Incubator Manager at HighFive

Halmstad Business Incubator AB · Full-time

Kyrkogatan 5, Halmstad, Sweden

HighFive is Halmstad's innovation arena for you who want to start, develop or establish a business in Halland. We work closely with Högskolan i Halmstad, the business community and other actors in the innovation system. We are eleven employees growing toward fifteen, with about thirty contracted business developers and a research team around us. We offer, among other things, qualified business development in our incubator process, meeting place and a project arena where we run several innovation projects in collaboration with Högskolan i Halmstad and other actors. Contributing to societal development, sustainability and gender equality is an important part of HighFive. Our focus areas are digitalization & data-driven innovation, human-centered AI, cybersecurity and sustainability where we have unique expertise in human-centered AI. In Halmstad we have an approach characterized by courage and innovation and we work together to make a difference for residents, visitors and entrepreneurs through excellent service. HighFive operates locally, works regionally, has national responsibility and a global perspective. Your responsibilities You are responsible for the entire eighteen-month incubator program – from admission, needs analysis and matching with the right support, business developers and networks to ongoing check-ins and resource prioritization. You provide early-stage companies with qualified support in areas such as business model, market, customer value, scalability, sustainability, financing and implementation capability, while also procuring consultants and coaching the program's business developers based on our methodology and values. You also create an attractive and present incubator environment with a strong focus on community building, market the program, attract relevant ideas and companies, build relationships with academia, business, investors and the public sector, and follow up on results and lessons learned to continuously develop our processes, methods and offerings. We see that you are business-minded, curious and relationship-building and enjoy seeing potential in both people and ideas. You are equally comfortable in close conversations with entrepreneurs as in dialogue with investors, business, academia and other actors who together with us can open new opportunities. An important part of the role is leading and developing the incubator program itself. Our environment is changing rapidly through AI, digitalization and the sustainable transition. Therefore, our incubator also needs to continue evolving. You become an important part in challenging our methods, testing new approaches and ensuring that our offering stays at the forefront. But an incubator is more than processes and programs. It is people, relationships and community. Therefore, you are present in the environment several days a week, build relationships with entrepreneurs and contribute to a community where people share experiences, help each other and grow together. You are also involved in creating inflow by making the incubator visible and attracting new ideas, entrepreneurs and companies with potential. You build bridges between startups, established companies, academia, the public sector, investors and other parts of the innovation system. Through these relationships you create opportunities that our entrepreneurs could not have created on their own, while also strengthening HighFive's and Halland's position as a place for innovation and entrepreneurship. Your qualifications We are looking for someone who has themselves built companies and has current knowledge of what that means today. Digitalization and AI are not side activities to company building, but part of the core, and a large portion of the companies we work with are driven by the ambition to solve a societal or climate problem. Requirements Post-secondary education or equivalent knowledge acquired through work experience Experience building and developing companies, for example through business or operations development Current knowledge of digitalization and AI, and ability to translate it into support for entrepreneurs Experience with sustainable business development Experience with work based on networking and relationships Meritorious Own entrepreneurship Experience with project and process management Experience from tech companies and AI Relevant academic education What we offer you With us you get to shape the next step for HighFive's incubator and innovation arena, together with a team with lots of energy, knowledge, curiosity and courage to test new things. And because we think kindness is one of the finest words there is, we care as much about how we do things as what we accomplish. Other information & recruitment process The selection process begins when the application period has closed. If you meet the requirements you will receive tests to complete, followed by a phone check-in, competency-based interview and finally a candidate meeting. We always take references on final candidates. Competency interviews are scheduled for 5/10 and 6/10 remotely, followed by a candidate meeting in person on 9/10 or 12/10. We expect you to include a CV and answer the selection questions when you apply for the position. Selection questions replace a cover letter.