What is the name of your organization?
Piʻikū Co.
What is the name of your solution?
Piʻikū Co.
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Cultivating Hawaiʻi’s tech future by recruiting, training, and deploying emerging local tech talent
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Honolulu, HI, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
At Piʻikū, we are addressing a critical barrier to economic prosperity in Hawaiʻi: the lack of accessible pathways for talented individuals to enter the emerging tech sector and secure well-paying jobs. This challenge manifests as a “chicken-and-egg” problem, where companies often require years of real-world experience, even for entry-level roles, effectively locking out career switchers and recent graduates, and perpetuating a limited and homogenous tech workforce.
This issue is particularly acute for adult learners (ages 26+) and career switchers who find existing tech career pathway programs (traditional colleges, elite bootcamps) to be prohibitively expensive, time-consuming, and inflexible to their needs. This lack of inclusive and accessible training directly hinders the ability for adult learners to participate in a high-growth sector, limiting their economic mobility and contributing to income inequality.
In addition, local businesses are often unaware of how to connect with local tech talent, and therefore they end up outsourcing their tech needs or import new talent (e.g., transplants and visitors). This further hinders the development of a robust and self-sustaining local tech economy.
What is your solution?
Piʻikū addresses the shortage of skilled local tech talent in Hawaiʻi by operating a regenerative workforce development program that equips aspiring Kānaka and Kamaʻāina professionals with the skills and experience needed to launch successful tech careers.
We do this by identifying and recruiting promising individuals with a passion for technology, particularly adult learners and career switchers, and provide them with intensive, hands-on training, and practical real-world experience. We carefully match these individuals with values-aligned local businesses and organizations, ensuring that their skills are utilized on real-world projects that contribute to the community. In addition, we also pair interns with experienced local tech professionals who provide close mentorship, guidance, and expertise, fostering both professional and personal growth.
Our regenerative model allows interns to tackle actual business challenges in areas such as UX/UI design, software development, and product management, and gain invaluable practical experience. In addition, local companies benefit from partnering with Piʻikū by gaining access to motivated, skilled talent and expert support, with a streamlined pathway to hiring interns into full-time or part-time positions.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Piʻikū directly serves the aspiring tech talent within the Kanaka and Kamaʻāina of Hawaiʻi (including diaspora), a population often underserved by traditional pathways into the tech industry. These individuals face barriers such as a lack of local entry-level opportunities, the high cost and time commitment of conventional tech education, and industry preference for experienced candidates, creating a significant “chicken-and-egg” challenge, particularly for career switchers and those lacking established professional networks.
Piʻikū directly addresses these needs through our 8-week tuition-free, paid internship program. By providing real-world experience on projects with local companies and pairing interns with mentors, we bypass the traditional hurdles of cost and lack of practical application. The market-rate pay ensures accessibility for individuals needing income while learning. Our program empowers participants to build confidence and tangible skills, leading to a high job placement rate (nearly 75% within 3 months) with an average earning of $45 per hour--significantly above the local living and minimum wages.
