Ka Leo Issue

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A K LEO T H E

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3 to THURSDAY, OCT. 4, 2012 VOLUME 108 ISSUE 17

Serving the students of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Why Should I Hire you?

V O I C E

Do you like design, being creative and developing promotions? Then check out the options at Ka Leo. We are recruiting Graphic Designers D esigners ffor or our our ggrowing rowi ro w n program. wi

Apply Today!

808-956-7043 www.kaleo.org/jobs

www.kaleo.org

DAVIN A OYAGI Editor in Chief Students gained practical experience working with business owners and entrepreneurs by participating in Startup Weekend Honolulu, held on Sept. 28 -30. “We’re not just working with other students, we’re working with professionals … people that have startups already, graphic designers that have professional jobs, website developers, app developers … we’re just coming together,” said Kurt Cullen, a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies focusing on entrepreneurship. Cullen participated in Startup Weekend as part of a team producing an application called Tudah. Team Tudah, consisting of seven people, aimed to produce an application that would allow tutoring services in different languages. Over the course of 54 hours, Tudah and nine other teams pitched ideas, developed business models and produced mobile applications. “It’s [the process] really chaotic – there’s a lot more components than you think there are,” said Kevin Shin, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering and the leader of Cullen’s team. However, for students such as Jessica Ching, a junior majoring in marketing, the process was a rewarding experience. “This has definitely given me a lot of real-life experience in terms of starting a business, even just working ... [with] problems [such as] revenue streams and pivoting ideas,” Ching said.

‘Startup’ a career

PRIZES AND PRODUCTS Following the creation of a social networking site related to the product and the design of a business model, each of the teams presented to a panel of judges with

business expertise. Local judges included Robert Robinson, founder of the Hawai‘i Angels and a professor of management at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and Greg Gaug, a senior investment associate with Ulupono Initiative, an investment firm focused on renewable energy. Former judges such as JJ Niebuhr, coowner of JJ Dolans, were also present at Startup Weekend and discussed some of the challenges faced by the teams. Niebuhr said, “There are some quite innovative and new stuff coming out, but a lot of what we’ve seen here is making existing apps or existing services better. … [What we’re looking for is] what makes yours different from what’s already there, and what is the user experience with it [the teams’ products]?” Cedric Fonville, a freshman majoring in finance, placed third in the competition as part of team Move me or else. His team designed an alarm clock application for smartphones that forces people to move the smartphone several feet before shutting off. “We’re trying to sell it … by saying it’s a little step above the traditional [alarm clock app] because it’ll improve your effectiveness in waking up on time because people have a tendency today to overutilize the snooze button on their phone,” Fonville said. Fonville encouraged students to attend the next Startup Weekend Honolulu event, to be held in April 2013. “I think it’s a good learning tool for anybody who’s actually aspiring to be creative … [It’s also] a good way to mingle and get to know people and get advice and education,” Fonville said. PHOTOS BY NIK SEU, ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY BOYD / KA LEO O HAWAI‘I

Kitchen

$1 OFF Kava W/UH ID “AFTER SURF GRINDZ”

847 Kapahulu Ave. Honolulu, HI 96816 / 808-735-2225

Report

WEDNESDAY N: W: S: E:

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THURSDAY N: W: S: E:

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