COHORT 1 · FALL 2026 · HILO, HAWAIʻI ISLAND
Hawaiʻi Business Gym
Stronger Businesses. Stronger Hawaiʻi.
You know AI could help your business. You just don't know where to start. Bring one real problem, and in six weeks we'll help you find where AI fits and build the fix with you.
Six Hawaiʻi Island businesses. One real problem each. A working improvement to show the community on November 19.
Funded in part by the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation (HTDC)
WHEN IT MEETS
Four Thursday afternoons
2:30 to 5:00 PM · Hilo
4 workshops · 2 building weeks · 1 showcase day
Two building weeks follow the workshops so you can implement what you built, with support as you go. Tuition is $300 for the full program: coaching, practical tools, implementation support, and Showcase Day included.
6
Local Businesses
4
Thursday Workshops
$300
Full Program
Nov 19
Showcase Day
SOUND FAMILIAR?
The problems worth bringing are the ones you live with every day.
- You're the only one who can answer the phone.
- Quoting and paperwork eat your weekend.
- You're entering the same information in three places.
- The follow-up you meant to send is still sitting there.
None of that is a technology problem. It is a workflow that grew one decision at a time and never got looked at whole.
Hawaiʻi Business Gym gives you four afternoons, structure, and someone working alongside you to fix one of them properly. You pick which one.
THE PROGRAM
Bring one challenge. Leave with one measurable improvement.
Let's work together to help Hawaiʻi Island businesses use practical tools to free up time, strengthen operations, and keep serving their communities.
BRING A CHALLENGE
Start with one real business issue.
It may be a manual process, recurring bottleneck, missed follow-up, scheduling issue, inventory problem, or growth opportunity that keeps getting delayed.
BUILD A SOLUTION
Work on it with structure and support.
Through guided workshops, coaching, peer discussion, and practical tools, participants move from idea to action.
MEASURE THE RESULTS
Leave with progress participants can explain and continue.
Track what changed, document the improvement, and share the before-and-after story at Showcase Day.
“Each session combines practical learning, guided working time, peer discussion, and implementation support.”
OUR APPROACH
We start with your problem, not a tool. Using proven improvement methods, we find the real root cause and target the highest-impact fix, then build it with practical AI and automation. You leave with a measurable result your team keeps using.
You can build an AI app in a day. Making it stick in your business takes longer. That's what the Gym is for.
OUTCOMES
What You'll Leave With
By the end of Hawaiʻi Business Gym, each participating business leaves with more than ideas.
01
A Mapped Challenge
A clear view of the workflow, bottleneck, handoff, or decision point creating friction.
02
One Prioritized Improvement
A focused project selected for practical impact, instead of a long list of things to fix.
03
A Working Fix
A workflow, tracking tool, follow-up process, or automation built with you during the cohort, running in your business instead of sitting in a plan.
04
A Before-and-After Measure
A simple way to show progress, such as time saved, fewer errors, faster follow-up, better visibility, or improved customer experience.
05
A Next-Step Roadmap
A short plan for what to continue, improve, or explore after the cohort ends.
WHO THIS IS FOR
Built for Hawaiʻi Island business owners who are ready to bring a real challenge and make practical progress.
Hawaiʻi Business Gym is designed for Hawaiʻi Island business owners and operators who want to strengthen how their business runs.
This program is a good fit if you:
- Have a real business challenge you want to improve
- Feel stretched by manual work, bottlenecks, missed follow-ups, or growth constraints
- Want practical support, not just general advice
- Are open to using process improvement, technology, or automation where it makes sense
- Can commit time during the cohort to work on one meaningful improvement
You do not need to have the solution figured out before you apply. The program is designed to help you clarify the challenge, choose what to focus on, and make measurable progress.
This program is best for businesses that can participate actively, in the sessions and in the follow-through between them.
LED BY
Michelle Dumais
Founder of Kealani Solutions and host of the Hawaiʻi Island AI Summit. Michelle brings more than 20 years of hands-on transformation leadership.
PROGRAM TIMELINE
Six weeks. One real improvement. One public showcase.
Apply
Open now
Rolling review, priority for early applications
Select
September 2026
Six businesses chosen
Workshops
Oct 8, 15, 22, 29
Four Thursday sessions, 2:30 to 5:00 PM
Implement
Nov 2–13
Two building weeks to test and refine
Showcase
November 19, 2026
Open to the public. Share results with the community
Apply
Open now
Rolling review, priority for early applications
Select
September 2026
Six businesses chosen
Workshops
Oct 8, 15, 22, 29
Four Thursday sessions, 2:30 to 5:00 PM
Implement
Nov 2–13
Two building weeks to test and refine
Showcase
November 19, 2026
Open to the public. Share results with the community
SHOWCASE DAY
See what six businesses built in six weeks.
November 19, 2026 · 3 to 5 p.m.
Rose and Raymond Tseng Terrace at UH Hilo
Showcase Day is the finish line of the cohort. Each business shares its before-and-after story: the challenge it brought, the fix it built, and what changed.
Showcase Day is open to the public. Come meet the cohort, see practical AI and process improvement working inside real Hawaiʻi Island businesses, and celebrate with the community.
Planning to attend? Let us knowReady to bring your challenge?
Applications are open and reviewed on a rolling basis. Cohort 1 is limited to six businesses, and early applications receive priority consideration.
Tuition is $300 for the full program. Funding from the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation helps keep it accessible.
APPLY FOR COHORT 1
Tell us about your business.
A few quick questions. It takes about five minutes.
BECOME A SPONSOR
Help Strengthen Hawaiʻi Island Businesses
Sponsoring Hawaiʻi Business Gym helps local businesses build the operational strength they need to grow, hire, retain talent, and adapt to a changing economy. Your support helps make the program accessible while funding the hands-on coaching, tools, implementation support, and Showcase Day that turn ideas into measurable progress.
This is more than event sponsorship. It is an investment in practical business transformation, local capacity-building, and a stronger Hawaiʻi Island economy.
Sponsors help fund:
- Hands-on coaching and facilitation
- Practical tools and templates businesses can keep using
- Implementation support during the cohort
- Measurement and documentation of business improvements
- Showcase Day, where businesses share results with peers, partners, and the community
Sponsors receive:
- Logo recognition on this page and on Showcase Day materials
- Recognition at Showcase Day, from group recognition to a speaking moment, depending on level
- Naming in social media and press
In-kind and community contributions are welcome too: printing, signage, refreshments, software, or mentor time, with Community Partner recognition scaled to the contribution. Ask us for the sponsorship one-pager for levels and details.
Become a SponsorInterested in partnering, sponsoring, or supporting the cohort? Let’s talk.
Funded in part by the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation (HTDC)
Presented by Kealani Solutions and funded in part by the Hawaiʻi Technology Development Corporation, Hawaiʻi Business Gym helps Hawaiʻi Island businesses turn real operational challenges into practical, measurable improvements.
Learn more about HTDC
From the organization behind the Hawaiʻi Island AI Summit.
WITH SUPPORT FROM
Showcase Day venue: University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
