A startup created by a group of Hawaii PhD students that aims to help people learn different languages recently won the 2022 University of Hawaii Venture Competition, or UHVC.
GOALL, which stands for Great Online Activities for Language Learning, won $34,000 along with the first place title, according to UH officials, including $10,000 from title sponsors Hawaiian Electric Industries and Hawaiian Electric, and more than $24,000 in in-kind prizes.
The startup has a web and mobile app that helps adult language learners sharpen their skills through customizable task-based activities.
GOALL's team members include Ann Choe, Kristen Urada, Yang Liu and Susanne DeVore, who are all PhD students in UH Manoa’s Department of Second Language Studies in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters.
“We are very honored to receive first place,” said Choe, GOALL’s team leader, in a statement. “The whole experience was a fantastic opportunity to develop our entrepreneurial knowledge and skills. We’re grateful for PACE, our coach Jeff Hui, and those who supported GOALL all along. We can’t wait to advance GOALL to its next step.”
GOALL was one of three finalists that presented to a group of judges at UHVC’s final event — which is hosted annually by the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, or PACE, in UH Manoa’s Shidler College of Business — on April 29 at American Savings Bank.
The purpose of the competition is to "support budding entrepreneurs by providing hands-on education, mentorship and resources to students from the 10-campus UH System who wish to start a new business," according to UH officials.
“We are proud of all of the courageous teams that embarked on their entrepreneurial journey through the competition," said PACE Executive Director Sandra Fujiyama in a statement. "We were pleased to see a diverse group of participants from six UH System campuses with startup ideas, ranging from geothermal energy to educational platforms to consumer products.
“This competition is not possible without the generous support of our sponsors, partners, and volunteers, for whom I am very grateful,” Fujiyama said.
Second place went to Resesio, a company that has an automated optimization model for the construction design process; and third place went to the Ofaga Leo Preschool System, which provides immersion language education in Hawaii and the Mainland in areas where there is a high demand for childcare and preschool services in Samoan language.
“At HEI, we recognize the vital role entrepreneurs play in creating and maintaining a vibrant economy for our island state,” said Scott Seu, HEI president and CEO, in a statement. “We applaud the innovative ideas and hard work of all the participants, and recognize the many mentors and professors who guided them along the way.”
