A University of Hawaiʻi-born climate technology startup has been named a winner of the Water Resilience Challenge, an international competition announced in Davos, Switzerland.
HCL (Hindustan Computers Limited) Group and UpLink, the early-stage innovation platform of the World Economic Forum, selected Hohonu as one of 10 “aquapreneurs” from more than 300 applicants worldwide. The challenge is part of the CHF (Confoederatio Helvetica Franc, the official currency code for the Swiss franc) 15 million Aquapreneur Innovation Initiative supporting scalable solutions to global freshwater challenges.
The winning ventures, representing nine countries, will share CHF 1.75 million (approx. $2.25 million USD) in funding and receive mentorship and access to global networks to help scale their technologies. This year’s challenge focused on strengthening water infrastructure resilience, improving water use in agriculture and increasing efficiency across technology and energy sectors.
Hohonu: real-time flood, water-level monitoring
Founded by UH Mānoa faculty and staff, Hohonu develops real-time, hyperlocal flood and water-level monitoring systems using connected sensors and cloud-based software. The company’s low-cost sensors transmit data every few minutes, providing communities with timely information to guide emergency response, infrastructure planning and climate adaptation.
“This recognition affirms that solutions developed in island communities can have global relevance,” said Brian Glazer, Hohonu CEO and co-founder, and associate professor in UH Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. “Building tools alongside the people most affected by flooding has shaped how we think about access, equity and long-term resilience, and it’s exciting to see that approach resonate on an international stage.”
Hohonu was launched in 2019, resulting from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, National Science Foundation and philanthropic funded research in Glazer’s lab dating back to 2014. The company also received early support and seed funding through UH innovation and commercialization programs, including investment from the student-run Calvin Shindo Student Venture Fund out of UH’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship. UH is a partial equity owner.
Hohonu has deployed sensors across Hawaiʻi and today operates in 18 states and more than 200 locations, supporting projects ranging from Native Hawaiian fishpond restoration to large-scale coastal resilience efforts on the east coast of the U.S. Its technology is designed to democratize access to environmental data for frontline communities facing increased flooding driven by climate change.
“We are extremely proud of Hohonu’s continuing success and recognition in the water resilience innovation space,” said Chad Walton, interim vice president for research and innovation. “The technology that was developed by Brian Glazer and his team in UH labs and tested in fishponds around the state is a true example of blending Indigenous knowledge with contemporary science to provide solutions not only for Hawaiʻi, but for the world.”
Previous UH News stories on Hohonu:
- UH technology startup provides flood monitoring, real-time data in Maryland, June 14, 2024
- Flooding Hawaiian fishponds get help from UH technology startup, February 28, 2023
- New UH student-run venture fund announces first investments, August 18, 2022
- UH innovators, entrepreneurs awarded for ‘re-imagining’ state’s economy, March 9, 2022
- UH startup improves flood-risk management in 54 U.S. communities, October 18, 2021
