The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii and the Hawaii Technology Development Corp. have teamed up to create a new accelerator program for small businesses and startups.
According to a release from the organizations on Monday, the program, called Impact SmallBiz, is open to businesses throughout the state.
“Our recent trip to the nation’s capital to meet with policymakers and our nation’s leaders has only strengthened our belief that now is the time to foster growth to diversify and fortify Hawaii's economy for businesses at their earliest stages,” said Sherry Menor-McNamara, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii president and CEO, in a statement. “We need to cultivate our smallest and newest businesses to give rise to our future where small businesses can thrive.”
According to the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s website, Impact SmallBiz will feature monthly training sessions covering topics such as funding, business model planning, marketing, and more. Each cohort participant also will be paired with a mentor for one-on-one coaching. The mentors for the program include Brian Kealoha, chief growth and impact officer of Vermont Energy Investment Corporation; Stan Lau, CEO and founder of Hawaii Tech Support; and Erin Uehara, owner of Chocolea; as well as other entrepreneurs and executives across a variety of industries.
At the end of the accelerator, there also will be an end-of-program showcase in which participants can connect with other business leaders and potential clients.
To be eligible for Impact, companies must have been in business at least 12 months by September 2024. Because the program is targeting Hawaii’s smallest businesses, applicants should make no more than $75,000 in annual revenue and have fewer than five employees.
Chamber membership is not an eligibility requirement.
Impact SmallBiz is a five-month program and will have two cohorts — the first running from September 2024 to January 2025 and the second running from November 2024 to March 2025. A total of 16 companies will be chosen for the program — eight in each cohort.
Applications for the program opened Monday and are due July 31.
For more information, click here.
