Mat Jacobson’s latest business venture, Dūcere, sees him combine his business and philanthropic skills. Dūcere ranks as Australia’s leading online education provider in an industry that generates approximately $A3.3 billion in revenue.20 Jacobson’s vision, as articulated in the video interview above, gives people practical business knowledge from experts and world leaders. For example, Seek founder Andrew Basset tells students about how to create a digital brand, while the interview with Lindsay Fox is about how to get the outcomes you want out of a negotiation. Jacobson is trying to solve the problem in academia that students are regularly taught courses by professors with high academic credentials lacking in all work experience outside of the university’s gates.
The company’s foundation, funded through the business’s profits, helps develop the education systems in the third world and developing nations. “It’s self-funding philanthropy. We have dozens of staff working across Africa, but it’s all funded through our own activities,” he says. Dūcere’s program is developed by a faculty of global leaders such as former prime minister John Howard, ex-Qantas chief executive Margaret Jackson, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His team includes experienced staff including Di Fleming, President and CEO of the Australia Africa Business Council in Victoria, and a National Director.
Prior to Dūcere, Jacobson established three businesses in the tertiary education space, two property investment companies in Australia and the United States, and a technology incubator in Melbourne. He’s also worked as a lawyer in Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom and he’s established a foundation to improve education in Africa. Jacobson sold his last business Origin Human Resources for $20 million. The company was the leading online provider of business and financial services training programs and boasted clients such as KPMG and most major government agencies. In its first year of business, Dūcere is predicted to turnover $1.5 million. I was personally drawn to learn more about Mat Jacobson because of his social enterprise approach, an important new movement in business and entrepreneurship. I honestly believe Mat’s goal is to developing Dūcere into a truly unique online learning option for students seeking expert advice in their field of study.
Sources:
https://ducere.education/about-us/staff/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCPJzqWLVco
https://www.celebrityspeakers.com.au/di-fleming/
https://www.smartcompany.com.au/entrepreneurs/influencers-profiles/meet-ducere-s-founder-mat-jacobson/#:~:text=Webinars-,An%20entrepreneur%2C%20a%20lawyer%20and%20a%20philanthropist,Meet%20D%C5%ABcere’s%20founder%20Mat%20Jacobson&text=Mat%20Jacobson%20isn’t%20your,a%20technology%20incubator%20in%20Melbourne.