Pollenizer headhunting US co-founder for new start-up

Sydney-based tech incubator Pollenizer is looking for a US start-up expert to move to Australia for six months to co-found a new web business, before returning to the US to oversee its expansion.

Pollenizer, founded by tech veterans Mick Liubinskas and Phil Morle, has co-founded more than 30 tech start-ups, including group buying site Spreets, which it sold last year for $40 million.

The Pollenizer team is made up of 30 people in Sydney, and 50 mentors from around the world. Now it is looking for a US start-up person aged between 18 and 30 to co-found a new business.

“Everyone talks about the brain drain over to the US… Instead of all the energy going over there, we want to bring that experience into our team,” Liubinskas says.

“It’s not a big change for Pollenizer – we’re still going ahead with our core offering. If we don’t find the right person, we won’t go ahead with it.”

If Pollenizer does find the right person, Liubinskas says they will come on board as a co-founder for a new start-up. After six months, they will return to the US “and work on it from there”.

“We have some pretty worldly people in our team, but the US is a bigger league and being in that league – of such intensity – is different in itself,” he says.

“If we can get someone from the US with contacts there, that’s going to make that particular start-up that much stronger.”

Liubinskas says Pollenizer and the successful applicant will share equity based on how much each party invests.

In addition to being young – primarily for Visa purposes – he says Pollenizer is looking for “someone excited [and] passionate, who’s run start-up successes and failures”.

“We’re looking for someone who’s been working in start-ups… Someone who’s a business person, perhaps can go out and get customers,” he says.

“We’ve got a really strong technical team, so come to Australia and we’ll hook you up with that team, get a product in front of customers fast – a global product, a global business – and you can be a part of it.

“If you’re going to start a start-up, you’re going to work your butt off, you’re going to work 100 hours a week… Why not do it [in a place like Australia?]”

“For six months you’ll be… building businesses with a passionate, excited team, and you’ll be able to go back home, part-owner of an amazing growing company.”