(Honolulu, HI) – Last night, Feb.7, XLR8HI hosted an Open House at its downtown Honolulu office. The public was invited to learn more about the XLR8HI organization and its offerings. In addition, XLR8HI announced its relaunch as “Hawaiʻi’s Entrepreneurship Center” – a physical and virtual hub for anyone and everyone who is interested in entrepreneurship and innovation.  

“The future of jobs will be based on an entrepreneurial mindset – creative problem solving, the ability and desire to take initiative, and having a risk-taking attitude,” said Omar Sultan, Co-Founder of XLR8HI and Sultan Ventures. “Our goal is to provide access and opportunity to anyone who wants to develop these skills and build their network. XLR8HI will be that critical destination to point you in the right direction.”

Since 2012, XLR8HI has created and provided support to Hawaiʻi’s growing entrepreneurship community at a time where there were little to no resources for early entrepreneurs other than accelerator programs. As a community-facing organization and initiative, XLR8HI’s mission is to elevate and empower Hawaiʻi entrepreneurs at all stages of ideation and growth.

XLR8HI seeks to obliterate the obstacles individuals face as they attempt to pursue the path of entrepreneurship. XLR8HI wants to remove these barriers to economic self-determination by making the same knowledge, network, and financial resources typically only available to the few, available to all businesses and individuals.

XLR8HI believes everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their dreams, regardless of their socio-economic background, gender, or ethnicity. To foster a culture of inclusion, the organization continues to look at ways to support and elevate minorities and women in entrepreneurship and innovation, including subsidizing participation in its events, workshops, and bootcamps.

To date, XLR8HI has helped hundreds of individuals through its practical workshops and inspiring community-building events. The interactive workshops are designed to accelerate entrepreneurial education and mindset, while community events help connect fellow entrepreneurs and engage the broader community in entrepreneurship and innovation efforts in the state of Hawaiʻi.

As part of its relaunch, XLR8HI will offer access to equipment for prototyping ideas, in-person coaching, advisory hours, space, as well as access to its large mentor and resource network. Anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship and innovation is welcome. XLR8HI will continue to offer workshops and training, adding talk story events with prominent entrepreneurs, creatives, investors, corporate and community leaders, as well as experts from various industries to its event offerings.

As a center, XLR8HI’s downtown office is a location for its members to use equipment and engage with mentors and other entrepreneurs in-person. XLR8HI plans to expand its reach to the neighbor islands in order to service entrepreneurship and innovation across the State. Events to be announced via its website at xlr8hi.com.

Whether you’re a first time entrepreneur looking to jump start your business idea, an experienced founder aiming to hone your skills, an individual who wants to foster an entrepreneurial mindset within an organization, or a corporate entity looking to support entrepreneurship and innovation in Hawaiʻi, XLR8HI encourages you to get involved.

To learn more about XLR8HI and its membership opportunities, visit xlr8hi.com/membership.

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ABOUT XLR8HI

The community-focused division of Honolulu-based venture firm Sultan Ventures, XLR8HI is Hawaiʻi’s hub for entrepreneurship. More than an organization, XLR8HI is a community movement that brings together people, opportunities, and ideas to drive entrepreneurship and innovation forward in Hawaiʻi. Dedicated to providing opportunities to grow Hawaiʻi’s innovation community, XLR8HI offers interactive workshops, talk story sessions, meetups, and events centered around promoting entrepreneurship. More than starting a business, entrepreneurship is a state of mind and a way of life.  xlr8hi.com

ABOUT SULTAN VENTURES

Sultan Ventures is a collaborative venture firm that builds visionary startups and innovation hubs. Founded in Honolulu in 2009, the company works closely with innovative early-stage startups focused on transformative solutions, as well as with entrepreneurs, fellow investors, and organizations to provide in-depth innovation advisory. Guided by a people-first approach, Sultan Ventures also invests in human capital by developing opportunities to educate and elevate entrepreneurs. sultanventures.com