‘Technology unlocks dreams’: Zolo’s Franz Siasat on inking a deal with Canva and taking on SME tech waste

During Franz Siasat’s quiet morning meditations, he often envisioned forming a partnership with the runaway success story Canva. Siasat, the founder of Zolo, made that meditative vision a reality this week.

The B2B waste manager helps SMEs tackle e-waste and end-of-life technology without causing undue damage to the environment — or to a business’s data security — with existing partnerships with Zip Co, Eucalyptus, Lyka, and Bank Australia.

Australia is of the world’s top producers of e-waste, ranking fifth with 21.7kg of waste per person in 2019. Every year, 88% of the 4 million computers end up in landfill, contributing to over 140,000 tonnes of electronic waste.

Siasat founded Zolo during the early days of the pandemic in 2020, making a courageous decision to ditch his corporate job and channel his life savings into a “strong vision to make a positive impact on society,” he tells SmartCompany.