Startups at core of local conference

Blue Startups will hold its first "East Meets West" conference in Hono­lulu starting Nov. 5.

Investors, entrepreneurs and more than a dozen speakers from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo will be at the event. There will be representatives from GoPro, 500 Startups, Wilson Sonsini, Start­upsHK and Hong Kong Business Angel Network.

"We are cultivating strong partnerships with our colleagues from the investment and startup worlds in Asia," says Henk Rogers, founder of Blue Startups. "Hawaii has an important role to play bringing together East and West in our unique business environment ripe with innovation and inspiration."

The conference will feature a startup showcase. Participants will include Asian-based startups looking to enter U.S. markets and U.S.-based startups looking to enter Asian markets.

The event will focus on market challenges, receiving foreign investment and how to stay competitive in an increasingly interconnected global marketplace as well as the latest trends in early-stage investing.

This conference, put on in partnership with the state’s Hi Growth Initiative, is supported by the City and County of Hono­lulu, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, Hawaii Angels, Black Sand Capital, American Savings Bank, Tab the Momentum and Ward Village.

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