Deadline Nears for Entrepreneurs’ Organization Hawaii Student Competition

The deadline to enter the Entrepreneurs’ Organization Hawaii (EO Hawaii) fifth-annual qualifier Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) competition is one month away.

Student entrepreneurs statewide are encouraged to apply online by midnight on Oct. 10, 2019. Qualifying students will be selected to participate in the qualifier GSEA competition on Oct. 24 at the Kahala Hotel & Resort on O‘ahu, judged by local entrepreneurs and business leaders.

The GSEA is the premier international awards program for student entrepreneurs. It is organized by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global, peer-to-peer network of business owners. Competition registration and participation are free.

The winner of the Hawai‘i competition will receive transportation and accommodations to participate in the national competition in Redwood City, Calif. (Silicon Valley) from Feb. 10 to 12, 2020. The competition will coincide with the annual global Startup Grind Conference. Each state winner will receive complimentary access to attend the conference as part of their prize package.

Additional prizes are valued at more than $5,000. Previous prize packages have included a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet/laptop computer; a full scholarship for an eight-week Dale Carnegie Training Course; a commercial printing and web design package from HONBLUE; and business leadership and life coaching from locally renowned experts.

Hawaii National Bank, as part of its ongoing support of Hawai‘i entrepreneurs, is the presenting sponsor of the event. The bank offers tailored banking services and financing programs for locally owned businesses and shares advice from Hawai‘i entrepreneurs at entrepreneurs.hawaiinational.com.

The national champion will attend the GSEA Finals in Johannesburg, South Africa, in spring 2020 to compete with 50 of the world’s top student entrepreneurs and have a chance to win a prize package valued at more than $40,000.

Applicants must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student a college or university, and also be primarily responsible for the operation of a for-profit or revenue-generating business for at least six consecutive months. The age cap for participation is 30.

To apply, fill in the application online at www.gsea.org/apply. Finalists will be asked to give a 12-minute presentation to a panel of judges.

Previous winners include:

• Nathan Neeley won the 2019 statewide qualifier for his co-founding role in the startup Rubi, the world’s first passive, wearable pregnancy monitor. Neeley competed as an undergraduate student majoring in business management at Brigham Young University Hawaii.

• Rose Wong won the 2018 statewide qualifier for her Honolulu-based jewelry business Kolohe Ocean
Gems as an undergraduate student majoring in business marketing at the University of Hawai‘i at
Mānoa.

• Kalin Uluave won the 2017 statewide qualifier for his North Shore retail business Tahitian Treasures, as an undergraduate business student at Brigham Young University Hawai‘i.

About EO Hawaii & GSEA

The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 13,000 influential business owners with 181 chapters in 57 countries. Founded in 1987, EO helps leading entrepreneurs learn and grow through peer-to-peer learning, once-in-a-lifetime experiences and connections to experts. Founded in 1999, EO Hawaii is a close group of entrepreneurs in a wide variety of industries that understand what it means to do business in Hawai‘i, and be the bridge between the U.S. and Asia-Pacific. Learn more at www.EOHawaii.org.

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a for-profit and/or social enterprise structured business while attending a college or university. Nominees compete against peers from around the world in a series of local and national competitions to qualify for GSEA Finals. Founded in 1998 by Saint Louis University, GSEA is now an Entrepreneurs’ Organization program.

About Hawaii National Bank

Hawaii National Bank is a community bank providing highly personalized service through 13 branches on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu and Maui. For more than 55 years, the bank has specialized in serving individual account holders and locally owned, closely held businesses. Learn more at www.HawaiiNational.bank.