Daniel Mumby

"The School motto is about looking to the horizon and the future. You can't see the horizon if you are looking down at your feet!"

Daniel Mumby spent much of his school life as the ‘new kid’. His parents moved regularly which meant Daniel became adept at navigating new friendships and new environments.

“Every experience you have is never wasted because it gives you insight that benefits you at some point in your life,” he says.

He spent Years 9 and 10 at Yarra and initially felt like a square peg in a round hole, but connected around interests, including his love of computing.

“At Yarra I saw myself as a Technology Entrepreneur. I learnt to computer code in five languages and that was something that I doubt I could have done at any other school in the country at that time.”

Daniel made the most of the experiences on offer at Yarra and was part of the school magazine and the computer club. He spent the hour-long bus ride to and from school reading. He is still an avid reader and recommends Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich and the Bible as offering powerful insights.

“I read the Bible from an insight sense and to discover what context and understanding I can glean from others. It’s been around a few thousand years and there’s a lot of wisdom in it,” he says.

Known as That Startup Guy, Daniel has built a business out of looking towards the horizon. And as the founder of Startup Foundation venture studio, he inspires, develops and invests in aspiring entrepreneurs to create disruptive and innovative businesses. He’s built around 15 ventures so far, including not-for-profit initiatives. Along the way he has built knowledge, skills and networks.

“I don’t risk an idea to chance. I document my thoughts to work out where I am and where I want to get to. I join the lines between dots before people can see the dots. But resilience and getting up time and time again is what matters most in entrepreneurship. It’s not survival of the fittest – it’s about getting knocked down and getting up again. It’s survival of the most adaptable.

“What I am doing may or may not work, but I won’t die wondering. My father and my grandfather instilled in me that if you don’t try something, you will always have regrets.”

Daniel feels there is always a place in the world for young people who feel they don’t automatically fit into their school environment.

“I was quite bright but a bit disconnected from my social environment at school. I didn’t have a very long attention span and so I struggled a bit but it’s important to remember that school is where you start- it’s not where you finish,” he says.