 Welcome to Hawaii is my mainland. I'm Kauai Lucas here on think tech Hawaii and With me today, we are really doing think tech on Hawaii is my mainland today is a young woman who is native of New York a native New Yorker and She has been here for a couple of years and she's gotten really integrated into the Entrepreneurial startup community here Helen Cho. Hi Thanks for coming to think tech. Thank you. I You came across my screen because you are launching Startup grinds startup grind H&L. I keep wanting to put an S on it. I can't help it. It's a local thing I'm sure you've run into this before I'll get there eventually so next week Thursday There's going to be an event at Makers and Tasters, which is the old Fisherman's Wharf space right there at the very Mackay end of Ward Avenue Yes, so tell us about that. So our first event is Going to be up Makers and Tasters The event itself started as a company started in San Francisco about six years ago five or six years ago Started in San Francisco as a tech event where we would have a speaker and it would be a very informal chat with a successful founder or an investor or someone that's in tech space and It was more of an inspirational educational networking type of event over the years it's spread to 200 cities in 85 countries and We decided to bring it here to Honolulu So our very first event will be at Makers and Tasters on Thursday and our first speakers will be Brandon and Pony They are the founders of Makers and Tasters street grinds eat the street not honolulu night market and we decided to go with them because this Event is supposed to it's really centered around entrepreneurs and small business owners founders and the work that Brandy and Pony have done They are entrepreneurs, but they've also created platforms that support hundreds of other entrepreneurs. Yes They've they've they've definitely moved in. Yes, and it's all to champion and be leaders for the local Hawaiian economy, which is a little different from Setting up these businesses that sort of don't keep the money in the state or Are more connected to other things that are connected in mainland maybe per se So you're definitely speaking my language on that So yes, we do want to keep the money here, and we want to keep the talent here Yes, and so we have to have something really juicy and Inversing for that will keep people Well fed and happy and challenged here So what what kinds of things can people expect going to a start up grind? So start up grind is it's really it's meant to be a fun thing In order to build community you have to support it from a lot of different angles And I think one of the foundational things about building a community is that you just grease the wheels a little bit people have To like each other people have to even like physically get to know each other You know like just on a physical level like I meet you I see you It can't stay all digital and just can't stay all via email or through the phone people have to have the opportunity to Talk story in person To realize that we're friends that we can be friends that we've got a lot of things in common And so what start up grind does is it provides a space for entrepreneurs to meet other entrepreneurs to get resources to realize that they're not alone and You need to throw some alcohol and beer in there and it makes things a lot easier and next week's going to be The alcohol is local beer, right? Yes, it's called a brewery Yum yum yum and then bacon. Yeah, so Regardless of this event being at makers and tasters makers and tasters that night specifically is bacon night I just thought it'd be great to have bacon and beer in business all in the same place. Yes That's much more fun than the better business bureau Who by the way are supporting us as well. Oh, great. Great. Great. Good. I as I as I started doing a little Research on the start up grind. I thought wow. Is this kind of a Rotary for Millennials or I mean, it's not so much a rotary. It's it's um, it's a really easygoing Event where you can still be a Business-centered person because you know as a business owner You don't switch it on and off. You're always a business owner Or you know just like how you're just always a mom or you're you know always a daughter or whatever it is and so it's a place where you can come with that side of you and Learn about resources connect with others find ways to help each other and to ask for help and be helped by people in The community so you were a member of this community in New York and San Francisco or just where have you been part of a Startup grind start up grind. I started just here. I have I have no direct. I guess relationship with it before When I lived in New York, I started a company called strategy hack, which is kind of similar It was an event based company and I had a co-founder who was New York City director of startup grind So I've been exposed to it I knew what he was doing and you what it was all about and I found it very interesting when I moved to Hawaii two years ago, I thought this would be really good to bring To add to the startup paradise ecosystem Startup paradise ecosystem. Okay Let's go a little deeper on that one. Okay So the startup paradise ecosystem is essentially a it's a collective brand that we use in the tech and innovation space to kind of further Hawaii as a growing tech hub If you think about tech place tech cities, we've got Silicon Alley and Silicon Silicon Alley in New York It's called Valley in the Bay. We've got Colorado. We've got Austin We've got all of these cities that are kind of bubbling up as tech hubs and They tend to have this collective brand And so in Hawaii a lot of the tech and innovation Organizations came together and said we need to have something as well something that draws talent to Hawaii Gives it we need to get Hawaii onto the map and we can't do that alone So startup paradise became a brand overall and it involves We've got two three accelerators here. We've got incubators here. We've got venture capitalists here We've got angels here. We've got startups that are here and we're all under that umbrella Under that umbrella Another startup success story So what brought what brought you here? Oh brought me here. I Have been in a lot of different places I grew up in New York I went to school in Pittsburgh and then I went to Korea for a couple of years And I was writing for the Economist when I was in Beijing during the the Olympics and then Stopped by India for a little while and I was living there for a bit came back home and decided to go to grad school so I went to Northwestern in Chicago and it was in Chicago that I had this internship in San Francisco So that's where I got introduced to tech and then I decided to go back to New York Where I was for three years and I built I helped build the tech community there And after about two or three years I I felt like I had done what I had come to do And I was thinking of new cities to go to and I was considering South Africa I heard really cool things about it and then before after I decided to go to South Africa But before I actually left I came on vacation with my mother here. I came here and it was amazing And so came on vacation three weeks later I was back with two bags and a one-way ticket and that was two years ago So was it was there when you were here for your vacation? Did I mean did you have any sense of what the the tech community here was or were you even looking for the tech? I wasn't I wasn't I had first made the commitment to come back and During those three weeks. I had reached out to my community in New York and I said who do you know in Hawaii and I had the same ten names pop up over and over and over again So, you know if I'm gonna move here, I might as well do some homework I called them all up and I said hey I'm coming. How can I be helpful? What can I do? And so before I even got here I got to know a lot of the people that are in leaders in this space and that's how I began So what did you begin doing? I came I Went to all the events. I kind of got to know everybody got the lay of the land Realized that it was a very fragmented sort of industry and that everyone's really busy just kind of heads down the tech Yes, the tech industry and that everyone's really busy working on whatever it is that they're working on and that it was It was hard to get everyone working together Because there just wasn't enough bandwidth and we had a lot of challenges that all of us were facing together at the same Time like what did we do about resources? What do we do about? You know losing talent and what do we do about X Y and Z and so I try to support as much as I can and I found that We needed more resources and we needed more Vehicles that helped us to work together and so start up grind is one of those first things that I've been able to I guess manifest In outside of the the tech world, I mean you Set in your and in your little bio that you have Three focused industries renewable energy medical marijuana and tech startups. So we've heard about The tech startups, maybe we can take one more before we take a little break Renewable energy. Sure. Yeah, so when I came to Hawaii I Couldn't there was no way for me to be full-time in in the tech space Like I still needed to eat and pay my bills and so I Decided to consult as I have I have experience in New York and abroad and so I figured there are lots of really basic and also sort of like Not so basic things about running a business or the processes that's required to run a business or the branding and the marketing And so I had these skills that were still useful here in Hawaii and so I started Looking for clients and I had decided that I really want to learn more about renewable energies and Hawaii is one of the leading states. Definitely that and so I was lucky enough to find a client and I've been learning much more about that Hawaii is in a place where because of our unique situation Being an island and having I guess an aging infrastructure We are dealing with certain problems that are problems that The mainland and other parts of the world that are in this space. They're going to eventually have to deal with things like Net metering for example, and so we're dealing with it because we have to Earlier than everyone else But that also gives us the opportunity to know what's ahead to know how to deal with it before everyone else does and That means the rest of the industry looks to us and we set those those standards. So that sounds like solar. Yeah Yeah, so there is actually where I'm focusing. Okay. All right, cool. And then so the the the way that you do a Cultural yeah, I what culture is it that you that you're working with when you say you you're Strategy and culture sure resulting when I talk about culture it's more about the interactions between the between members of the team and The values that the group of people decide that they're going to function by and that's really you know How how do you treat each other? What's important to you? How do you move together as a group as a team as a company? And how do you make sure that your processes and the way that you work? Align with all that so it encourages that sort of behavior and that sort of value system as opposed to breaking it down and not having a Aligned or singular culture within a group of people. Wow Well, thank you Helen, and we're gonna take a little break and come right back. Yeah, sure Aloha, this is Reg Baker with business in Hawaii. We're a show that broadcasts every Thursday at 2 o'clock We would love to hear from you and you can reach us in several different ways We have a hotline that you can call in at 415-871-2474 Or you can email us at think tech Hawaii calm or you can tweet us at think tech H I Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you on our next show Aloha Aloha, my name is Danelia D. A. N. E. L. I a and I'm the other half of the duo John Newman. Welcome we are co-hosts of a Show called keys to success which is live on the think tech live network series Weekly on Thursdays at 11 a.m. We're looking forward to seeing you then Aloha Native New Yorker, but really a global citizen. Yes, and Certainly with a very broad range of interest, but she's my guest today because of her work bringing the Startup grind to Honolulu. Yes, and that's going to be for the first time ever in Hawaii next Thursday And then we'll talk more about that a little later, but I'm just so interested in this broad base of of Different ways that you've found to Come here and and assist us with The different new technologies like solar. I mean well, I Imagine we actually have our more Mature solar wise than and in most places that you've been But not mere a medical marijuana. That's kind of a new thing. Yeah Jumped right in what have you found some I found that Hawaii was It's still considered one of the leaders in the medical marijuana field We were one of the first states to legalize medical marijuana ways back It took us a little while to you know get these Dispensaries, what's that? well, I mean we're still one of the first it's really important and we are still one of the first in terms of you know getting these dispensaries out and We're in the process of that now. I think as a state. We're learning a lot And as an industry we're we're doing things Carefully, and so it's it's interesting to see how we move forward I Personally think that that industry is huge it is Just personally I believe that it does have I Guess like characteristics that can be used definitely for medical purposes. I've seen it work and people I've seen it heal people. I've seen it been very useful in terms of treatment and I feel that It's important that there's a state that I'm part of a state that backs that and supports that as well And I'm honored to be part of an industry that wants to push it forward So when you were living in California, was it legal there? You lived somewhere as actually my real question where it was legal and where it was just part of commerce I haven't and I personally don't use it record recreationally. So my only I guess like Exposure to it is How it's been used medically But and I haven't lived in a place where I it is used recognition. So I've never lived in Colorado We're all very interested to see how how it changes if it changes the life of commerce here I think it will as Do you have that sense? I do think I do think it will It's it's still we're still in a place where we have to do we have to understand Just regulation wise what it means and the limitations that they have and sort of the things that we have to work around But I think it I think it will have a huge impact on the economy and just the general well-being of the citizens here in the startup community, have you seen a lot of momentum Around the medical marijuana or I think the way tech works is that it's it's it supports Successful and growing economies, right? So if there's an industry or an economy and there is a need that's not being met They're entrepreneurs and people who are really clever and really smart that will find technology to solve those problems the more attention an industry gets the more people look at and the more problems they find to fix and Tech is one of those things where that they it's very easy to see a very obvious sort of secondary market that builds around An industry and so for example in medical marijuana. There are so many apps Especially in places where there are you know where they there's a growing and a strong medical marijuana Market there's there are apps that will tell you where the dispensaries are how to get them delivered to your place Who the doctors are that will prescribe for you? Wow all the different types of products that are offered? There are many apps and organizations that use tech. There's also tech within the industry in terms of How to track and grow plants how to? Track yeah, like the the health of the plant. Oh, okay. No, like the nutrient levels all of those things Okay, so even from that to know how testing all of your products to Integrating it into your customer experience when they're at the dispensary. These are all things that tech has has been helping Have you are you seeing that kind of? peripheral or secondary layer Evolving here in Hawaii. I think so. I I've been that I just had a conversation a few days ago with a friend who Is in the startup paradise space and he was just like, you know, whenever you're ready I have some ideas for apps. I just don't know who to talk to and I don't know what the problems specifically are But development wise we're ready to code. So so we have software developers here Yes, you are wanting to get in and Yeah, take take up the slack right because there everyone has industries or you know Parts of the world that they're interested in they just don't know how to get involved and They bring what they have and for some of these people like this is tech and they they bring Their toolkit of all the things that they're capable of doing and they're like, what problems can I fix for you? This is something this is something want to be a part of and I think that applies throughout all industries Have you seen anything particularly different between the way we do startups here and the way You saw them being done in the Bay Area in New York I think here it's done very differently only because Hawaii is a very small place and everyone does know each other I think we and it's something that can be said about anything else about Hawaii It's about your relationships, right? And so I think it really does depend on who you know and The chances the opportunities that you have using your network the timing of things That's I think very very big. I think also more than some other places possibly Your relationship with how things work politically with the government. I think is also much more important Have you have much exposure to that yet? Not so much not yet, but I'm beginning to Understand a little bit more. I think living in Hawaii has for the first time really opened my eyes in terms of How important it is to be active in that space just paying attention that like your vote does matter All those things I just didn't pay attention before because the world was I didn't I didn't have to I felt like other people were Handling it for me, but here it It's it's small enough that you can you can see from beginning to end how those things affect you Well, you're a very quick learner Helen show So that that whole idea about relationships being important that kind of takes us back to the Startup grind and next week Thursday's event at from 5 30 to 7 at makers and tasters with beer and bacon and the business know-how of Pony and Brandon is Q. Yes, and basically One can go and get tickets there We have them only online. We've got actually only 50 tickets Once we're sold out we're sold out. However, there is a party afterwards At starting at 7 that's open to all because makers and tasters is still a public venue So at 7 o'clock we open the doors to everybody. We've got happy hour prices all night What I wanted to do with Startup grind here in Hawaii is even though it is it started as a tech event in San Francisco we brought it here and we wanted to make it more about entrepreneurship in general and small business ownership in general and Of course start-up paradise is part of that But we wanted to interact more with the larger business community. There are entrepreneurs and founders and business owners Everywhere in every industry and at the end of the day it is really really hard to start a business and to keep it going and what I Want to do with startup grind is to provide a place where people can meet each other just as people and Realize that we're going through very similar things to try to help each other and to find resources that we can share The best thing that I think will happen organically naturally is when you get smart people and you throw them into a space together And they start talking amazing things happen all the time I truly believe that and I Want more of that to happen in Hawaii so much of Hawaii's ecosystem and economy They're there's so much wealth in this state and yet it doesn't circulate within This local economy it stays with you know the military or it stays with tourism and and we need more opportunities Where we support each other and help each other and I think that this would be a very good way for us to help Kind of enlarge the footprint to start a paradise because we've been a little bit insular we Yeah, in the tech techie world right well, you're certainly going way out outside of that corner With well pony and and they have just really changed the face of meeting in Honolulu Yes, in a very short period of time. So they are can you Give us an idea of who else or do you have any other ideas? So the next speaker we're still locking things down, but the next speaker is actually going to be an investor They're going to help us the conversation. We'll have with that investor is sort of you know How do you go to someone and ask for money? It's a terrifying thing How do you ask for money and Like how do you present things in a way? We're an investor What is the perspective of an investor where you have to see it from their angle to be able to persuade them that you're worth their bet? How do you go about doing that and of course? This investor that we have in mind. He's actually visiting from San Francisco, but I don't want him to talk on a tech level I just want him to talk as just a General investor of a business exactly okay And so I think that would be much more applicable to anybody that has a business that is looking to Inject some capital into what they're doing He may also be able to give us a better understanding of is looking for an investor the best thing to do Should I just maybe go get a loan? You know or maybe I should find other ways of financing I want to I want people to especially for business owners and entrepreneurs because they're working on this thing And they love this thing so much. That's just kind of where their brain is and What we'd like to do is sort of like lift them out of that a little bit and help them see How to best utilize the resources around them and sometimes that means looking at things from somebody else's perspective Wow, and hanging out at a picnic table with some excellent local beer and bacon can't hurt in broadening one's perspective So there's the tickets are $20. Yes, and in Both of them sound really exciting and thank you. Thank you In our in our last few seconds. Is there anything else that you'd like to say? No, not really. I'm just really I am so honored and so happy to be here Hawaii is Has a very special place in my heart And I feel that even though in the past I've moved around every two years or so I'm going to have a foot here in Hawaii for the rest of my life and I want to be Someone who comes here and finds a way to give back and be useful to the community and help it grow You don't want to be one of those people who just come here for a vacation Leaving and say oh, that was a great time Like I want I want to give a piece of Hawaii out to Hawaii because Hawaii is a piece of me now Yeah, thank you. You're welcome