The Hacker Exchange with Jeanette Cheah
Case Study: Innovative Student exchange program
Jeanette Cheah is a co-founder and CSO of The Hacker Exchange (HEX) – global immersive innovation program that allows Australian students get the experience they need in the startup world. HEX’s mission is to connect the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders with the opportunities, passion & networks that can only be found in the innovation capitals of the world.
HEX graduates find their path in many directions, from fintech and corporate strategies to non-profit startups. How do we know students love the leadership by Jeanette? That’s easy. We found some alumni of the HEX travel program among members of the HEX family.
The Hacker Exchange Story
In February 2017, HEX brought the first group of travelers from Australia to boot camps and educational programs in Silicon Valley. Within 15 days students not only obtained the knowledge but got to practice the skills they would need to succeed in a competitive startup environment. The HEX participants received comments and constructive criticism from experienced mentors, and built personal and professional connections for the rest of their lives, and from one small group, The Hacker Exchange has now mentored over 150 young founders.
How is HEX different
HEX is a not a cookie-cutter travel program. It is designed to give students unique opportunities they are looking for. With optional events and personalized itineraries by YouLi travel platform, every participant can build their path even before the trip starts, so the job of HEX leaders is to empower students in that choice.
How It Started
Jeanette was working in banking innovation while also teaching business skills to design and technology students in Melbourne while Bevis Cheng, residing in San Francisco, had been working in angel investing and had built great connections with the startup community. Together they saw the opportunity in a gap between the theory provided at the academic level, and practical knowledge required for success in a crazy startup world. They set the goal to create the opportunities for Australian talent to shine on a global scale, and to create skills and capabilities to become next generation leaders.
Jeanette is our group leader Hero, and we are proud to provide the technology to support HEX grow. After we helped HEX with their first trip to San Francisco, they launched another 7 trips in 2018 and have expanded into two more cities. In 2019 Jeanette’s team is planning to connect over 100 more students to their networks in San Francisco, Singapore, and Tel Aviv, and it’s all powered by YouLi – Best Software For Organizing Group Trips.
What's Next
What Do The Students Say?
“Running our first program I was blown away by the transformation that we saw in our students. From day 1 to day 15 they all created amazing change in themselves from a personal perspective, then in their careers, and I really think that they are set up to be amazing future leaders for Australia.”
Original Group Travel Challenge
15 Days
18-25 Participants
Over 30 activities
that changed up to the last minute
Students need easily understandable and visibly appealing itineraries
with a packed schedule of workshops, talks, and meet-ups
Trip leaders need the ability to successfully manage mandatory and optional events
All users need access to up-to-date trip information from mobile device
Visits with organizations like Google, Stanford University, Eventbrite, Zendesk required high level coordination
with frequent updates to schedules communicated instantly across the board
Available for all YouLi clients
Personalized Itineraries
General & Optional events designed to maximize each student's opportunities
Automated Emails
Updates and reminders automatically sent out to students - confirmations sent to HEX staff when tasks are done.
Team Communications
No emailing spreadsheets around. All documents are synchronized.
Registration Pages
Students confirm commitment to get their personalized view
Branding
YouLi is a white-label solution, so YouLi Travel Pages look and feel like HEX travel portals.
Tasks for Travelers
It's better to double-check than to forget an important document, insurance, or a boarding pass, especially when travelling to the US!
HEX Co-Founder, Jeanette Cheah, about YouLi Software
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