
Mentors
Finding the right mentor
The startup world is fast-paced, complex and constantly evolving. Finding the right mentor – someone who has been where you are now, understands the journey you’re on and has valuable learnings to share – can make all the difference.
A good mentor isn’t about having you emulate exactly what they’ve done; it’s about giving you the confidence and guidance to navigate the rookie pitfalls and shape your own fast-tracked path to success.
“Accessing this breadth of perspectives is a unique opportunity… it’s a rapid gain in knowledge instead of a drawn out process of selfguided research or hard lessons.”
Pia Winberg, Founder and CEO, PhycoHealth

Entrepreneurs in Residence
Our Entrepreneurs in Residence are experienced and successful entrepreneurs located on a part-time basis at the iAccelerate Centre.
They’re ready to assist resident companies to grow their business and may even join a start-up as a founder or invest in the company. They may also be involved in running learning sessions and workshops as part of iAccelerate Educate.

Frank Marzano
Product Management and Strategy Expert
Frank is the Co-Founder and Director of iTree Pty Limited, which develops software solutions for government agencies in Australia and New Zealand. B2B and B2G sales and marketing specialist.

Jason Graham-Nye
Social Entrepreneur in Residence
After 10 years of running his own social impact company, gDiapers in the US, UK and Europe with his wife Kim, they have returned home to Sydney to raise their sons as Aussies. They continue to run the business and are finding ways to share all the things they have learned launching and running a triple-bottom line business that creates meaning and money.

Aly Khalifa
Design & Engineering Innovator
Aly is a design and sustainability entrepreneur specializing in invention development. He has launched products for some of the most exciting consumer brands and has garnered more than two dozen patents.

Belinda Gibbons
Sustainable Development Goals
Belinda Gibbons is a Senior Lecturer at the Sydney Business School, Faculty of Business at the University of Wollongong (UOW), Australia. Belinda’s work as part of the United Nations Principles of Responsible Management Education allows her to collaborate with institutions worldwide.
Global mentors
Our iAccelerate Global mentors bring a wealth of entrepreneurial talent to help you scale your idea and your business globally. They can be based anywhere in the world, offering unique insights and connections to international markets.

Adam de Sola Pool
International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory
Adam is an investor, mentor, board member, and new technologies competition judge with 20 years of experience in clean energy, water and hardware companies.

Matt Bullock
eWay Founder, Spinify Founder

William Rosenzweig
Social Entrepreneur / Investor / Change Maker
Dean and Executive Director of The Food Business School, Will is also the founding CEO of The Republic of Tea, winner of the Oslo Business for Peace Award and developed the country’s first MBAs in Social Entrepreneurship and Venture Development.

Prof Joe Steensma
Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, Washington University
Also Scholar at Institute for Public Health and Sr. Scholr of the Global Good Fund. Founder of industrial Solutions Group, one of the premier occupational and environmental health companies in the US, and other ventures in the same field
Mentors
iAccelerate mentors are available for one-on-one mentoring in their specific area of expertise and may be able to offer local connections to residents. Many also conduct iAccelerate Educate learning sessions and workshops.

Anthony Marcar
Entrepreneur/ Mentor
A tech entrepreneur with experience founding companies, building resilient tech systems and mentoring startups. Co-founder of digital receipt startup Grabble, which sold to Walmart Labs in under a year.

Adam Cole
Partner, KPMG Australia - Corporate Structuring & Governance
Passionate about making a difference by helping clients better understand their business and its potential, exploit opportunities and solve challenges. He provides a range of tax and business advisory services to help clients grow and succeed.

Anthony Colfelt
Creative & Technical Director, Owner, Handmade Web & Design
Boutique design studio in Berry, working with small and medium sized businesses across the Shoalhaven, Illawarra and Sydney regions on large and small scale projects, including branding, user experience, websites, digital marketing and SEO.

David Peters
Executive Head, Mahindra Comviva; Director, Social Impact Systems
Founder/CEO of Emagine, a software company founded in 1998 and acquired in 2017, providing enterprise marketing solutions to telecoms operators globally. Formerly of Bouygues Telecom France, Optus and Telstra, David has 25+ years experience in the mobile telecoms/marketing sectors.

Dr Mario Fernando
Professor of Management and Director, Centre for Cross-Cultural Management, University of Wollongong
Mario has been responsible for designing and delivering the leadership and ethics module at iAccelerate for some time. With over 20 years of experience in industry and academia, he is passionate about sharing his expertise on how businesses can do well by doing good.

Jessica Fosler
Independent Software Design Engineer

Robert Christie
Sales & Marketing Mentor
Robert has 30 years’ experience in market entry, sales and marketing operations for Australian Tech SMEs, with a focus on Asia and Europe. He was one of the original mentors at StartPad in 2011 where CriticalArc, iAccelerate’s first success story, became his focus. His original and ongoing business, sales & marketing guidance helped the company grow from a conceptual idea into a global security technology leader.

Joanna Kubota
Founding Mentor; Director, Global Solution Strategies
Sales and marketing expert bringing global expertise to a huge variety of companies from startups to well-established firms and government departments. Joanna has been involved in the iAccelerate initiative since its inception in 2011.

Kristina Hermanson
Transformation Leader, Coca-Cola Amatil
Kristina has extensive international business experience, in power generation, agriculture and food sectors. She delivers on multi-stakeholder solutions in complex, dynamic global business environments.

Dr. Laurence Wakelin
Honorary Associate Professor, School of Chemistry, UNSW Sydney
A medicinal chemist and pharmacologist with research experience in drug discovery and development in academia in the UK, Australia, and Ireland. Last 20 years teaching pharmacology to medical students, pharmacologists, and medicinal chemists at UNSW. Experienced in supervision and mentoring of research students and post-doctoral scientists in cancer drug discovery.

Leanne Isabella
HR Manager, Commscope Australia

Lothar Wilkens
Founding Principal, Wilbartec Consulting Engineers
For the past 26 years Wilbartec has serviced clients in a wide range of industries by developing creative improvement solutions to equipment and processes. Problem solving, critical technical analysis and practical engineering skills are Lothar’s key skills.

Nick Hartgerink
Owner, Hartgerink Media Services
Media consultant with over 40 years’ experience in journalism and public relations, including 24 years with Fairfax and 6 years editing the Illawarra Mercury. His Illawarra-based media consultancy serves regional and national clients, and he is the author of 7 books.

Garry Pinch
Director, Accounting Professionals
Has developed an extensive business improvement plan that he implements with clients to achieve their business and lifestyle goals, including a focus on profit drivers, tax strategies, marketing strategy, business model, teams and monitoring/measurement.

Rebecca Lyon
Principal - Tribe Legal
Advocate for older Australians. Innovator for social change. Experienced General Counsel and Aged Care Lawyer. Passionate. Community focused. Collaborative.

Richard Horton
Partner, Squire Patton Boggs
An experienced, dual-qualified US/Australian corporate and technology lawyer, advising clients in the US and Australia. Helps Australian venture funds and technology companies doing business overseas, and represents the major venture funds in Australia.

Takahiro Kubota
Founding Mentor; Director, Global Solution Strategies
Taka has worked with many major global companies as well as on various government projects with numerous stakeholders, and successfully met targets and objectives. Since establishing Global Solutions Strategies (GSS), he has worked with a variety of SMEs, developing and implementing creative strategies to build their business and overcome their challenges, and has provided assistance to Federal, State and local governments by acting as their Small Business Specialist/Lead Consultant.

Dr Steve Andersen
Founder, Southern - IML Pathology
Dr Steve Andersen OAM MBBS FRCPA BSC FIAC MAACB MASM has a background in Science, Medical, Pathology, Business and Education. He founded Southern-IML Pathology which has grown from 4 to 350 employees and past winner of the Illawarra Business Awards and Australian Business Excellence Awards.

Glenn Haworth
Owner, Haworth Guitars Pty Ltd
Glenn is the Managing Director of Haworth Guitars Pty Ltd and has grown his business from a small guitar store to one of the largest musical instrument retailers in Australia with multiple store locations and a world class eCommerce site. Glenn also founded the Haworth Music School which now has approximately 400 students receiving music lessons on a weekly basis. Glenn also enjoys helping other small to medium-sized businesses grow by coaching and mentoring them as a side project.

Anthony Rowley
Executive Consultant, Bid Director, Business Advisor
Anthony has been instrumental in enterprise commercialisation and growth for over 20 years. He has spearheaded business development, sales and marketing, capital raising and public company listing activities.
Becoming a mentor
Interested in volunteering as a mentor? We are always on the lookout for dedicated mentors to connect with the iAccelerate residents and join our mentor network. We are looking for mentors to advise residents on the key areas of creating high-growth businesses.
Find out more
If you’ve got the right skills and experience and want to give an emerging entrepreneur a great start, contact us today to find out how you can volunteer as an iAccelerate mentor.

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