The State of Hawaii's annual tech job fair needed a way to enhance attendees' professional profiles while supporting the state's economic development goals. They partnered with Dreamwave to provide free AI headshots with custom Hawaiian backgrounds, so job seekers could walk out with a portrait that looked like them and felt like Hawaii.
GovernmentEconomic developmentPartnership
The brief
The challenge
The State of Hawaii was implementing strategic economic development initiatives for their workforce. They identified professional headshots as an essential but underserved need for residents in today's competitive job market.
The state sought a partner to deliver this workforce development resource at scale.
Economic developmentSupporting workforce development aligned with the state's mission to grow Hawaii's economy.
Professional developmentMany residents lacked current professional headshots needed for job applications.
Local identityWanted headshots that reflected Hawaii's unique professional environment.
AccessibilityEnsuring all residents could access professional photography regardless of economic background.
Scale and reachFinding a solution that could deliver headshots at scale.
Cost effectivenessDelivering high-value services within state government budget constraints.
The decision
The Dreamwave solution
Dreamwave worked with the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to provide a custom professional headshot offering as part of the State of Hawaii's economic development strategy. As a first milestone, Dreamwave offered free AI photoshoots, including headshots with custom Hawaiian backgrounds, to all attendees at the state's annual Job Fair in Honolulu.
Economic development partnership
A partnership focused on helping Hawaii residents secure quality employment through professional photography.
Custom Hawaiian backgrounds
Tropical backgrounds featuring palm trees and ocean views that reflect Hawaii's unique professional environment.
Privacy and security
Enterprise-grade data protection with no collection of private data, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal photos and AI models.
Scalable solution
AI-powered technology designed to serve Hawaii's workforce with consistent quality and accessibility.
The outcome
Partnership impact
This partnership demonstrates the State of Hawaii's commitment to economic development through workforce investment.
Workforce investmentProfessional development resources for Hawaii residents as part of a state-backed program.
Economic developmentA strategic partnership to help residents compete for quality employment.
Local identityCustom Hawaiian backgrounds that celebrate the islands' professional environment.
AccessibilityFree professional photography regardless of economic background.
Innovation leadershipHawaii leading the way in AI-powered government services for residents.
AI headshot with a custom Hawaiian background
The first milestone
At the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Honolulu, job fair attendees completed an event passport by visiting employer booths, then redeemed their free AI headshot codes at the Purple Box station. The headshots featured custom Hawaiian backgrounds with palm trees and ocean views, the first deliverable in an ongoing economic development partnership.
