At 3:00am on a frosty spring morning, we assembled at Edinburgh airport, bleary-eyed and excited for the adventure to come.
And what an experience lay ahead of us: six days in sunny California to absorb the infamous Silicon Valley mindset, build global friendships and create new opportunities beyond Scotland's shores.
Alongside the Startup Grind Scotland team - Nick Murray, Dec MacLaughlin, Caroline Melendez, Emma Loedel and myself - were 20 of Scotland's most exciting high-growth technology business founders.