The Founder Institute's four-month curriculum covers everything you would expect from an early-stage startup program, including topics like "Startup Legal and IP” towards the beginning, to “Fundraising” near the end. What makes the curriculum special is the Mentors that teach it, whose passion, feedback and support helps our companies avoid rookie mistakes and set the foundation for a meaningful and enduring company.
The Founder Institute carefully recruits approximately 25 Mentors per Semester, who are normally the CEO or founder of a successful startup. Rather than specialists or consultants, we prefer Founders and CEOs to give our companies "the entrepreneur's perspective." The mentors share their experiences, best practices, and mistakes, while also providing specific guidance and feedback on the Founder companies.
In addition, the Founder Institute's unique Graduate Liquidity Pool allows our mentors to share in the equity of companies formed in each program - and, their share is based solely on the anonymous ratings they receive from the Founders both during, and after the program. In this way, the Founder Institute incentivizes mentors to take a special interest in our startups, and provide as much assistance as possible after the program.
We have a great lineup of Mentors for the Summer 2013 Honolulu Founder Institute, including many from out of town. See the full list below.
Adeo Ressi
CEO, TheFunded.com
Adeo Ressi is Founding Member of TheFunded.com, an online community of 17,000 CEOs to research, rate, and review funding sources worldwide. Adeo also runs the Founder Institute, a mentoring program that helps entrepreneurs launch hundreds of world-class companies each year. The Institute is the eighth start-up that Adeo has founded or built, four of which were acquired and three of which are still operating.
Bill Jarvis
Founder & CEO, MobiPCS
Bill Jarvis joined Mobi PCS in 2004 as its first employee. As president and CEO, he oversees the development of a long-term strategic vision for the company, manages daily operations, and is responsible for overall Mobi growth and profitability. Prior to Mobi PCS, Mr. Jarvis served as president & CEO of GoBeam, a leading provider of hosted PBX communication services. A 20 year wireless telecommunications veteran, Mr. Jarvis began his career at McCaw Cellular Communications, where he rose to the position of vice president of marketing & sales for the California-Nevada region before joining Nextel Communications as the regional president/area president of the Western United States.
Bob Nakata
CEO, Oahu Group
MIT and Wharton educated Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur and public company executive with Hawaii roots: Bob Nakata, CEO, Oahu Group, a Hawaii based technology startup. Former CEO/CTO at Kai Medical, Vice President of Engineering at VeriFone (NYSE: PAY), Vice President of Worldwide Engineering at InterWave Communications (NASDAQ:IWAV; acquired by Alvarion); Sr Vice President of Operations and Engineering at GWCom and startup founder (raised seed funding and Entrepreneur in Residence at Sand Hill Rd VC) and co-founder (B3 Advanced Communication Systems). MIT: MSEE/CS and BSEE; Wharton: MBA; Claim to fame: Met Steve Jobs in 1999 and gave him GWCom's wireless internet device that could have been the iPhone 0.
Daniel Leuck
CEO, Ikayzo, inc.
Dan Leuck is the CEO of Ikayzo, a Tokyo and Honolulu-based interactive design and software development firm with customers including Sony, Oracle, Nomura, PIMCO and the federal government. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Tokyo-based ValueCommerce, Asia's largest online marketing company, Global Head of Development for London-based LastMinute.com, Europe's largest B2C website, and President of the US division of DML. Daniel has extensive experience managing teams of 150+ developers in five countries. He has served on numerous advisory boards and panels for companies such as Macromedia and Sun Microsystems. Daniel is active in the Java community, is a contributor to BeanShell, the project lead for SDL, and sits on numerous Java Community Process expert groups.
Darren Kimura
Individual, Various
Mr. Kimura is a clean energy executive with over 20 years of experience in 30 countries including in such major energy geographies as the USA, Japan and India. Over his career, he has overseen the acquisition of over $2 Billion in contracts, raised over $80 million in venture capital/private equity and over $100 million in project financing. His industry experience covers such technology areas including: energy efficiency (Lighting, Energy Management Systems, HVAC, Cogeneration, Digital Programmable Thermostats, Absorption Chillers, and waste heat Organic Rankine Cycle turbines),solar technology (PV and CSP), solar project development (Industrial and Utility Scale), clean water and efficient transportation.
Dave Mori
Director of Development, University of Hawaii Cancer Center / UH Foundation
Dave Mori is the Director of Development for the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and UH Foundation. Dave is an enthusiastic husband, father and entrepreneur with service business and technology start-up experience in Canada and Japan. His passions include supporting and promoting cancer research organizations to prevent, treat and cure cancers as well as outdoor water sports and cooking.
Donavan Kealoha
Co-Founder, CEO, Asio Corporation
Donavan Kealoha is an entrepreneur and community organizer. In 2012, Donavan co-founded Asio Corporation, a technology consulting, software development company. While a graduate student, Donavan co-founded Adama Materials, Inc., a material science company spun out of the University of Hawaii, which raised nearly $5 million in venture capital to advance its technologies to enhance the performance of composite materials. While leading Adama, Donavan was also board chair of Lanaians for Sensible Growth, a grassroots community organization based in Lanai City, Hawaii focused on advocacy of the community’s role in economic development projects. Donavan is a graduate of the William S. Richardson School of Law and the Shidler College of Business (Beta Gamma Sigma). In 2010, he was recognized as a "Forty under 40" recipient for Pacific Business News.
Ed Harrell
Managing Partner
Harrell has more than 30 years of experience in managing private and public programs in the areas of privatization, technology commercialization, entrepreneurial training, capital market development, private investment in Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and early stage financing of technology companies. He has held senior managerial positions with Rohm & Haas Co., E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., the State Department, the Agency for International Development and Price Waterhouse, LLP.
Gregory Kim
Partner, Convergent Law Group
Gregory Kim is a partner with bay area based Convergent Law Group LLP (CLG), and has over 25 years’ experience as a corporate and securities attorney representing emerging growth companies and public companies in private and public offerings, mergers & acquisitions, SEC filings and reports, venture capital, joint ventures, business formations, and licensing and other technology transactions. Before joining CLG, Greg was a partner with Virtual Law Partners LLP (VLP) from 2009, founded Vantage Counsel LLC (one of the nation’s first virtual law firms that eventually joined forces with VLP) in 2004, worked at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel in Honolulu from 1988 where he made partner in 1992, and was a corporate lawyer at the San Francisco office of Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro (now known as Pillsbury Winthrop) from 1984 to 1988.
James Kerr
Founder & CEO , SuperGeeks
James Kerr is Founder and Chief Geek of SuperGeeks. After earning an engineering degree from University of California, San Diego, Kerr worked for Sony in Tokyo (1988-95) in R&D Planning and Corporate Strategy Group. Professional recognition includes Hawaii's Top 100 Tech Leaders and Pacific Business News' Forty Under. Kerr is a member of the Rotary Club and served on the boards of Easter Seals and Girl Scouts of Hawaii. He authored the book Bully-Proof: How To Stop Bullying and Gain Black-Belt Confidence.
Matt Mandell
Digital Engagement Strategy, Mandell Enterprises
Matt is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of several companies, and currently operates a consulting firm specializing in revenue optimization for mid market B2B and B2C companies. He currently owns SimpleStorage.com, Store4Summer.com and CityCentric.com service companies in the Washington DC area. Matt has directed strategy of a $2.5B strategic procurement company and consults to government and private companies. Matt recently sold DCSnacks.com, a food delivery company. He has operated companies in the food, logistics, technology, entertainment and consulting space. Matt's companies have been widely covered in national and local news outlets. He serves as a board member for non profit and for profit companies and holds an degree in Psychology as well as an MBA from George Washington University.
Mike Hulser
CEO, The Biz MD
Mike Hulser was born in New York and raised in Virginia, where he attended college at Virginia Tech and graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. Degree in Economics. Mike then embarked on a “Fortune 50” career, spanning both Financial and Operating Management positions and both Domestic and International assignments. In the late 1990s, Mike entered the Turnaround/Crisis Management Consulting industry, where the industry named him the “Top Turnaround Manager in the United States for 2000”. In late 2000, Mike came to Hawaii on a consulting engagement as the Interim Chief Financial Officer and Controller of Hawaiian Airlines. Mike and his wife, Sandy, decided to remain in Hawaii and established his current practice, The Biz MD, helping small and medium size businesses improve their Financial Performance – Profitability and Cash Flow. In 2009, the U.S. Small Business Administration named The Biz MD the “Financial Services Champion” for the City and County of Honolulu.
Roger Yee
Investor/LP, Fortify Ventures
Roger is a veteran of start-ups, having founded three companies that included investor-backed funding and successful exits through acquisitions and IPOs. His previous companies and executive roles include ShadowLogic, Inc. (CEO), a cybersecurity services company; LaunchFuel, Inc. (CTO), a technology venture accelerator; and AppNet, Inc. (VP) an Internet and electronic commerce solutions firm acquired by CommerceOne for $2.1B. Most recently, Roger was Vice President at BAE Systems responsible for global defense and security programs and was an executive with DigitalNet, Inc. which was acquired by BAE Systems for $600M in 2004. Roger's work has been featured in The Washington Post, Federal Computing Week, Washington Technology, Government Security News and is a frequent invited speaker at government and industry events. He is currently an angel investor and LP with Fortify Ventures and mentor with Founder Institute and The Fort.
Steve Sue
Founder, BizGym.com
STEVE SUE has a special place in his heart for creative people who don't get business. That's why he specializes in making business tools that are visual, fun and easy. Steve planted roots in Honolulu with his wife Karen, where he turned his energies to combining business knowledge with philanthropic underpinnings, the result being: BizGym.com, a free cloud-based entrepreneur’s success system that employs mind maps for business planning and pitch development; Lemonade Alley, the kids' business contest that combines the arts of entrepreneurship and charitable giving; LeiHut.com, an online "ohana" or mall of Hawai‘i products that helps local vendors get their products out to the world, and; StoryManager, Inc., a business incubation consultancy.
Tanna Dang
Owner, The Wedding Cafe, Eden in Love and Fred+Kate Events
Tanna Dang is the owner of The Wedding Cafe, Eden in Love Boutique and Fred+Kate Events. With three fast growing companies under her belt, Tanna's true inspiration lies in social entrepreneurship and teaching others how to have a business and life they love. Through the power of retail, Tanna was able to develop Divas Doing Good, the philanthropic arm of the company, which allows her to contribute back to the community. With a dynamic personality and a professional drive rarely seen today, Dang has been recognized for many awards. She was selected for Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 and took 2nd in the 50 Fastest Growing Companies, Honolulu Advertiser’s Best of the Best – Wedding Store, Honolulu Magazine’s Best Wedding and Retail Store, Retail Merchants of Hawaii - Best New Retailer, SBA - Women in Business Champion, First place in the National Retail Federation’s This Is Retail video contest and SMEI’s Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award in the Retail division.
Tim Dick
General Partner, Startup Capital Ventures
Tim is a Partner at Startup Capital Ventures, a Palo Alto based Venture Capital firm. As such, he is a Director or Advisor to several of the firm's investments including Silvertail Systems, RadioTime, TagArray and Suturenetics. Prior to joining SCV, Tim founded Hawaii Superferry in 2001, a company that brought energy-efficient inter-island vehicle ferry service to Hawaii and was recipient of the HVCA Deal Of The Year 2006. A serial entrepreneur, Tim co-founded Grassroots.com, the the leading political web technology company in 1999 (acquired by Edelman). In 1995, he founded WorldPages.com, the internet's first white and yellow pages (NYSE:WPZ, then acquired by BT). He was also the first investor in match.com (NASDAQ:IACI), and Accept.com (acquired by Amazon.)
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