Dr Dan Swan Bio

Dan resides in Australia (Byron Bay and Sydney) and works out of San Francisco and Hong Kong, as well as the eastern cities of Sydney, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast across Australia. He has been involved with many successful startups and listed technology companies located in the US, UK, and Australia. Before the age of 30, he was part of a startup that, through a series of acquisitions, resulted in a NASDAQ IPO and eventual purchase by Oracle Inc—then the second-largest tech firm in the world.

Dan with his wife Sarah & family at their home in Byron Bay (picture: Country Style Magazine)

After exiting, Dan moved to Australia, completed an MSc in Sydney, and built an award-winning career in digital media. Before returning to startups, his corporate career culminated in a senior executive role where he was responsible for scaling multi-million-dollar technology platforms, generating revenue of ~$10M+.

Dan also holds a PhD in Innovation & Innovation Management and developed advanced methods of Social Network Analysis (SNA), data visualization, and systems thinking to evaluate transformation programs. His research has been published as book chapters, papers, and conference proceedings around the world. As a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, he worked on examining Interaction Design and open innovation practices as part of the Australian Cobotics Centre at the Queensland University of Technology.

Over the past decade, Dan has been deeply involved as an investor and mentor in building startup ecosystems, notably as the Founder of StartInno Ventures, out of which formed RealAR, an augmented reality platform that was part of the Techstars portfolio. Currently, as a Venture Partner, Dan leads early-stage investments across transformative sectors, including emerging technologies such as AI, AR, Robotics, and SpaceTech. As a Techstars alumnus, he enjoys mentoring and serving on advisory boards, sharing his insights with emerging entrepreneurs and innovators. Previously featured as one of Australia’s Top 100 Innovators by The Australian and a keynote speaker at Apple’s global event, Dan regularly speaks at leading global conferences and industry events.

Dan remains committed to responsible innovation, advocating for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles in line with the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI).

Join over 22,000 innovators and thought leaders who follow Dan on LinkedIn. Connect with him for insights, updates, and opportunities to collaborate in transforming industries. Visit Dan’s LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdanswan/

 
 

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