Episode 07: Sean Ho`okano – Briel, CEO and Co-Founder at Comprendio

EPISODE 07: SEAN HO`OKANO-BRIEL

Sean discusses his time in Hawaii, teaching experiences, and the start of his company Comprend.io

Sean Ho`okano­-Briel is an educator and lifelong learner committed to fostering transformational learning environments from the classroom to the workforce. He is the co-founder of the ed-tech platform Comprendio, 2015 HVCA Tech Entrepreneur of the Year, 2016 Pacific Business News 40 Under 40, an Adjunct Professor and National Graduate Student Advisor for John Hopkins Graduate School of Education, an Accredited Professional Development Facilitator, a veteran Title 1 High School Math Teacher, and a dedicated husband and father.


LINKS AND RESOURCES

Online Resources Mentioned

Intercom

Google Analytics

Notable People Mentioned

Warren Buffett

John Barrows

Books Mentioned

Hawaiki Rising by Sam Low

Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff

Awards Mentioned 

40 under 40

Hawaiian Words Used

Hanai Brother


SHOW NOTES

1:27 – Approaching Sean’s 10th year in Hawaii

3:06 – Being honored by 40 under 40

4:53 – Sean’s time as a “commercial” fisherman

6:20 – What the ocean can teach us

8:42 – Why entrepreneurship is a race

11:27 – Learning to surf vs. becoming an entrepreneur

13:38 – Discovering how to improve students retention rate

17:53 – How to effectively use Comprend.io

21:14 – Applying the Comprend.io model outside of the educational aspect

23:40 – How Comprend.io approached onboarding

26:05 – How Comprend.io and Intercom function together

29:46 – The science of sales

32:52 – Comprend.io’s educational target consumer

35:56 – What are the current Key Performance Indicators (KPI) currently and where they started

40:56 – The importance of investors being a good fit

42:18 – The Comprend.io pitch

45:55 – Sean’s tips to better communication

49:13 – Rapid Fire Q&A: Favorite thing about Hawaii, favorite beach, resources used on the entrepreneurship journey, favorite book, what do you know to be true that most wouldn’t agree with you on, proudest career accomplishment, inspiring people in your life, final tips for entrepreneurs