ThriveHi #2
Hawaii FoundHER needs your help, First Hawaiian Bank is hiring a Senior Software Engineer, and more…
Hey everyone!
Hope ya’ll had a great Labor Day weekend (: Since launching the newsletter two weeks ago, our family of subscribers has grown to about 145 people. Woohoo! I want to thank all of you who personally reached out to me with advice and encouragement–it’s much appreciated!
I would love to capitalize on this momentum and continue to see this newsletter grow. If you know anyone in your network who might be interested, please share!
Cheers!
Sonia
Latest Hawaiʻi Tech & Startup News
🐄 Blue Ocean Barns raised another $20M in funding to save the world from…cow burps. Yes, you read that right. Based on the Big Island, Blue Ocean Barns integrates Brominata seaweed into cattle feed to safely eliminate more than 80 percent of cows' methane production without changing the taste of milk or meat. As it turns out, the methane from the burps of one cow is equivalent to the greenhouse gases emitted by one passenger car. Blue Ocean Barns has their largest processing plant based in Kailua-Kona and intends to use this money to expand its farming, harvesting, and processing operations.
📧 Pau Box raises $10M in funding from Arthur Ventures. Paubox is the industry’s top-rated provider of secure, encrypted email for healthcare organizations. In recent months, the company was listed on the Inc 5000 list, surpassed 4,000 customers worldwide, and secures more than 70 million emails every month. Although the organization is based in SF, it was founded by Hoala Greevy who is a Hawaiʻi local, #kanakafounder, and Mckinley grad. The company is remote-friendly, and they love hiring Hawaiʻi folks!
💰 UH’s student venture fund made its first $20k bet on startups, Hohonu and Reeler. Launched in 2021, this venture fund gives students hands-on experience with sourcing, due diligence, and deal structuring. A little about their investments: Hohonu helps communities monitor tides and water levels while Reeler is a D2C platform for fresh fish.
In other news…
Hawaii-based Oceanit is partnering with a South Korean firm to bring its nanogold process to market
UH earns $16M federal grant for sustainable workforce development
Meet Wahiawa Local, Jonathan Kim: Head of Product at Terraformation
Ecosystem Spotlight
We are shouting out interesting, innovative, and trailblazing organizations within Hawaii’s ecosystem that are significant contributors to the effort to make Hawaiʻi a more equitable, innovative, and economically resilient place.
TurnoverBnB
📍Honolulu, HI | Founded: 2016 | Employees: ~150 Total, 10 in Hawaiʻi | Funding: Series A ($4.5M)
TurnoverBnB is an online platform that helps rental hosts find local cleaners for their short-term rental cleaning. The company's software allows users to connect with their existing Airbnb and VRBO calendars to automatically schedule their cleaners via SMS and email, enabling users to hire and pay housekeepers conveniently. Co-founded by UH Alums, Assaf Karmon and Tim Roy, TurnoverBnB was part of Blue Startup’s 10th Cohort and closed out a Series A round of $4.5M in 2021 led by RET Ventures.
P.S. They’re currently hiring a VP of Sales!
Now Hiring
💼Hiring? Respond to this email and we’ll share it out!
Purple Mai’a: Creative Developer
First Hawaiian Bank: Senior Software Engineer
Consumer Track (Remote): Data Architect
TurnoverBNB (Remote): VP of Sales
MuckRack (Remote): Senior Product Designer
Terraformation (Remote): VP of Forestry Partnerships and Development
Due Soon…
Ulupono Initiative: Research Intern (Due Sep 9)
Blue Planet Foundation: Growth Communications Manager (Due Sep 16)
Blue Planet Foundation: Policy Analyst (Due Sep 16)
Community Events
Pssst, save the date! We’ll be hosting our second monthly ThriveHI Pau Hana on September 28th. Techies, remote workers, and founders are all welcome. The time and location are TBD.
Other events happening soon…
Sep 9, 16: GDG Oahu: Lunch and Learn Machine Learning Study Jam
Sep 9: Hawaiʻi Angels Monthly Meeting (contact Chenoa Farnsworth for more info)
Sep 14: Hawaiian Telcom University Event: Beat Tomorrow’s Cyberattack Today
📅 Hosting a tech/startup event? Let us know and we’ll share it out!
Help A Hawaiʻi Accelerator, Hawaiʻi FoundHer!
Hawaiʻi FoundHER is currently one of the Top 10 Finalists for the Gold Futures Challenge, a competition that will award ten prizes ranging from $25k to $100k to AAPI organizations. By making it into the Top 10, Hawaiʻi FoundHer has already won $25k, and if voted into the top 3, they’ll win an additional $75k.
Take 1 min to vote! Voting closes on Sep.27.
*Hawaiʻi FoundHER is an accelerator program tailored specifically to the needs of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and/or Asian women and mothers starting businesses in Hawaiʻi.