15 Big Island Businesses Qualify for Next Round of HIplan Competition

Thirty-one qualified business plans were recently submitted to HIplan to enter Round 1.

The HIplan Hawai‘i Island Business Plan competition is open to individuals or groups (for-profit or nonprofit) whose business plan focuses on developing startup or expanding a business based on Hawaii Island.

The purpose of the competition is to stimulate development of an entrepreneurial ecosystem on Hawai‘i Island. The competition encourages contestants to develop or refine their business plans towards developing viable new businesses on Hawaii Island.

HIplan judges carefully reviewed each plan and scored them per its scoring rubric. The judges’ scores were combined and overall scores tabulated. The top 15 plans based on their combined scores were determined and are listed below. The companies are listed in the order of presentation at Round 2 on Oct. 6, 2018.

Round 2 contestants will showcase their plans in 12-minute presentations in front of a panel of judges on Oct. 6.

They will again be scored per HIplan’s rubric and the top eight from Round 2 will advance to Round 3 finals on Oct. 27.

A grand prize of $25,000 in seed money will be awarded to the winning plan, and a special category for the best business plans cultivated by students at UH-Hilo and Hawaii Community College/Palamanui Campus award tuition scholarships for the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters.

This business plan competition is co-hosted by the University of Hawaii at Hilo and NELHA, and is administered by the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce.