“Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory meets Disneyland”

Using physical intensity as a distractor to anchor late-stage founders to their peers.

Mission: Late-stage founders operate in a state of constant high-velocity pressure. The challenge was to deeply connect these founders to their peers by matching the intensity of their daily lives while simultaneously forcing them to slow down and reflect.

Design: I created ‘Summit Expedition’, a race through Tasmania that functioned as a physical metaphor for the founder journey. The design used physical intensity as a ‘distractor’ to break down corporate guards, allowing for deep peer-to-peer connection. We engineered the journey to balance high-stakes activities with structured reflection periods.

Impact: Created a permanent high-trust collective of founders, with 100 % of attendees citing the experience as a pivotal moment in their leadership development and signing up for the following year. The event is now an annual event in the Summit Club membership program.