Tech Entrepreneurs of the Year

The Hawaii Venture Capital Association (HVCA) last week announced the winners of its Technology Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The awards and winners are:

Young Entrepreneur: Lorenz Sell – Blue Lava Technologies, Inc. – ILovePhotos.com – Lorenz is co-founder and CEO at Blue Lava. When he’s not doing deals or spreading the iLovePhotos photo-love, he’s thinking about how to be even lazier about managing his photos. Lorenz keeps Blue Lava a well oiled machine by way of caffeinated food-runs, purchasing new video games, funky personal fashion statements featuring pink, and the occasional fund-raising. He also likes lifting heavy things and eating lots of protein. Lorenz is one of the founders of Beer and Business a periodic mixer for techies, investors and others.

Clean Tech Entrepreneur: Bob King – Pacific Biodiesel, LLC – Bob is a globally recognized leader in community based alternative energy and recently received Governor Lingle’s Innovation Award. The company headquartered on Maui with a track recording of building 10 biodiesel plants in the U.S. and Japan, is currently raising investment for a new Big Island Biodiesel research facility and plant focused on encouraging Hawaii grown feedstocks. 

Digital Media: Jason Lau – TalkStory Productions, Inc. – Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mr. Lau is a product of Punahou School and the University of California, Los Angeles, and has worked in the financial industry for such companies as Dean Witter Reynolds and Bank of Hawaii. He is currently the President of Honowaii Investment Co., an industrial loan company, and the Managing Partner of Lau Enterprises, a Hawaii investment partnership, and BJM Partners, a private equity fund. He has served on the board of directors of Hawaii Angels, an angel investment group, Hawaii Venture Capital Association (HVCA), and the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). He is also on the advisory board for the Entrepreneurs Foundation of Hawaii.

Invention: Hank Wuh – Cellular Bioengineering, Inc. – Hank is a kama’aina who returned to Hawaii to found Cellular Bioengineering Inc. (CBI) an accelerator of disruptive technologies with biomedical and biodefense applications. CBI searches for innovative and ingenious ideas which it can nurture and grow into mature products that will change the way the world operates. It has brought forward suites of technology at varying stages of development which have favorably impacted health care and homeland security in our country.