So long and thanks for all the startups

After four years, my time at Startup Daily has come to an end, so in classic startup fashion, I thought I would write a post saying goodbye.

The art of the goodbye Medium post is just one of the countless things I’ve learned from the startup community over the years – and I had to learn a lot. If you had asked me on my first day to explain what a startup is, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you (if you read any of my early articles, you probably noticed).

It’s been a fascinating journey getting to know this space over the last four years and watching it grow – back then, I was far from the only person outside the ecosystem who had never heard the term ‘startup’. I came on board in January 2015, when the stereotypical image of a startup founder in Sydney was someone working out of their spare bedroom or garage rather than out of a coworking space.

The end of that year saw Malcolm Turnbull launch his ideas boom and push the startup ecosystem – for however brief a time – into the national spotlight.

While the community always pushes for more, the growth over the last few years has been incredible to watch. Of course, there’s still more work to be done, but this is a goodbye post, so: take a second to reflect on how far it’s all come!

There’s more funding for Australian startups than ever before, state governments around the country are investing in programs and infrastructure for their startup communities, and coding and entrepreneurship programs are making their way into schools.

As the community has grown, I have had the immense privilege of being able to share its stories. To everyone who has ever taken the time to chat, explain their work to me, and trusted me with their story: thank you! I have been able to meet some incredible, inspiring people across Australia through Startup Daily and I will always be thankful for that.

Of course, Startup Daily and the work it does isn’t a solo effort.

I want to thank Pinstripe Media for taking a chance on Startup Daily and helping it grow. In particular, thank you to Team Publishing at Pinstripe for all the snacks, laughter, and most importantly, support and friendship. Startup Daily is in the very best of hands with Pinstripe and its future is very bright; I can’t wait to see how it grows.

I also want to pay tribute to those I worked with before Startup Daily became this brand-spanking beautiful site that you’re reading today.

Prior to its acquisition by Pinstripe 18 months ago, Startup Daily was like a startup itself: we were a tiny team that constantly punched above its weight despite all the ups and downs of the startup rollercoaster. My former colleagues Liz Leigh and James Ward are world-class creators and two of the loveliest people you will ever meet, while in the inimitable Tricia Albulario I gained a second sister.

So here we are!

The biggest thank yous go out to you, the readers, who keep coming back to read Startup Daily, and above all, those of you who have allowed Startup Daily to tell your story. Our team is inspired every day by the work you do and the companies you’re building.

With that in mind, if you have a story to tell, you can get in touch with the team at [email protected]

Or, if you are a digital editor passionate about startups and are keen to join the editorial team, we’re hiring!

You’ll spot my byline on the site a few more times over the next couple of days as a couple of final articles are published, but after that, that’s it from me.

So long and thanks for all the fish startups.