Timothy Sean O’Connell
Email: timothysean.oconnell@unibo.it
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/timothyseanoconnell
Present Posts
Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship, University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum)
Adjunct Professor, Bologna Business School (BBS)
Senior Partner & Director, H-FARM Entrepreneurship & Startup Center
Professor of Entrepreneurship & Marketing, H-FARM College
Co-Founder & Strategic Director, The Tailors – Brand & Digital Agency
Director, Competence Center for Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation, H-FARM Business School
Scientific Director of Entrepreneurship, H-FARM College
Responsibilities
Teaching & Academic Leadership
• Design and delivery of undergraduate, postgraduate and executive courses in Entrepreneurship, Digital Marketing and Innovation.
• Supervision of student projects and theses in entrepreneurship and digital business.
• Scientific direction of Entrepreneurship at H-FARM College, including curriculum design and integration of experiential learning.
• Coordination of student projects, internships and startup collaborations in areas of Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation.
• Academic leadership and content design for the Competence Center for Entrepreneurship & Corporate Innovation at H-FARM Business School.
Entrepreneurship & Startup Development
• Direction of the H-FARM Entrepreneurship & Startup Center, with responsibility for accelerator programs, pre-accelerators and student venture initiatives.
• Support for early-stage startups in business model design, go-to-market, fundraising readiness and investor relations.
• Design and leadership of venture-building initiatives connecting students, startups and corporate partners.
Open Innovation & Corporate Marketing
• Design and leadership of open innovation and startup-collaboration programs with global brands (e.g. Gucci, Toyota, YSL, Audi, Generali, Henkel, Adidas, Cisco, Vodafone).
• Advisory support to corporate teams on innovation strategy, venture building and startup engagement.
• As Strategic Director at The Tailors, lead brand, communication and digital marketing strategies that translate open innovation insights into market-facing campaigns and platforms.
Current & Previous employment
• Senior Partner / Entrepreneurship & Startup Center Director, H-FARM SpA
(Europe’s leading Innovation hub operating in entrepreneurship, innovation and education; 2010 – present)
• Co-Founder & Strategic Director, The Tailors – Strategy, Brand & Digital Agency
(Branding, digital and e-commerce consulting for leading Italian and international clients; 2015 – present).
• Managing Director, Wellness Ventures (Technogym Group)
(Innovation studio for new digital products, services and business models in the wellness sector; 2021 – 2023).
• Vice President & Co-Founder, Vinitaly Wine Club (DesignWine srl) – Exit
(Premium Italian wine e-commerce platform; acquired by Verona Fiere in 2020).
• President & Board Member, Zooppa – Exit
(Global crowdsourcing platform for advertising content; sold to Talent House Group, later listed on Swiss Stock Exchange).
• Global Marketing & Consumer Business Director, Technogym
(Led global marketing, product innovation and consumer business; member of executive team during growth from €200M to €400M and €450M investment by Candover).
Institutions Attended and Qualifications
• McGill University
MA, Political Science
o Student Lecturer in European Politics & Economy.
• University of Wisconsin–Madison
BA, Political Science (Graduated with Distinction)
o One-year field research program in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Professional activities, roles and memberships
• Board Member, Global Accelerator Network (GVN) – representing Europe.
• Co-Founder, European Accelerator Summit (EAS).
• Member, Club Alpino Italiano (CAI).
• Volunteer, Italian Civil Protection Agency.
Research/scholarship
Current and recent scholarly and practice-oriented work focuses on:
• Entrepreneurship
o Design and evaluation of accelerator and pre-accelerator programs.
o Pedagogies for experiential entrepreneurship education and startup-based learning.
• Open Innovation
o Corporate–startup collaboration models across sectors (fashion, mobility, finance, wellness, edtech).
o Structures and governance of innovation partnerships between large firms and startups.
• Digital Business & Marketing
o Digital business models, brand experience and customer journeys in wellness, e-commerce and lifestyle sectors.
o Impact of digital and AI-enabled marketing tools on entrepreneurship, go-to-market strategies and growth.
Outputs include course design, case materials, practitioner white papers, international talks and ongoing article projects in entrepreneurship and innovation.
