Around the same time last year, not long after being given the tremendous privilege of running mLab Southern Africa, I wrote Steve Job’s famous quote “Here’s to the crazy ones” on the wall as you enter the mLab at The Innovation Hub. I did this in the hope that it would inspire those who enter as much as it inspires me. I guess this isn’t that unique as a quote like that probably adorns many a wall, but what I believe to be unique is that over the last year I have actually met these “crazy ones” every day and watched many of them achieve great things over the past 12 months.

So here’s to my “crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently”. Here’s to the student developers who pushed their efforts past the mandatory internships and put in the hours because they loved code, to the women who stood up as equals in tech, to the hackers who achieved great things with little sleep and little time, to the teams who found their way around their tired old laptops to still produce powerful & impactful services. Here’s to the developers who dreamed about using their skills and tech to not just build businesses but make lives better, to the innovators who looked at people first and who believe and strive for the humanity of tech, to the designers who thought this should be better! Here’s to the long hours you put in, the opinions different from your own that you respected. Here’s to the team makers: the ones who understood their own strengths and partnered with those who erased the weaknesses. Here’s to the industry and government partners who came on board to help drive our mission, to the ones who believe as much as we do and who trusted us. Here’s to our GEEKS who embraced their awesomeness.

Here’s to an amazing 2013 and to looking forward to an even better 2014.

To all of you I wish you a great festive season, time with loved ones and plenty of rest…never underestimate time to recharge and reconnect.

If you are traveling please stay vigilant and remember to keep your eyes on the road and off your screens 🙂

Seasons Greetings

Derrick Kotze