The Ignite visit to the Silicon Valley delivered a cocktail of inspiration, challenge, connection and most of all passion for the four NI participants who embarked on the trip to West Coast with PwC's Noel Culbert.
The trip was a voyage of new discovery from some of the participants, while for others it was an opportunity to maximise connections and meeting opportunities as the first intake of PwC Ignite programme participants come close to the end of their mentoring experience.
As a key focal point of everything technology, a Silicon Valley trip was identified as a must have within the suite of elements available to the Ignite participants under the programme and they all took up the offer last week as matters moved Stateside. The trip was a great success for all involved and we are pleased to have secured the Valley trip as a key component for next year's participants.
'inspiring me to think differently' was a common thread through the feedback from last week's visit
'Being encouraged to think bigger and move faster'
'Stepping out of the day to day and spending time with professional, intelligent self starters'
'The trip has taught me to focus my time on only on the things I can do for the business and avoid the low value tasks'
'At the Startup Conference I realised that Silicon Valley ideas are no better than Belfast ideas but they're bigger and brasher in their execution plans'
The Valley visit also provided a challenge to our participants but in a positive way, encouraging them to strive for more.
'We got first hand insights into the competitive landscape which will help focus our stategy going forward'
'Getting in-depth feedback on pitch, language and projections'
'Sharing the challenges, successes and generally encouraging each other was a real highlight'
Connection and networks is the key to how the Valley ticks. A combination of PwC networks, existing participant networks and a little bit of 'if you don't ask you don't get' saw over 20 meetings completed in 2 days, on top of the Startup conference and presentations on VC insights, legal pitfalls and M&A activity. The Valley wants to see the Valley succeed and to showcase itself to the rest of the world, hence if the person you are meeting isn't the right person to speak to...they will tell you who is!
The biggest highlight for PwC's Noel Culbert was the drive, passion and energy of our four participants....truly inspirational!! They engaged openly and honestly with each other, embracing the sharing of ideas, challenges and concerns around each of their journeys and this was a delight to be part of.
The major learning and feedback from this trip, which has already been profiled into next year's programme, is to undertake the Silicon Valley trip earlier in the process. For those budding start ups looking at this year's programme, get your applications in and your passports renewed!!
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