Morning Tech Brew: Connecting Over Coffee in the Heart of San Francisco

The early morning buzz of my iPhone alarm jolted me awake. Today wasn’t just another day ladies and gents... it was another chance to network, to connect with like-minded people over coffee & to see where these connections might take me. 6:45 in the AM - It was gym time & since it's usually empty that early, I had the place all to myself. I don't know about you, but I like to start with the Stairmaster for some quick cardio, then hit the bench press and finish with curls. Note: I usually don't skip leg days but today I made an exception. Afterward, I jogged home, took a shower, and made breakfast. By now, you might be wondering why I woke up so early. Well, let's just say I had somewhere important to be.

Though I was cutting it close, I still managed to shower, eat, and grab a Spin scooter to head to the Lower Haight area in reasonable time. The cool morning air felt refreshing as I "spun" (pun intended) down San Francisco’s streets. It reminded me of my days working as a drone pilot for CyberHawk (but more on that another time).

After about 15 minutes, I decided to walk the rest of the way, parking the scooter in a safe spot. It felt good to stretch my legs as I walked past old apartment buildings & bakery shops toward the meeting area near a public park. People were already gathered, sipping coffee and chatting. The sun had started to shine more brightly, adding some warmth to the morning. I spotted what I guessed was the networking group I had signed up for on Luma—a circle of people deep in conversation. I walked up and asked, "Hey, is this the group from Luma?" A voice replied, "Yes, welcome please have a seat." This was Nune, the host of the "Morning Tech Brew" networking. Shout out to her for making everyone feel welcome. I’ve been to events where the host doesn’t even show up, so having her there greeting everyone was a nice touch.

The group itself was just as friendly. One person even looked for an extra chair for me since most of them were taken. I ended up finding a spot between two guys who turned out to be good company. The guy to my left was an engineer from Hungary, and we introduced ourselves, talking about how tough the job market has been and sharing our favorite areas to visit in San Francisco. The guy to my right had a startup, though I can’t recall the name right now but I'll be sure to ask him next time we cross paths.

You'd think in a big city like San Francisco you wouldn’t run into the same people at events, but it happens more than you’d expect. I ran into "Arief", a guy I had met just two days earlier at a "Joe & the Juice" in SF. His startup is similar to Duolingo, focusing on language learning with a target audience in East Asia. They already support six languages and have plans to add more. We recognized each other instantly, exchanged smiles, shook hands, and then he pulled up a chair between another group of attendees.

Once everyone finished arriving, Nune had us introduce ourselves in a circle. When it was my turn, I shared that I work as a drone pilot with four years of experience and mentioned that I’m now expanding into cybersecurity. I also explained my reason for attending: to make genuine connections with everyone there. This is something that's always been my goal at these events.

After the introductions, we split into smaller groups to chat more. I reconnected with Bence, the engineer from Hungary, and met a few others. We exchanged LinkedIn info, shook hands, and said our goodbyes. If you’re looking for a great way to kick off your morning, I highly recommend checking out "Morning Tech Brew" on Luma. There’s something special about starting your day with like-minded people, sipping coffee, and having great conversations. It made my day, and for that, I’m grateful. Cheers!