Signing off as CEO
If you’ve been following us, you may have noticed I’ve been pretty quiet over the past few months. I’m writing now to tell you why.
After two years at the helm, I am signing off from my role as the CEO of Catalysr. I will hand over the reins to my co-founder, Usman Iftikhar, and transition to a role as a Director and advisor, as Usman steps forward from COO to CEO.
This isn’t a decision that I made lightly. In fact, I made it in January, first telling Usman, Alan and our closest supporters. Since then I’ve been focusing on helping Usman hone his CEO skills while we consolidate our plans and marshal our resources for Catalysr’s next phase of growth.
I’d like to now explain why I’ve made this decision, and paint a picture of where we want to take the organisation over the next few years.
Why?
Usman has just been awarded Commonwealth Young Person of the Year in London in recognition for his hard work and dedication to building Catalysr, an inspiration to us all and over 500 other supporters over the past two years.
Arriving in Australia only five years ago, he is an extraordinary example of an individual overcoming adversity to flourish here in this great country. For an organisation that seeks to inspire a generation of new Australians, he is the perfect custodian.
Alongside Usman, I‘ve poured my heart and soul into Catalysr since its inception. From our humble beginnings as a rough idea, hatched with Nexhmije Shala over a bowl of Pho in Parramatta, we’ve grown into an organisation that has served ~70 Migrapreneurs, launched over 15 businesses and helped generate >$200K in revenue.
Our work has made waves, both locally and around the globe. We’ve featured in the media (the Daily Telegraph, ABC Lateline, SBS, The Wire), won awards (medal from the Governor General of Australia, FYA’s Vanguard Award, WSU’s Alumnus award), advised government on policy, and shared our learnings globally with multiple organisations who are doing similar work.
Our aim has always been to create the biggest possible impact and I believe we have achieved that goal. I am very proud of the achievements the Catalysr family has made over the past two years.
And with that, I feel ready to move onto my next challenge!
Next steps for Catalysr
During this period of transition, we have thought hard about how we can create the most impact with the greatest number of early stage Migrapreneurs. Pulling that off would mean changing the lives of more people and having a significant impact on our economy.
In line with this, by the end of 2019, we aim to serve 100 founders (50 startups).
We see our role as finding 100 of the best aspiring founders from migrant/refugee backgrounds, then teaching them core founder skills, helping them build out their MVP, before funnelling them into the mainstream startup ecosystem.
I am proud to also announce that our major partner CGU Insurance has renewed its commitment to supporting our next generation of founders. This represents a significant step towards raising the capital we’ll need to continue supporting Migrapreneurs in the coming years.
What’s next for me?
First and foremost, I’ll continue to support Usman and Catalysr in my role as Director, advisor and evangelist for the organisation for as long as it needs me.
Along with that, my life’s mission remains essentially unchanged. I want to do everything I can to leave the world better than I found it.
Working in the startup sector over the past few years has only opened up new mediums through which I can do that. As such, I am currently exploring ways I can make a difference at the nexus between tech and impact, by talking to existing startups and tinkering with new ones.
When done right, technology has the potential to do great things for the world and I’m incredibly excited about the prospect of contributing to this space.
Thanks
I would like to pay thanks to everyone who has been on the journey with us over the last couple of years. It’s been a magnificent adventure and it wouldn’t have been possible without the army of incredible people who selflessly contribute their time to support the cause.
Deep gratitude to Muhammad Asjad, Tom Bass, Lucy Brotherton, Varun Chopra, Tatjana Co, Jennifer Cobley, Celia Cameron-Smith, Mike Cannon-Brookes, Amanda Chadwick, Ayesha Debak, Bhakti Devi, Anne-marie Elias, Paul Hanly, Natasha Hannah, Brendan Hill, Peter Huynh, Thai Huynh, Usman Iftikhar, Sandra Jacobs and the Bennelong Foundation team, Claire Jewell and CGU Insurance team, Alan Jones, Lucy Klippan, Jeremy Kwong-Law, Ibro Makhmudov, Barbara Miller, Hannah Miller, Nathan Murphy, Thanh Nguyen, Jarrod Ormiston, Jan Owen, Alecia Rathbone & the FYA team, Julie Owens MP, Annie Parker, Andrew Perry, Larry Fingleson & the Growth Project team, David Puls, Pratibha Rai, Stuart Reynolds, Ben Sand, Lance Schofer, Michelle Stevenson, Nexhmije Shala & the CMRC team, Tida Tippapart, Eric Tjoeng, Eamon Waterford, Jessie Williams & the SSE team, and finally, our incredible donors, sponsors, investors and other supporters.
