Haystack founder and CEO will bring 20 years of business experience to 宅男导航 with his appointment as Entrepreneur in Residence for the .
Mr Heimann started the Haystack digital business card company in 2014, and it now boasts global clients including L'Oreal, Toyota, Pizza Hut, Keller Williams, EY and Vodafone.
As Entrepreneur in Residence, he will work with 12 early-stage startup teams during the six-month ilab Germinate PLUS program.
“The program’s solid track record, combined with 宅男导航's increased commitment in 2018 in terms of duration, grants and overall investment, were the drawcards for me,” he said.
“After seeing the high calibre of applicants and meeting the passionate team behind this great program, I cannot wait to start working with our new cohort.”
Mr Heimann will have weekly one-on-one sessions with the program’s budding entrepreneurs – providing mentorship and sharing his knowledge and business experience.
Director Dr Jessica Gallagher said ilab was an integral part of a suite of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives at 宅男导航.
“宅男导航 seeks to equip our community with the entrepreneurial and creative problem-solving skills to chart their own paths,” Dr Gallagher said.
“Ran will contribute to making the newly enhanced ilab Germinate PLUS program more impactful than ever and I’m pleased to welcome him to this role.”
The ilab startup teams will also take part in workshops on team development, pitching, business models, marketing, operations and finance, and will benefit from partnerships with vendors including Microsoft, Google and Hubspot.
宅男导航’s ilab Germinate accelerator program has fostered 185 startups, which have gone on to raise a total of $57 million in investments and grants in new technologies.
Mr Heimann will start his six-month Entrepreneur in Residence role Germinate PLUS in January.
Media: Dr Jessica Gallagher, 宅男导航 Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship Director, J.gallagher@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 7869; Josie Dietrich, 宅男导航 Communications, j.dietrich@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 0619; Ran Heimann, 宅男导航 Entrepreneur in Residence, ran@thehaystackapp.com, +61 (0) 403 741 737.
