Blue Startups
55 Merchant St Ste 1700, Honolulu, HI, 96813, United States
Overview
Blue Startups is a Top 20 Accelerator in the US (Techcrunch) focused on helping scalable-technology companies compete on a global scale. With an extensive global mentor network, Blue Startups is a nexus of entrepreneurial activity in Hawai‘i, and between Asia and North America Blue Startups was founded by Maya and Henk Rogers of the Tetris Company and Chenoa Farnsworth of Hawaii Angels in 2012 and has been a member of the Global Accelerator Network since 2013. www.bluestartups.com We are focused on recruiting capital efficient and scalable technology companies, including web, software, and mobile. In addition, the program is targets companies in the travel, gaming and impact sectors. We focus recruitment on Asia and the U.S. and are particularly interested in companies addressing both markets. Blue Startups is a member of the Global Accelerator Network, an invite-only community of the world’s most respected organizations that provide startups with the best resources to create and grow their businesses, wherever they are. Startups accepted into a GAN accelerator have access to a variety of exclusive perks including over $1M worth of free services, introductions to a network of investors and access to soft landing spaces worldwide.
- Total investments
- 3
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 1
- Active investors
- 6
Sector focus
- Financial Services
- Information Technology
- Venture Capital
Investment portfolio
- Pacific Hybreed
Led · Equity · May 2026
Pacific Hybreed commercializes hybrid breeding for shellfish to produce high-performance oyster and clam seed without genetic modification. The company applies hybrid vigor and selective-breeding methods to deliver more resilient, uniform seed tailored to farm conditions. Its seed has demonstrated approximately 30% greater yield and up to 50% reductions in harvesting costs due to uniform growth. Pacific Hybreed works with more than 20 farm customers and research sites across North America, and demand for its seed outpaces current production capacity. The company plans to scale commercial hatchery production, expand farm-specific breeding programs, and broaden into additional species beyond Pacific oysters, including clams. It recently closed a $1 million funding round with participation from Hawaiʻi Angels and Blue Startups to support those plans.
- Turno, formerly TurnoverBnB
Participated · Series A · Aug 2021
TurnoverBnB provides a centralized SaaS marketplace for listing, sourcing, and managing cleaning services for home and vacation rental properties, with features including auto scheduling and auto payment. The platform connects operators with experienced cleaners in thousands of cities and is used by more than 20,000 hosts. Founded in 2016, the company’s activity is concentrated in the United States and Canada while it builds a rapidly growing global footprint. Revenues have tripled since early 2021, reflecting significant growth driven in part by heightened hygiene concerns. The company plans to use new funding to expand internationally into Europe and Australia and to hire engineers, designers, customer service representatives, community managers, and marketing professionals. TurnoverBnB is also targeting expansion into the single-family rental and multifamily sectors to broaden its addressable market beyond short-term rentals.
- Hostfully
Participated · Equity · May 2019
Hostfully offers a Property Management Platform and Digital Guidebooks that let professional managers centralize booking calendars, adjust pricing, distribute inventory, automate guest communications, and collect payments. Its platform is used for more than 40,000 properties in 80 countries, and its digital guidebooks (available in 15 languages) are viewed more than two million times each month. The company plans to add capabilities including a native mobile app and multi-unit inventory handling. It also intends to expand its team with hires focused on sales and customer success. Hostfully will use the new funding to accelerate those product and go-to-market initiatives. The company has raised a total of $7.0M to date. Hostfully builds an end-to-end property management platform aimed at helping vacation rental property managers increase bookings and boost revenue. The company was founded in 2015 by Margot Schmorak and is based in San Francisco. Hostfully’s product is positioned for property managers seeking recurring revenue streams from vacation rentals. According to investors cited in the article, the company has a proven model and is generating real recurring revenue. The article does not disclose user counts or exact revenue figures. Recent financing activity indicates continued investor interest in its market and product.