Hacking 4 Recovery Course Description
Based on the successful Lean LaunchPad course curriculum, Hacking 4 Recovery (H4R) provides real world, hands-on learning on what it’s like to start or reinvent a business operation. This bootcamp is not about how to write a business plan. This is a practical hands-on experience to test if your idea is a viable product or business. The goal is to create an entrepreneurial experience for you with all of the pressures and demands of the real world in an early stage start up (within the constraints of a virtual setting and limited time).
You will be part of a 4-person team to work on an idea to create a business and be part of Hawaiʻi’s recovery. This bootcamp is FREE, online-only, and 5 days long – meeting Monday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM HST.
During the day, you and your team will meet with mentors and instructors, and conduct customer discovery interviews. During each session, you and your team will share your findings for the day to the H4R community and learn from our instructor or special guests.
Join this bootcamp and help restart our economy!
H4R Online Event Sessions
August 10 – 14th, 4-7 PM (Zoom meeting link to be emailed)
Teaching Team
- Debasis Bhattacharya, University of Hawaiʻi Maui College
- Peter Rowan, University of Hawaiʻi PACE
- Dirk Soma, University of Hawaiʻi Kauai Community College
- Denise McKenzie, National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps
- Faustino Dagdag, University of Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College
- Steve Blank, Stanford University
- Steve Weinstein, Stanford University
- Tom Bedecarré, Stanford University
- Peter Newell, Stanford University
Mentors and Advisors
- Katie Taladay, Maui Economic Development Board STEMworks
- Krystal Lee, University of Hawaiʻi PACE
- Steve Auerbach, University of Hawaiʻi Office of Innovation and Commercialization
- Sandra Fujiyama, University of Hawaiʻi Office of Innovation and Commercialization
- Alec Wagner, Purple Maiʻa
- Anna Sikkink, Maui Economic Development Board STEMworks
- Gerry Smith, Maui Economic Development Board
- Mark Loughridge, Punahou School Case Accelerator for Entrepreneurship
- Creighton Liu, Hawaiian Electric Industries
- Jennifer Ingersoll, Naupaka Consulting
- Jason Thune, Hawaiian Telcom
- Veronica Rocha, Essential Leap
- Meli James, Mana Up
- Brittany Heyd, Mana Up
- Chenoa Farnsworth, Blue Startups
- Tiffany Huynh, Elemental Excelerator
- Virendra Nath, HDEP International
- Gary Yoshioka, Diamond Bakery
- Aly Gregg, National Security Innovation Network
- Keoni Lee, Hawaii Investment Ready
- Steve Sue, Bizgencis Foundation
- Alex Gallo, Common Mission Project
- Trung Dung, Entrepreneur
- Heidi Renata, INNOV8HQ
- Ray Tsuchiyama, Entrepreneur/Consultant
- Eugene Chang, Advisor
- Dan Swift, Windward Community College
- Cindy Matsuki, Hawaii Foreign-Trade Zone
- Ajay “AJ” Aluri, West Virginia University, HITLAB
Guest Speakers
Piia Aarma
Piia M. Aarma is the founder and president of Pineapple Tweed Public Relations and Marketing, a full service firm that offers services ranging from media relations to advertising. She has been involved in communications for more than 20 years. Her experience includes corporate communications, marketing, Internet site development, national-level lobbying and PR, newspaper reporting and editing, magazine writing and on-line communications. She has broad industry and functional expertise, with specialties in image and positioning, media relations and crisis management.
Aarma has a long history of involvement in the community and has served on numerous boards of directors. She is currently a trustee for KCAA Preschools, a director for the YWCA of Oahu, serves on the advisory board for HIBEAM, an organization helping to launch technology companies, a federally appointed member and past chair of the Hawaii Pacific Export Council, is an honorary sister for the Women’s Fund of Hawaii and an honorary trustee for La Pietra – Hawaii School for Girls. Pineapple Tweed provides pro bono services to the Women’s Fund of Hawaii and to Foster Family Programs of Hawaii.
France Hoang
France Hoang is a veteran entrepreneur who has been on the founding teams of companies that have generated over $600 million of combined sales and employed over 1,200 professionals across the fields of law, aerospace, defense, government services, and technology. These include:
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boodleAI, a technology startup that provides people- focused predictive applications using artificial intelligence.
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FH+H, the fastest growing law firm on the 2013 Inc 5000 list.
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Chisel, the first co-working space for lawyers in the Metro DC area.
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MAG Aerospace, the leading independent provider of manned / unmanned full- spectrum outsourced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) services.
France also has over 20 years of national security experience, with service in every branch of the U.S. Government. He clerked for Chief Judge James E. Baker on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and for Judge Thomas Griffith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. France was appointed by President George W. Bush as an Associate White House Counsel and Special Assistant to the President. Shortly after leaving the White House, France mobilized in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM where he served as the Executive Officer of a U.S. Army Special Forces Company on a combat deployment in Southeast Afghanistan.
Visit https://www.commonmission.us/advisory-board-members/france-hoang to learn more!
Donavan Kealoha
Donavan Kealoha is a director at Startup Capital Ventures, where he works alongside the fund’s managing directors in all aspects of potential and active investments, from deal sourcing, deal diligence, and portfolio company management, including serving on the board of portfolio company AreaMetrics, Hobnob, and board observer at Breinify.
Prior to joining Startup Capital, Donavan co-founded a venture-capital backed materials science company and Asio Corporation, a software development consulting firm.
In addition to his work with Startup Capital, Donavan is a director with Shifted Energy, and also serves on the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaiʻi board. In 2013, Donavan co-founded the Purple Maiʻa Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit focused on empowering high opportunity youth in underserved Hawaiʻi communities that possess rich cultural heritages by providing indigenized technology education.
Donavan is a licensed attorney and a proud product of the Hawaiʻi public educational system. He holds a BA, and JD/MBA from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Information Sessions
Prior to attending an information session, please take a moment to complete our online application form.
Information/Mixer 1: Thursday, July 16th, 4-5 PM (Recording: https://vimeo.com/439383217)
Information/Mixer 2: Tuesday, July 21st 12-1 PM (Recording: https://vimeo.com/440805897)
Pau Hana – bring a drink: Friday, July 24th, 6-8 PM
Information/Mixer 3 [Final Team Formation]: Tuesday, July 28th, 12-1PM (Recording: https://vimeo.com/442550353)
Volunteer/Mentor Information Session 1: Thursday, July 30th, 9-10AM
Volunteer/Mentor Information Session 2: Monday, August 3rd, 12-1PM (Recording: https://vimeo.com/445705057)
Prerequisite Session: Thursday, August 6th 12-1 PM (Recording: https://vimeo.com/445711192)
Eligibility
Everyone in the Hawaiʻi community is invited to join us – including existing businesses, entrepreneurs, and Hawaiʻi-based college and high school students. You may apply as an individual or as a team up to 4 people. (All team members must submit an application.)