Entrepreneur in Residence to help UQ startups turn ideas into profit

Haystack founder and CEO Ran Heimann will bring 20 years of business experience to The University of Queensland with his appointment as Entrepreneur in Residence for the ilab Germinate PLUS accelerator program.

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 UQ'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.

Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship Director Dr Jessica Gallagher said ilab was an integral part of a suite of entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives at UQ.

“UQ 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.

UQ’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, UQ Global Engagement and Entrepreneurship Director, J.gallagher@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 7869; Josie Dietrich, UQ Communications, j.dietrich@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 0619; Ran Heimann, UQ Entrepreneur in Residence, ran@thehaystackapp.com, +61 (0) 403 741 737.