Invest in Hawaiʻi's Tech Workforce
60 qualified applicants. 12 spots. The difference is funding. Every dollar you invest expands how many local technologists get their start in Hawaiʻi's tech economy.
Our demographics
97%
people of color
74%
female/non-binary
24%
native hawaiian
100%
Kānaka Maoli, Kamaʻāina, or hawaiian Diaspora
Sponsorship Tiers
Piʻikū Co. trains Native Hawaiian and kamaʻāina technologists through paid internships. Participants spend 12 weeks working on real products for local companies, mentored by working professionals.
Our alumni become engineers, designers, and product managers. Most stay in Hawaiʻi. That's the whole goal.
For companies, the value is direct: you get skilled people working on your actual business problems at no cost to you. When the cohort ends, you've already watched them work for three months. There's no guessing.
Our participants are 100% kamaʻāina and 90%+ Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or people of color. If hiring a workforce that actually looks like Hawaiʻi is a real priority, not just a stated one, this is the most direct path there.
The Big Picture
The Opportunity
Technology offers a huge opportunity to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy. But breaking into the tech industry can be a frustrating chicken/egg problem. Employers want to see experience, but new talent can’t get that experience without getting hired. As a result, Hawaiʻi struggles to build a tech sector that represents us and our needs.
Our Solution
At Pi’iku, we are bridging that gap. Our programs create opportunities for new, local talent to enter the technology sector, build their skills, and connect with experienced talent and each other, while receiving support in their job search. Meanwhile, our projects also benefit local organizations who receive high-impact deliverables that propel their work forward.
Our 5 year plan
Expand our program
Offer Training
We currently work with aspiring technologists who already have training in the fundamentals. We plan to open our programming to even more participants by also providing fundamentals training to folks who don’t have it yet.
Hiring for impact
We’re excited about the talent who come through our internship program and we plan to more actively connect them to work through recruiter partnerships, employer matchmaking, and building our own studio.
Our Partners & Sponsors
Sponsors help us run our internship programs and pay our interns for their work
Driving Impact:
How Our Interns Boosted Local Business Success
Since March 2023, we’ve worked with 32 interns to launch their careers in tech, connecting them with dedicated mentors, exciting local companies, and high-impact projects. Your investment can help us expand this success and shape the future of Hawaiʻi’s tech economy
Featured products
UMI
Gage & Michelle helped Umi, a language learning redesign the lessons page to help users focus more on learning.
10,000+ active paid subscribers
Gage & Michelle, Cohort #3 Interns
Farmlink
Nic and Lauren improved the shopping experience for SNAP - EBT customers, achieving 90% customer satisfaction rate with their new designs.
Nic & Lauren, Cohort #2 Interns
Shaka Guide
Christina redesigned the tour detail screens. She addressed poor user experience based on user drop-off data.
#1 Rated Travel App in Hawai’i
Christina, Cohort #1 Intern
Your Support Fuels Hawaiʻi’s Tech Future
Our partnership with Blue Startups
Our sponsor Zippy’s
UXHI x Piʻikū’s events
Our interns <3
ways you can support Piʻikū’s work!
Financial Donations
Fund intern stipends and staff. Every dollar directly expands how many local technologists we can accept into the program.
In-kind Contributions
Software, memberships, or event access reduces our operating costs so more funding flows directly to interns.
Sponsorship
Put your company's name on a cohort kickoff, graduation lunch, or neighbor island intern travel.
Fully Tax-deductible
As a 501(c)(3), your donations are fully tax- deductible.