My input from the Portugal: http://lists.paradigma.pt/pipermail/tce/2007-October/000128....
Why to Move to a Startup Hub
41–50 of 96 posts
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#42There are many factors to consider in evaluating the value of a move. Depending on the nature of your startup, it may be more or less valuable to make the move to the Valley. Here's a few factors that seem relevant to that evaluation. 1. Access to capital If your company has large upfront capital requirements, then being in a setting with VC's who aren't afraid to take a risk has obvious benefits. However, a lot of w…
> There will be more extraordinary programmers in the MIT CS program, but they will still be there at Podunk State University, and if you're careful and aim high, you'll have a real shot at getting those people onboard.
I don't think this is the case. I went to another Canadian university (Queen's), and in my opinion there were perhaps 2 or 3 first-rate programmers in the entire undergraduate program. I'd expect there to be 10x or more that number in a typical Waterloo class. Depressing, perhaps, but true in my experience. There's a strong clustering effect: the best programmers want to be wherever the other best programmers are.
It's interesting that a similar effect doesn't apply in theoretical physics...
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#43I know some people were asking of other cities.
I have folks over here in Portland that I visit, usually I'm in LA or SV sometimes. It's a dramatic shock the types of friends you make, even if you try.
For example, if you're in Portland and try coder or Linux groups, the forums are dead a lot, the Meetup groups are the same way. Ask around successful people about who they know. Your network will be limited.
It all adds up in differences.....
The advantage is that you can get the feel of people who aren't bent on startup -> domination, which is probably the majority of your customers.
Think of it like the art of personal maturing by living for a few years in a different country. Gives you major perspective and altitude.
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#44What's your opinion about basing your start-up where the bulk of your customers are? For example, if you're gearing your product for use by the public sector, shouldn't you be based in the Virginia technology hub that supports Washington DC?
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#45Paul, here is another point to backup your premise: one of the best ways to meet potential investors/acquirers is to go to the same social events that they do. If you live in the same place as them, even if you aren't going to a startup-oriented social event, you still have a good chance of running into them and striking up a conversation. Case in point -- my cousin wants to make movies. So he decided to move to LA a…
In essence: You can't win the lottery if you don't play.
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#46"And just as Jews are ex officio allowed to tell Jewish jokes..." I don't think "ex officio" is really appropriate here (although I'm sure we all knew what you meant), since being Jewish isn't strictly speaking an office which is held. Perhaps ex genesis ("by right of birth") or ex sanguinis ("by right of blood") would be more appropriate?
Hmmm... this depends on how long you lived in England. I was born in the UK too, but I moved to SF when I was 10 months old. The rest of my family was all born in the US - mom, dad, older sister, younger brother. And I sound like I'm from California, not from England. I may have a UK passport, but I don't think I'd be allowed to pass off any jokes about England as self-deprecating humor (excuse me - humour). This rem…
I'm Irish. I don't know how entitled I am to make jokes about the English, but I am eager to.
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#47If I could, I would move my start up to SV in a flash. Its not just the VCs there but also the angels, where else can you find engineers who are worth 7 figures and can comfortably work for free or even invest themselves?
But this is an almost exclusively US club if you currently have a start up. It takes years to get a visa and go that route unless you already have, I believe over $1.5 million funding, which somewhat defeats the purpose of the move which would be to raise money primarily.
So if you have a start up in London and are not a US citizen and do not already have millions in funding you simply cannot move to Silicon Valley.
So if you are not a US citizen get a job there for the visa (not at all easy, remember all of this years allotment of visas disappeared on the first day) and work on your start up on the side or get the funding and go.
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#48There are many factors to consider in evaluating the value of a move. Depending on the nature of your startup, it may be more or less valuable to make the move to the Valley. Here's a few factors that seem relevant to that evaluation. 1. Access to capital If your company has large upfront capital requirements, then being in a setting with VC's who aren't afraid to take a risk has obvious benefits. However, a lot of w…
> There will be more extraordinary programmers in the MIT CS program, but they will still be there at Podunk State University, and if you're careful and aim high, you'll have a real shot at getting those people onboard. I don't think this is the case. I went to another Canadian university (Queen's), and in my opinion there were perhaps 2 or 3 first-rate programmers in the entire undergraduate program. I'd expect ther…
I don't know much about Queens (I just moved to Canada), so I'm not sure if this is the kind of comparison I had in mind. I was thinking of the comparison between a top regional University, where there may be 1-3 (typically) students graduating each year who could become theoretical physicists, while at MIT there will be dozens. Would you say Queens is a top regional University in Canada?
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#49paul, there seem to be two ways to measure the 'hubness' of cities: volume (ie. overall number of startups), and density (startups per-capita, or perhaps startups as a percentage of the economy). There may be other measures. Which do you think are the important ones?
Re: Why to Move to a Startup Hub
#50I agree. You'll have to go where the funding is. Silicon valley is where the action is. If you are serious, you must be there.
This does not mean others will not be successful. But you are fighting the odds, really.