Hawaii is a popular state to start a business in for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is that many entrepreneurs love the idea of "living in paradise," but beyond that, the state is business-friendly with a strong banking system and booming tourist industry. Depending on the type of startup you are considering, Hawaii might be ideal. It also boasts a number of venture capital firms to help in your efforts.
Below are some of the most notable VC firms in Hawaii. While this list is far from exhaustive, it will give you an idea of what’s available as far as venture capital goes in the state.
We also recommend checking out our full list of the top venture capital firms.
Best Hawaii VC Firms
1. Koa Capital Partners
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Industries: B2B
- Stage: Series A+
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Team Clean Inc, Makai HR, Premier Restoration Hawaii
Koa Capital Partners is a Hawaii-based private investment firm focused on investing in local Hawaii businesses. It strives to help Hawaii startups get off the ground and grow to be as good as or better than mainland competitors. Not only does it want to foster successful businesses, but it also wants to help provide a proving ground for the next generation of leaders from the islands.
Koa Capital Partners helps startups in a variety of ways. It provides much-needed capital at a time of great importance – the beginning – and gives expert support when companies need it most. The operators of Koa are all established business leaders and operators, giving them unique insights into local Hawaii business needs.
2. Sultan Ventures
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Industries: Tech
- Stage: Seed
- Notable Portfolio Companies: AkaBotics, FlyWire, Cropsticks
Sultan Ventures is a Honolulu-based VC firm providing capital to seed-level startups in Hawaii and beyond. It seeks visionary founders with industry-changing ideas and helps to support them at every stage of their journey. It provides pivotal resources and expertise through a network of investors and experts all committed to the success of startups.
Sultan Ventures is also the creator of XLR8, a series of community-focused accelerator and incubator programs located throughout the Hawaiian Islands. It provides a safe, supportive space for youth and future founders to explore ideas and get support for entrepreneurship.
3. Reinmkr Satsang
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Industries: Sector-Agnostic
- Stage: Seed
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Betterment, RealCrowd, Orange Fund II
Reinmkr Satsang is a VC firm focused on investing in the growth of high-frequency companies and products. It seeks founders operating and living their highest truth. It believes that only those living their highest truth can execute and succeed in the new business paradigm.
This venture capital firm is "sector-agnostic," meaning it will consider investing in any sector. The most important factor for Reinmkr Satsang is the founder, the founder’s vision, and the high-frequency product. If the firm believes in these things, the sector is irrelevant.
4. Pacific Healthcare Ventures
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Industries: Healthcare
- Stage: Seed, Series A
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Limbix
Pacific Healthcare Ventures was founded over 10 years ago to partner with healthcare startups by providing necessary capital and operational support. By providing the right type and level of support, it seeks to develop industry-leading companies that serve both the public and investors.
The principles of Pacific Healthcare Ventures have a combined experience of over 100 years in operations, private equity, and investment banking. They have completed over $3 billion in transactions and bring extensive experience and support to all startups that join their portfolio.
5. Startup Capital Ventures
- Location: Honolulu, HI
- Industries: Fintech, SaaS, Security, Healthtech, IoT
- Stage: Seed, Series A
- Notable Portfolio Companies: Zero, Phizzle, AreaMetrics
Startup Capital Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm with offices in Honolulu and Menlo Park, California. Its primary focus is in Silicon Valley, with select investments in Hawaii and other places. While it centers its investments on early-stage startups, it does require those startups to have proof of first revenue.
This firm looks for startups that are capital-efficient, which it defines as requiring relatively little capital to be successful. It takes pride in rolling up its sleeves and getting to work with founders and their teams. It also specifies that its team is not afraid of hard technology.
