I Went On A 4-Hour Mystery Train Ride Across Ireland With Billionaires, Actors And CEOs - Here's What Went Down
"I'll be staying at a hotel in Dublin called Buswell's for 4 of the 5 nights. On Friday night, I'm getting kidnapped. I'm being taken on some 'mystery train' trip overnight, and I have no idea where we're staying. So if I die that day, I don't know what to tell you."
The "mystery train" was organized by Paddy Cosgrave, a prominent tech figure in Dublin who organizes a 20,000 person conference, Web Summit, and a smaller invite-only event called F.ounders. F.ounders rounds up a few members of the press, leaders of valuable startups, top venture capitalists, and celebrities. Attendees this year included model Lily Cole, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, and actor Adrien Grenier. F.ounders organizes trips, dinners and networking events that result in rapid bonding, limited cell phone use, and lasting business relationships.
The week before F.ounders, all 250 attendees received an email. A potion of the email read: "For the first time we are all leaving Dublin on a mystery train the morning of the 7th! We have taken care of all of the logistics, all you need to remember is to bring a small overnight bag."
On Saturday morning, we were told to be ready by 10 AM, where we'd then be transported to a mysterious location in Ireland. I checked out of my hotel with a toothbrush, deoterant and change of clothes, and told the concierge I'd hopefully be back in 24 hours.