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Blue Startups is a venture acceleration company that was co-founded by Henk and Maya Rogers in 2012. It was created with the purpose of providing assistance for startup companies and to help make Hawaii be more identifiable as a technological business hub. Business woman Chenona Farnsworth joined the company as its managing director in 2013. The company has a network of over 80 mentors from the Hawaii, Silicon Valley, and Asia areas. It has a total of eight lead mentors, which includes Henk Rogers, Robert Robinson, Steve Markowitz, Tim Dick, Jeff Kraatz, Bill Spencer, Michael Troy, and Dan Freedman. The company's stated goal - according to former Program Manager Meli James - is to get companies started in Hawaii and make them want to keep working in the state. The company participates in and operates a number of events. Its most notable event is its cohort program, where the company offers startup companies the opportunity to receive money, training, and experience in order to get their businesses off of the ground. The company received $200,000 of taxpayer money from the Hawaii Strategic Development Corp.'s Launch Akamai Venture Accelerator program. in order to facilitate these business expansion services. The company has received approximately $1.7 million to date in tax funding, as well as receiving matching funds in private investments. The cohort program takes place twice a year, and the focus of these programs are on developing "capital-efficient and scalable-technology companies" in the Internet, software, mobile, gaming, and e-commerce industries. Companies selected among hundreds are given an investment of $20,000, training, and office space in exchange for a 6% equity stake. The company has hosted five cohort of startups as of March 2015, and it has 23 companies in its portfolio, which have been awarded $600,000 in "seed and additional capital" by Blue Startups. The company has been met with good recognition for its involvement in assisting with startups and its participation in improving the Hawaiian technological scene. It appeared at number 17 on a list of the "top 20 US accelerators" and was cited as an example of companies that are "mentoring an expanding network of Internet, software, mobile, and e-commerce firms." ==History== Blue Startups was co-founded on September 1, 2012 by Henk and Maya Rogers in order to provide companies tools and assistance in order to help them as well as assist in the Hawaiian business industry.〔 As of 2015, Maya Rogers is in charge of business development.〔 (【引用サイトリンク】title= Maya Rogers Business Development ) 〕 In 2013, Chenona Farnsworth joined Blue Startups as the company's managing director.〔 〕 The company's Program Manager, Meli James, noted that the company wants to create business in Hawaii by getting companies to start up in the state, and if they ever move away, yearn to return to the area.〔 〕 James eventually went on to serve as the president of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association after the former president retired.〔 〕 Blue Startups has a network of over 80 mentors from Hawaii, the Silicon Valley, and Asia. All participating companies of the cohort program have access to this extended network.〔 The company describes itself as being a "stepping stone" for entrepreneurs in Asia and the Silicon Valley areas who want to get into each other's markets.〔 As of March 2015, Blue Startups has eight lead mentors. These lead mentors include founding mentor Henk Rogers, Robert Robinson, Steve Markowitz, Tim Dick, Jeff Kraatz, Bill Spencer, Michael Troy, and Dan Freedman. The company has a network of over 80 mentors from the Hawaii, Silicon Valley, and Asia areas including Don Dodge, Don Kosak, Eric Nakagawa, Faruq Ahmad, Marvin Liao, Peter Kay, Rob Bertholf, Steve Sue, Steven Baker, Tina Fitch and more.〔 (【引用サイトリンク】title= Lead Mentors Blue Startups ) 〕 Henk Rogers has assisted in the video game industry, particularly with respect to the puzzle video game ''Tetris''.〔 〕 Robinson participated on a panel of judges as part of the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii on March 24, 2015. In this event, he and other judges are tasked with judging five-minute pitches to them.〔 〕 Blue Startups hosted a "digital lifestyle conference" from November 6-7, 2014, which was done to allow investors from Silicon Valley and Asia to "meet for deal making, learning and networking."〔 〕 The company took part in the 15th annual holiday tech fair, which was hosted at the Japanese Cultural Center in Honolulu by the High Technology Development Corporation on December 29, 2014.〔 〕 Blue Startups was given $200,000 in Hawaiian taxpayer money at first, and later had taken in an approximate total of $1.7 million.〔 〕〔 The state of Hawaii requires matching funds, so Blue Startups has received approximately the same amount in private investments.〔 〕 The tax funding was given to Blue Startups as well as two other Hawaii-based startups by the Hawaii Strategic Development Corp.'s Launch Akamai Venture Accelerator program.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Blue Startups」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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