Eight Finalists to Compete for $25k in HIplan Competition

Hawai‘i Island Business Plan Competition. www.HIplan.biz

Eight entrepreneurs selected for HIplan’s Hawai‘i Island Business Competition finals will compete for a $25,000 prize on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 9 to 1 p.m., at Hawai‘i Community College’s Palamanui Campus.

The competition supports individuals and groups seeking to establish viable new businesses on Hawai‘i Island.

This year’s finalists include:

• Good Karma Spay & Neuter Clinic
• Koa Wood Ranch
• Oribe Tea
• Pure Mana Hawai‘i
• Sugar Hill Farmstead
• Surf Cottage
• Upcycle Hawai‘i
• Western Aloha

Selected HIplan finalists have already gone through two rounds in the competition. Round 1 called for a seven-page business plan that were reviewed by a team of judges. The top 15 plans moved forward to round 2, which involved a 12-minute live presentation to judges. The top eight plans have moved on to the third and final round.

The public is invited to attend the final round where finalists will give a two-minute elevator pitch and 12-minute presentation about their business plan to a panel of judges. The winning plan will receive the $25,000 Edmund Olson Entrepreneur Award for start-up or expansion, as well as an advertising award of $5,000.

For more information, visit www.hiplan.biz.

The competition is sponsored by Edmund C. Olson Trust II, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hawai‘i Community College, Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce, Ulupono Initiative, Pacific Media Group and the County of Hawai‘i.