HITIDE provides customized education, guidance and networking opportunities that complement and support the demands and experiences of academic entrepreneurs. Developing and advancing technology is a windy road, and we are here to provide UH-affiliated startups with the right tools and resources to navigate their innovation journeys.
Through HITIDE, program participants will strengthen their business foundation and advance technology development and commercialization by:
- Identifying and confirming their technology's product market fit;
- Securing a contract and/or federal grant to fund product development;
- Growing their network of innovators, experts and partners; and
- Connecting to a growth accelerator to scale their business.
Enhance entrepreneurship skills and mindset through a tailored curriculum to navigate the customer discovery process and develop a business model canvas with NSF I-Corps, and tailored programming with industry experts.
Receive personalized, 1:1 support from a curated pool of program coaches, industry mentors and subject matter experts aligned to help build and grow your startup company.
Access up to $50K in non-dilutive funding from OIC ($25K milestone-based seed funding + up to $25K upon securing a matching grant from Hawaii Technology Development Corporation), as well as additional funding opportunities through grant-writing education, partner and investor connections.
Expand your local and global network of fellow deep-tech innovators, entrepreneurs, mentors and investors through events and connections through program partner MassChallenge and community collaborators such as Hawaii Technology Development Corporation (HTDC) and Elemental Excelerator.
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TRAINING + MATCHMAKING
(4-6 weeks)
Startup Evaluations
Mentor Matchmaking
Team Building
Mission, Vision, Values
CUSTOMER DISCOVERY +
VALUE PROPOSITION
(5 weeks)
NSF I-CORPS TRAINING:
Customer Discovery
Commercial Potential
Business Model Development
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
(4-6 weeks)
Business Strategy
Financial Modeling
Sales & Marketing
Scale & Operations
Fundraising
SBIR/STTR Guidance & Training
SHOWCASE + BEYOND
(3-4 weeks+)
Media Training
Business Pitches
PR Opportunities
Tech Showcase
Long-Term Goal Setting
Mentoring, coaching and guidance is ongoing.
