator participates in and operates a number of events. Its most notable event is its cohort program, where the accelerator offers startup companies the opportunity to receive capital, training, and experience to grow their startup. The cohort program takes place once a year, with programs that focus on developing "capital-efficient and scalable-technology companies" in the Internet, software, mobile, gaming, and e-commerce industries. Startups are selected from hundreds of applicants who receive an initial investment of $25,000, training, and office space in exchange for a 3% to 10% equity stake. Blue Startups is able to invest up to $300,000 in each startup. The company has hosted fourteen cohorts as of December 2022, and it has over 100 companies in its portfolio.
The company has been met with good recognition for its involvement in assisting startups and its participation in improving the Hawaiian technological scene. It appeared at number 17 on a list of the "top 20 US accelerators" and was cited as an example of companies that are "mentoring an expanding network of Internet, software, mobile, and e-commerce firms."[citation needed]