Looking back on a week of hectic activity with the Clean and Cool Mission at 3am in the morning hoping my body clock will recover soon, it occurs to me that one of the key elements of such a trip is the mix of individuals that are taking part. The fact that each one is hugely committed to making their particular business a success and is well down the road to achieving that aim has given the trip a great sense of purpose that might be missing from a different group.

There have been many highlights – the first night, discovering the delights of the local beers. A brunch hosted by Sue Mactavish Best which brought together a broad range of individuals, crammed together in Sue’s penthouse flat in the middle of the city, looking out at the…fog; A great talk by Kevin of Serious Materials, highlighting what local VCs look for and the need to have a local presence for them.

However two stand out above all others. The first – an evening at Michael and Xochi Birch’s amazing house in Pacific Heights, showing the whole contingent what can be achieved with a lot of application, great execution and a sprinkling of luck (sale of Bebo to AOL for $850m in 2008). The second was the reception at the British consul’s residence bringing together a diverse set of locals with the team from the UK. It seemed that everyone I talked to presented a business opportunity of one type or another. That is what a mission like this is all about; bringing people together that can create business for British companies.

Other activities were perhaps less successful such as the pitching event. The “Valley” VCs are clearly focused on dealing with people they know or at least who are known to their friends. Attending a pitching event is more about them gathering information about potential competition for their portfolio companies.

However, in spite of that I believe the Mission has been a huge success on all levels. Speaking personally it has created at least two major business opportunities, connected Juice with a number of members of the investment community with global connections and significantly raised the company’s profile. Finally I signed a license deal with a business group in Northern California.
Job done I think! Huge credit to all the organisers and sponsors – sign me up for the next one.

Ian Turner is the founder and CEO of green lighting firm Juice Technology and is took part in the Clean and Cool Mission

Read his first blog