Celebrating Startup Journeys: People, Adventures, & Innovation Across the World

To the Startups, mentors, the people and the adventures we have taken together, I celebrate you. 

As a mentor deeply embedded in the startup ecosystems of Australia, US and Europe, I’m constantly inspired by the founders, innovators, and communities I have the privilege to work alongside. The real magic isn’t in the pitches, products, or funding rounds—it’s in the people and the shared adventures we embark on together.

The end of the year naturally invites reflection, but I believe we should celebrate our connections and experiences far more often—every quarter, every milestone, every unexpected detour. Some adventures exceed our wildest hopes; others teach us hard lessons. Both are worth acknowledging, learning from, and moving forward with gratitude.

It’s Always About the People

As a full-time digital nomad, I’m often asked, “Where’s your favourite place in the world?” My answer never changes:

“It’s not about the place you travel to; for me it’s always about the people and the experience created together.”
— Linda A. McCall

Places are the backdrop. People are the story.

When you pause to reflect, ask yourself:

• What value do I bring to the people I met?
• How could I have shown up even better?
• What did these interactions teach me?

These questions are just reflections for the individual—they’re private fuel for growth. Celebrating connections, even briefly, deepens your appreciation for life and reminds you that business, at its core, is simply relationships built on genuine giving.

A Year of Adventures and Impact

My partner Mark and I spent another year travelling full-time, connecting with innovation hubs, incubators, and regional communities across Australia and the United States. From Silicon Valley and Boulder to remote Queensland towns like Emerald, Bundaberg, Cairns, Yeppoon, Rockhampton, Mackay, Airlie Beach, and the Atherton Tablelands—we immersed ourselves in conversations with founders, farmers, and local leaders.

Our mission was clear: help small regional businesses and startups innovate, stay globally relevant, and help regional areas thrive using proven startup methodologies—mentoring, workshops, hackathons, and incubation programs.

What struck me most was how an outsider’s perspective can reignite local conversations. Sometimes it takes someone new to remind insiders of the strength already in their community.

How to Celebrate Your Year Meaningfully

Here are practical ways to honour the people and adventures that shaped your journey:

1. Honour the People Who Made It Memorable

Without the founders, mentors, collaborators, and communities who said “yes” to new ideas, the year would have been far less rich. Scroll through your LinkedIn connections, your messages, your memories—express gratitude for both the triumphs and the tough lessons. Every interaction taught you something.

Celebrate the regional entrepreneurs who showed courage by embracing startup thinking, testing bold ideas, and persisting through setbacks. Passionately solving real problems is remarkable in itself—even when the outcome isn’t perfect, the learning is priceless.

2. Celebrate What You Want More Of

As Tom Peters famously said, “Celebrate what you want to see more of.”

I’m grateful for every opportunity to serve the startup ecosystem, every “yes” to an adventure, and every community that welcomed us. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people chasing innovation creates momentum that carries forward into the next year.

Bringing Global Innovation Home to Regional Australia

After dozens of meetings with U.S. innovators, the clearest takeaway was this: innovation doesn’t have to be complex or intimidating. At its heart, it’s simply finding better ways to help people.

From the early days of Facebook solving a campus photo-sharing problem to today’s global platform, great innovations often start with a specific need and scale because they genuinely improve lives.

In regional Australia, we saw this in action:

• Swarm Farm Robotics in Emerald, revolutionising farming practices with autonomous robots.
• Artemis Submersible Robotics in Airlie Beach, pushing boundaries in marine technology.
• Countless other quiet innovators solving real local problems with global potential.

At the Future Agritech Challenge on the Atherton Tablelands, I watched founders pitch with extraordinary depth and confidence. Swarm Farm Robotics earned the right to represent Australia internationally—not through overnight success, but through years of persistence, mistakes, and relentless learning.

That is true courage: showing up fully when only one can win, knowing the journey itself transforms you.

The Heart of Innovation: Courage and Creativity

Bob Iger once said, “The heart and soul of a company is creativity and innovation.”

Yet too many small businesses risk fading because they grow comfortable and stop listening to changing customer needs. The businesses that thrive are the ones that observe human behaviour, adapt processes, and remain curious.

Technology is accelerating change, but human needs remain constant. The opportunity for regional Australia is enormous: solve local problems exceptionally well, and the world will take notice. Local is now global—social media, cloud tools, and e-commerce have removed almost every barrier.

The next decade will reward those willing to experiment, fail fast, learn publicly, and keep creating.

To every founder, mentor, community leader, and innovator I’ve met on this journey—thank you. I celebrate your courage, your ideas, and the adventures we’ve shared. Here’s to many more.

By Linda A. McCall