Plano

I’m excited to share that I will be working alongside the talented team at ANDHealth to support the delivery of the ACTIVATE program for 2025. I’m truly honoured to have been offered the role of Executive in Residence for this 6-month program, and I’m incredibly grateful to Bronwyn Le Grice, CEO of ANDHealth, for her trust and support. ANDHealth has been an inspiring success story in the startup ecosystem, and there’s much to learn from their journey. I would also like to extend my gratitude to LaunchVic for their ongoing commitment to helping Victorian startups launch and thrive in the Australian market and beyond. The ACTIVATE program has already made a strong impact in 2023 and 2024, thanks to its results-driven approach, mentorship, and the expertise of its exceptional team. I look forward to working with the team at CHICC, Melbourne. Grace Lethlean Tayla Turner (née Steckoll) Hayley Laing Bianca Merreyson Ellen Fennell Jo O'Brien Having launched Plano, a Singapore-based HealthTech start-up, in 2017, I’m excited to share the lessons I’ve learned along the way as its CEO (2017-2024) and currently as the Chair of the Board. I consider Singapore my second home, a wonderful place that has truly enhanced my entrepreneurial journey. I look forward to collaborating with the talented candidates of the 2025 ACTIVATE program and am confident that our interactions will be mutually enriching. For Victorian-based founders interested in joining the program, be sure to check out the link in the attachment – spots are limited! #ACTIVATE2025 #ANDHealth #Startups #Healthtech #Innovation #Mentorship #LaunchVic #Entrepreneurship #Growth #Leadership #StartupJourney Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore National Eye Centre Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) University of Melbourne

We're thrilled to announce that Associate Professor Mohamed (Mo) Dirani is joining us as our ACTIVATE 2025 Executive in Residence 👏 A/Prof Mo Dirani is an Australian entrepreneur, scientist and the founder of Plano, an award-winning health tech startup that leverages patent-protected technological solutions, educational tools and AI to address short-sightedness in children. Mo served as the company’s Founding Managing Director from August 2017 to March 2024 and now holds the position of Chair of the Board, while also being an active member of its Science and Innovation Advisory Group. Mo was pivotal in transitioning the company from concept to commercialisation, successfully secured seed to Series B funding, and drove the company’s growth across Singapore, Southeast Asia and China. Mo is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School, and an honorary Principal Investigator at the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA). As our ACTIVATE 2025 Executive in Residence, Mo will be joining us regularly at CHICC in Melbourne to provide mentorship, tailored advice and actionable feedback to our cohort companies. 🫶 We also wanted to take a moment to thank Duane Attree for serving as our ACTIVATE Executive in Residence in 2023 and 2024. Duane's mentorship has made a profound impact on our first two cohorts and he will continue to play a valuable role this year as an industry expert. Learn more about ACTIVATE and apply: https://loom.ly/kOn46Fw ACTIVATE is free for Victorian companies thanks to the support of our program partner LaunchVic.

Could not ask for a better CEO. His hosting skills are also top-notch. Thank you Yongqiang Cao. You inspire me. Here is a picture taken 2 days ago at the very impressive Forbidden City. Plano #China #Singapore #leadership #innovation #Hangzhou #Beijing #Shanghai

5 years to the day.   I ran a marathon in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa.   A worthy campaign to raise funds to help restore vision in thousands of children in Africa. No better foundation to make this happen than The Fred Hollows Foundation.   I was especially motivated to run the marathon in memory of my father, Abdul Dirani. The late Professor Hollows holds a special place in the hearts of the Dirani family. He saved my father’s eye in 1980 from a serious workplace injury. Dad’s corneal graft remained intact throughout his entire life, and for 33 years he would tell us the story of his life-changing encounter with Fred. At the time mum was pregnant with me, child number 10, so the surgery did not just save my father’s eye but allowed my parents to continue supporting what would become a family of 12.   “Caring about other people is what being human is all about” Fred Hollows.   Here are two pictures. One is with Francois Pienaar at a marathon eve breakfast and the other not so far from crossing the finish line. #givingback #Africa #marathon #vision #fredhollows Plano

A recent post by our CEO Yongqiang Cao! #leadership

While I explore opportunities for my next long-term appointment, I have been fortunate enough to take on advisory roles for start-ups (including Plano) and have officially become a mentor for reputable accelerator programs covering the APAC region. Although these roles only take up a little of time, they have been most fulfilling particularly at this juncture of my career.  One start-up that is certainly worth keeping an eye on was founded by fellow entrepreneurs A/Prof. Dr George YX Kong and Professor Algis Vingrys. They developed MRF Rapid Vision, an innovative online management system, focused on detecting and monitoring visual field defects for eye and neurological diseases. Their technology is clinically validated, licensed, IP protected, with its commercial value established.  They are now ready to take MRF to greater heights, aiming to further integrate MRF into clinical practice, home-based monitoring and telemedicine, grow business in Australia and expand internationally. Stay tuned as the company prepares to secure strategic alliances to make the above possible. Please feel free to reach out to George to learn more. Here is a inspiring video of George describing the vision of MRF in the very early days of the start-up. Almost 10 years ago. This video also demonstrates that start-ups, particularly Healthtech require years to mature. #mentorship #advisory #healthtech #innovation #entrepreneurship University of Melbourne The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital

An appreciation post and a walk down memory lane. I would like to express my gratitude to Singapore National Eye Centre, Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) & Duke-NUS Medical School for their continued support. These world-class institutes supported my shift in 2017 from a full-time researcher to Founder CEO of a Healthtech start-up, Plano. Special mention to Singapore National Eye Centre for facilitating the important steps to help make Plano market ready. In fact, Plano was the first spin-off from the SNEC-Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) ophthalmic Technologies Incubator Programme. Here is a selfie of me in my Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) office before phones had self-facing cameras. I believe it was shortly after completing my postdoc at National University of Singapore in 2008. Even years before entering the world of entrepreneurship, I would often think about life & impact beyond a H-index (number of manuscripts you publish and how often they are cited)… what other ways can we best use our research for impact? This post would not be complete without answering the cliché question. What advice would you give your younger self? Leap into the unknown as much as you like, but don’t expect many to follow. Where to next? #Australia #Singapore #Entrepreneurship #Science #Leadership

A congratulatory post for Pete and a reminder to trust the process.   I met Peter van Wijngaarden in 2013 at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA). His stellar reputation preceded him. Finished first in his medical school and ophthalmology training, led cutting-edge research into central nervous system remyelination as a fellow at the University of Cambridge and was winning 24-hour ultra-marathons at world championship races.  It was friendship at first sight. This was no accident meeting, but one planned by our dear friend Jonathan Crowston, who was the MD of CERA at the time.     We would often meet to discuss how we can best move the needle in eye research. One of the proposals was to help advance research into retinal imaging and neurodegenerative disease.  With the idea in mind and a small grant in hand, we made our way to The Florey more than 10 years ago. The significance of that first meeting was not entirely known to us at the time. Together, we then worked on landmark studies, with some of that work still undergoing until this day. In 2017, I moved to Singapore to launch a Healthtech start-up (Plano) and shortly after Pete was appointed as CERA’s Deputy Director.      Seven years on, Pete carried that initial idea we presented at The Florey and transformed it to what it is today. An innovative eye imaging technology to detect and manage Alzheimer’s disease. Looking back, we can now connect the dots, including that first meeting, that have led to Peter van Wijngaarden’s new appointment as The Florey’s Director and CEO. What a beautiful story and fit!  One day, I will visit Pete at the Florey and take a walk down memory lane.   Trust the process and always go that extra mile. Here are two pictures. The first was taken 20km or so into Melbourne’s marathon in 2014. Pete was kind enough to pace me for the first half. You only need to zoom in to realise that my running pace was Peter’s walking pace. The second was after another marathon, also in Melbourne in 2015. I’m smiling in that one because I ran it alone. If I’m not mistaken, Pete ran home after both those marathons… 😊 Peter van Wijngaarden Jonathan Crowston Eamonn Fahy The Florey Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) #trusttheprocess #career #impact #leadership

A congratulatory post for Pete and a reminder to trust the process.   I met Peter van Wijngaarden in 2013 at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA). His stellar reputation preceded him. Finished first in his medical school and ophthalmology training, led cutting-edge research into central nervous system remyelination as a fellow at the University of Cambridge and was winning 24-hour ultra-marathons at world championship races.  It was friendship at first sight. This was no accident meeting, but one planned by our dear friend Jonathan Crowston, who was the MD of CERA at the time.     We would often meet to discuss how we can best move the needle in eye research. One of the proposals was to help advance research into retinal imaging and neurodegenerative disease.  With the idea in mind and a small grant in hand, we made our way to The Florey more than 10 years ago. The significance of that first meeting was not entirely known to us at the time. Together, we then worked on landmark studies, with some of that work still undergoing until this day. In 2017, I moved to Singapore to launch a Healthtech start-up (Plano) and shortly after Pete was appointed as CERA’s Deputy Director.      Seven years on, Pete carried that initial idea we presented at The Florey and transformed it to what it is today. An innovative eye imaging technology to detect and manage Alzheimer’s disease. Looking back, we can now connect the dots, including that first meeting, that have led to Peter van Wijngaarden’s new appointment as The Florey’s Director and CEO. What a beautiful story and fit!  One day, I will visit Pete at the Florey and take a walk down memory lane.   Trust the process and always go that extra mile. Here are two pictures. The first was taken 20km or so into Melbourne’s marathon in 2014. Pete was kind enough to pace me for the first half. You only need to zoom in to realise that my running pace was Peter’s walking pace. The second was after another marathon, also in Melbourne in 2015. I’m smiling in that one because I ran it alone. If I’m not mistaken, Pete ran home after both those marathons… 😊 Peter van Wijngaarden Jonathan Crowston Eamonn Fahy The Florey Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) #trusttheprocess #career #impact #leadership