Informal Mentoring

Components of the informal mentoring program

HiBEAM personnel in residence - In September, 2006, HiBEAM opened a second office on the Fourth Floor of the Medical Education Building at JABSOM, called the HITEC office. There, staff keeps office hours, offering guidance and expertise to everyone from serious entrepreneurs, to those students or faculty who are just in the initial stages of exploring the potential of their research and/or technology.

Access to experts - The HiBEAM Board of Directors and membership are comprised of a prestigious group of individuals with specific expertise in start-up companies. They come from different facets of business, including venture capital, management, banking, law, accounting, and marketing and communications. On set dates and times HiBEAM members, HiBEAM portfolio company leaders, and experts from the community will make themselves available in the 4th floor office for consulting and mentoring on specific issues.

Springboard Forums - Many inventors, researchers and young entrepreneurs who have an idea need access to experienced people to talk with about "next steps." Normally, the HiBEAM Springboard Forum provides free assistance for life sciences and technology companies in early stages of development. However, at the medical school we will expand these forums to assist researchers at an even earlier phase in their process. Our first JABSOM/HiBEAM Springboard Forum occurred on June 23, 2006, when a group assembled to assist two JABSOM faculty researchers who would also present at our June 28 Technology Showcase. The June 23 forum is the model for the program's Springboard Forum.

Individuals invited to present at a Springboard Forum will have access to 1-2 hour coaching sessions with a small group of HiBEAM members and mentors who have expertise in different areas of entrepreneurship. This group may include seasoned entrepreneurs with industry expertise, scientists, venture capitalists, corporate and patent attorneys, and/or marketing professionals. The panel of experts will be tailored to the individual needs of each entrepreneur or researcher. The goals of the forum are to help the researchers understand what information they need for the next steps of commercialization and to identify potential avenues for assistance in these specific areas. The panel will also provide candid recommendations for the refinement of a business plan, if the presenter has one. Anyone interested in presenting at a Springboard Forum, please contact us. To see a list of past Springboard Forum participants, click here.

Workshops, Speaker Series and Brown Bags - We hope to make HiBEAM's space at the medical school a hub of activity encouraging the intersection of different disciplines of science and innovators with accomplished entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. We will cultivate this environment by hosting informal meeting and discussions, sponsored educational forums, like "The Hawaii Entrepreneurs Summit" in 2006, and hands-on workshops. We hope to attract a cross-section of individuals interested in developing the high tech, biotech, and life sciences sectors in HI to the medical school to sit down and talk with budding entrepreneurs or give a presentation. We also have successful entrepreneurs in Hawaii that are willing to share their experiences with others. Look to our events calendar and/or sign up on our mailing list if you wish to receive information on this.

Technology Showcase -The Technology Showcase is an event we anticipate holding on an annual or semi-annual basis for researchers and inventors to showcase their new technologies to entrepreneurs, funders, and other interested parties. We held our first Technology Showcase at the Hawaii Convention Center on June 28, 2006. We held a second in May, 2007 in Santa Clara, CA, and a third in Seattle, WA in October, 2007. At these showcases, our focus is to present the newest innovations from the technology and life science fields and allow interested parties a preview. These showcases bring inventors together with entrepreneurs and investors, to cultivate the commercialization of new technologies and inventions. We hope to continue to highlight the best and brightest in our UH community.

nteractive Website - HiBEAM will actively seek to make itself a UH campus resource through its new website. The site will feature upcoming programs, workshops and events sponsored by HiBEAM and JABSOM. A future component to the site will be permission-access to downloadable materials designed to assist the entrepreneurs.