The FINANCIAL — Aston University graduate Mike Bandar is currently launching Hopper, an innovative scheduling tool for social media network Instagram.
Hopper allows brands to schedule their Instagram posts for a specific date and time, which the application will then post on their behalf. Users can also edit their photos online and upload their images from multiple sources, according to Aston University.
The company already currently has several household brands and multiple agencies on board, eagerly awaiting their launch in mid-March where Hopper will go live immediately posting to accounts with a combined reach of over 10 million followers
Mike, former Aston Business School graduate, said of his new business: “Instagram currently has more users and a higher level of engagement than Twitter, so it’s becoming really important for brands to have a strong presence on Instagram. There’s nothing like Hopper out there at the moment, and we’re constantly looking at improvements and new ideas to make marketers’ lives much easier.”
Hopper is one in a portfolio of businesses for entrepreneurial Mike and his business partner James Vardy, who have a range of businesses specialising in fitness supplements, paintball day trips and online shopping amongst others. The duo have built a core specialised team under Turn Partners, their portfolio company which they look forward to growing into new industries and seizing new opportunities.
Mike’s career has also seen him sit on the Young Directors committee for the West Midlands, reach the finals of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Future Face of Business Award, and be shortlisted for BQ West Midlands’ Emerging Entrepreneur Award.
Mike, who credits his time at Aston University and help from the BSEEN programme (Birmingham Skills for Enterprise and Employability Network) as providing a platform for his career, also regularly provides mentoring experience to current Aston University students keen on developing their own enterprises.
He said: “Being part of the BSEEN programme was fantastic for me – being able to have incubator space and great networking opportunities helped get me to where I am today. The support I’ve had from Aston has been more than what I’d ever imagined, I feel like a whole community is behind me.”
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