When FreshNetworks was invited to be one of the 20 UK tech start-ups to go on Web Mission 2009 I was understandably excited. A week long trip to San Francisco to hobnob with the best and brightest of Silicon Valley is any tech company’s dream come true. And for a social media company like FreshNetworks, it’s a particularly exciting opportunity to discuss this rapidly changing market and find out what our friends in California are up to.

We’re about half way through the trip now and it’s been a whirlwind. We started with an early morning flight from Heathrow made less painful by a VIP reception in the Virgin Atlantic lounge. On arrival in San Francisco we were greeted by TechCrunch and GPBullHound who hosted our first drinks reception – one in a series of many over the week. Still to come was a visit to Google and Microsoft HQs, meetings with the latest VC whiz kids, some industry parties and a bit of healthy conference networking at the Web 2.0 Expo in the city.

All in all, a great itinerary. But apart from the meetings and events, there’s the added bonus of spending a week with 19 other UK based entrepreneurs operating in the tech world. I love this kind of interaction because it inevitably inspires me to push further and do more – just the kind of impetus a plucky social media company like FreshNetworks thrives on.

Highlights so far include a fabulous brunch at Susan Best’s penthouse; Susan runs Best PR who represent Craigs List – a very cool social media site. I’ve also particularly enjoyed finding out about some of the other companies represented, from Huddle.net to Corebridge – both fantastic B2B products that help boost internal efficiency in project management and improve business telecommunications, respectively. Finally I’ve really enjoyed settling in to the laid back San Francisco way of life and I’m still hoping to throw on my trainers for a run across the Golden Gate.

Still to come: a day-long visit to Oracle’s Headquarters, our day at Web2.0 Expo and a VIP reception hosted by the British Consul General in San Francisco.

I’ll check in again later in the week to update you on how the trip progresses. But for now, back to talking social media and online communities with Silicon Valley’s finest.  

Find out how Charlie got in during the rest of the Web Mission trip in his second blog

Charlie Osmond is the CEO and co-founder of FreshNetworks , a social media company that builds, hosts and manages online communities for brands. The company helps brands leverage social media to connect and interact with customers, employees and stakeholders.