The Patch SF Fellowship brings a small group of outstanding young people to San Francisco for around 10 days. It's not an open-application programme — it's something we run selectively for people we believe will benefit most.
The goal is simple: accelerate some of Ireland's most talented youth and raise their aspirations by placing them inside one of the world's most ambitious technology ecosystems.
A window into the world's tech capital
We recently ran the Fellowship for a second time, bringing 12 engineers from Ireland to San Francisco.
- Meet founders, engineers, researchers, and operators working on ambitious companies
- Spend time inside leading technology organisations
- Arrange their own meetings through cold outreach and curiosity
- Follow interests wherever they lead — software, hardware, robotics, AI, biotech, and more
There's no rigid curriculum. The Fellowship combines a strong core schedule with room for Fellows to explore independently.
Visiting Ulysses factory floor Warm introductions to San Francisco
Fellows receive a warm introduction to San Francisco through a mix of formal visits and informal conversations.
Plymouth Street fireside - Patrick Collison at Stripe
- Sarah Friar and the team at OpenAI
- Conversations at Y Combinator
- Irish founders building in SF at Solidroad, Forge Robotics, and Ulysses
Many people also help behind the scenes — hosting Fellows, inviting them to events, introducing friends, or simply taking the time to talk.
From the engineers' handbook
The problems being worked on were generally much bigger than the ones tackled in Ireland, and it made me feel incredibly motivated about technology and about my own future.
The fellowship was one of the best learning opportunities I've had. It's raised my ambition and drive to accomplish things. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of exposure I got to hardware companies and founders.
The trip was great, really increased my agency a lot. The experience of reaching out to ambitious people to learn from them is something that will really help me in future. The trip also exposed me to a lot of new ideas.