In crisis there is also opportunity. Amidst all the tragedy and loss wrought by the pandemic, some saw a silver lining in all the disruption: a chance to reinvent oneself, pivot a company, change direction or try something new.

This opportunity was largely squandered, of course, with most people now eager to make the “new normal” look just like the old normal. Reimagine work? Rethink tourism? Transform education? Never mind all that, when does the buffet line reopen, right?

But it’s not too late for everyone.

Just as traffic has returned to the H-1 freeway, local programs aimed at boosting entrepreneurs and startups are coming back to life. And with them, another chance for you to reinvent yourself.

For example, a new organization called FoundHer has launched to help women advance their education and grow their businesses.

FoundHer was created by Isabella Hughes and Gloria Lau. Hughes is president of Shaka Tea and participated in several entrepreneurial programs from companies like Google and Coca-Cola. Lau has an M.B.A. from Harvard and over 30 years of experience in the nonprofit, finance and business sectors.

“Women and especially women of color are historically over-mentored and underfunded,” Hughes says. “Very few accelerators and incubators are designed to empower women entrepreneurs holistically.”

FoundHer is focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women-led businesses, and will provide them nondilutive, early-­stage capital, mentorship, and support for those with children or taking care of their kupuna.

For the first cohort, Hughes and Lau are looking for women-led for-profit companies in tech, fashion, health and wellness, food systems and restaurants, and children and education.

If you’re interested, act fast. Applications will be accepted until Thursday for the program, which launches in September. For more information, visit www.foundher.org.

For small-scale projects aimed at supporting the local community, there’s a micro-granting group called HI SOUP that’s coming back to life this month as well.

HI SOUP, part of a national movement, is working with the local civic hacking group Code for Hawaii. Organizers are looking for projects that apply technology to improve civic life, especially those involving open data and data visualization.

Selected presenters will pitch their ideas July 7. The public, meanwhile, is invited to donate $15 to attend the dinner (virtually, for now), enjoy a bowl of soup from Mud Hen Water in Kaimuki and vote for the project that will receive the evening’s microgrant of up to $3,000.

If you have a civic tech idea that could use a financial boost, visit www.hisoup.org.

High school students also have a chance to improve their communities through a social and environmental impact competition called Kipuka. Hosted by the Purple Maia Foundation, participants could earn funding of up to $2,000 to implement their proposed project.

Projects can benefit a neighborhood, cultural or ethnic group, school, club or even online community, and must involve a STEM discipline (science, technology, engineering or math).

Would-be participants have until July 30 to submit a budget and video pitch. For more information, visit kipuka.purplemaia.org.

Traditional business owners on Kauai have access to a new program as well. The Hawaii Technology Development Corp. is now accepting applications for an e-commerce and digital marketing assistance program.

Although preference will be given to companies with bricks-and-mortar storefronts, any Kauai business is eligible if it has been in operation for more than two years and has 10 or more products for sale.

Awardees will receive a minimum of $3,000 in matching funds to build a new e-commerce website or $1,500 in matching funds to optimize their existing online store and presence. In both cases recipients will work with a Kauai-based marketing or technology vendor.

Applications are due July 16. For more information, visit www.htdc.org.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Hawaii’s largest and longest-running accelerator program, Blue Startups, which actually managed to complete an all-virtual cohort last fall.

The accelerator is looking for scalable tech companies that capitalize on mobile and web platforms, particularly those in travel and tourism, sustainability and Software as a Service. Like FoundHer, Blue Startups prioritizes female founders as well as Indigenous founders and cross-border founding teams.

Blue startups is now preparing for its 13th cohort (I participated in the sixth), a 13-week program that runs from Aug. 16 through Nov. 12. Selected founders and startups receive an investment of $25,000 and have access to up to $75,000 in follow-on funding.

The deadline to apply was last week, but late applications are still being accepted. For more information, visit www.bluestartups.com.

During our time in lockdown, we may not have been able to transform the entire world. But programs like these mean we still have a chance to improve our little piece of it.

Ryan Ozawa covers Hawaii’s tech and startup scene and hosts the Hawaii Slack community chat group. Have a story to share? Email him at hawaii@hey.com.