INNOVATE 808
Innovate with Impact
Join Innovate 808 as a team or individual to gain real-world experience and boost your resume over just 2 Saturdays during this in-person challenge. Real local companies present their problems and students pitch their solutions. Apply now to show off your creative problem solving skills.
INNOVATE 808 is a weekend business competition where you get to work directly with the founders, CEOs, and management team leaders. Winning team(s) win cash awards. This semester, we are partnering with HPC Foods, Ltd. The locally owned and operated family business is Hawai’i’s food processing and distribution leader. The executive team is looking for BIG, FUN, and CREATIVE ideas to rethink the way they introduce taro (kalo) to Hawai’i’s families. Winning ideas will have meaningful and lasting impact for many generations to come.
Innovate 808 gives students the unique opportunity to
-
Flex your problem-solving skills
-
Learn by doing
-
Make a real impact
-
Win cash prizes
-
Work with actual founders and CEOs
The competition is held over 2 Saturdays, allowing you to enjoy a massively impactful experience in a small time commitment. Apply now to flex your problem solving skills, boost your resume, and positively impact your community.
Registration for the Fall 2026 challenge is now open.
Click on the button to submit an application.
Join Innovate 808 as a team or individual to gain real-world experience and boost your resume over just 2 Saturdays during this in-person challenge. Real local companies present their problems and students pitch their solutions. Apply now to show off your creative problem solving skills.
INNOVATE 808 is a weekend business competition where you get to work directly with the founders, CEOs, and management team leaders. Winning team(s) win cash awards. This semester, we are partnering with HPC Foods, Ltd. The locally owned and operated family business is Hawai’i’s food processing and distribution leader. The executive team is looking for BIG, FUN, and CREATIVE ideas to rethink the way they introduce taro (kalo) to Hawai’i’s families. Winning ideas will have meaningful and lasting impact for many generations to come.
Innovate 808 gives students the unique opportunity to
-
Flex your problem-solving skills
-
Learn by doing
-
Make a real impact
-
Win cash prizes
-
Work with actual founders and CEOs
The competition is held over 2 Saturdays, allowing you to enjoy a massively impactful experience in a small time commitment. Apply now to flex your problem solving skills, boost your resume, and positively impact your community.
Registration for the Fall 2026 challenge is now open.
Click on the button to submit an application.
GUIDELINES AND RULES
Partnering companies provide real-world business experience by challenging UH students to design solution for real problems.
- Flex your problem-solving skills: Help local businesses grow with new products, creative ideas, and fresh perspectives
- Lean by doing: Gain hands-on experience while working in a team on an actual problem
- Make a real impact: Companies are seeking implementable solutions that may be feasibly executed.
- Exciting Rewards: Participants compete for cash prizes and meet other students from across disciplines and campuses
- Professional Development: Unique resume-building and networking experience that opens doors to internship and job opportunities
- The competition includes 2 mandatory meetings dates (first day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and second day from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon) on two Saturdays
- Participants must be able to attend the contest in-person at RISE at UH Mānoa campus
- You should be able to complete most of the work during the scheduled sessions. You may continue to work during the weekday if your team chooses to do so.
- The winning team will be selected by the judges and the team will be offered prize money
- The judges’ decisions are final, and teams may not make appeals or complaints against the judges, organizers, or sponsors.
- The challenge rules may be amended by the organizers at any time.
- Apply as a team or as an individual (program organizers will place you into a team)
- Each team comprising of at least 2 and a maximum of 4 people will be selected to participate.
- All members of the team must be classified UH students who are currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program, with a valid UH identification number.
- Mandatory meetings (in-person) are held over two Saturdays on UH Manoa campus. Absence for one or part of a day may result in disqualification.
- You should be able to complete most of the work during the scheduled Saturday sessions. You may continue to work during the week if your team chooses to do so.
- Teams that participated in previous competitions may enter again, but not with the same idea.
- Teams may be asked to complete an exit survey.
- Online applications must be submitted.
- The application deadline for the Fall 2026 challenge is October 15 at 11:59 p.m.
- Selected applicants will be notified by PACE Staff.
- Cash award amounts are decided by the company sponsor and PACE.
- The awards are taxable and taxes are the responsibility of the recipient. Only currently enrolled UH students may receive awards.
- Each team winning a prize will have sole responsibility for deciding how to allocate or otherwise use its prize proceeds. The organizers of the competition will not become involved, either voluntarily or by request, in a team’s decision concerning the allocation or use of prize proceeds. The prize recipients will be required to provide appropriate documentation to receive the award payments which may include W9, WH1 or W8BEN forms.
- Online application deadline: October 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
- Notification to selected teams by email
- Competition days: October 24 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm) and October 31 (9:00 am to 12:00 noon) at RISE (1810 University Ave)
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR JEFF HUI
phone: (808) 956-5083
fax: (808) 956-5107
email: pace@hawaii.edu
phone: (808) 956-5083
fax: (808) 956-5107
email: pace@hawaii.edu
University of Hawaiʻi
An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution.
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Intranet • Credits
Jeff Hui will be providing guidance and mentorship as the instructor for this program. Jeff is an entrepreneur and startup consultant with a proven track record of more than 20 years in driving growth for businesses of all sizes through effective sales and marketing strategies. He is the Founder and CEO of Jumpstart AI, a generative AI agency. Previously, he advised on member engagement and marketing strategy for Cityblock Health, Galileo Health and McKinsey and Company. Additionally, he’s headed Growth teams for companies including Revolut, Facebook, and Instagram. He earned a MBA from Columbia Business School and B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California at Berkeley.