People (who have a lot of time on their hands) have been asking me what was my most vital contribution to the Irish Roundtable in the Valley tech conference at Stanford University Faculty Club on 9 May.
Was it perchance securing the participation of global work & productivity authority Erik Brynjolfsson or what will undoubtedly be valuable input from Anna Patterson who previously headed up Google AI seed fund Gradient Ventures and now has a new start-up Ceramic.ai?
Or even roping in Chair of the Irish Caucus in the State Legislature Matt Haney and Gubernatorial candidate (and Belfast Homecoming honouree) Betty Yee?
Actually, all those accomplishments are indeed meritorious but they don't hold a candle to the fact that we've managed to entice Andytown Coffee Roasters founders Mickey McCrory & Lauren Crabbe (pictured above) to provide us with their wonderful brews to keep our conference attendees caffeinated (i.e. awake!).
There are lots of things that lift me up on visits to San Francisco but none compare with visiting one of the Andytown Coffee outlets which pepper the Bay Area.
Michael's a West Belfast emigré and we're proud of both him and his partner (in life and business) Lauren.
They know a thing or two as well about setting up and running a small business so you never know, they might just be invited not only to set the table but to speak at our gathering as well.
Big thanks to our friends, speakers and Honorary Chairs for making it possible for Andytown gal Connla McCann of Aisling Events to convene the first-ever gathering of tech leaders from Belfast and their Californian peers in the heart Silicon Valley.
If you find yourself 6,000 miles west of Belfast on 9 May, make sure you have picked up your ticket here here (and remember building highways is an expensive business).
