Y Not: Silicon Valley
32 comments
Good god. People, you sound like teeangers, or worse, like those girls that are hot in their town, are all "that", and think they can be actresses so they move to LA. They quickly find out they are thousands of other hot girls, and they are just merely average. They try to find acting jobs to make it "big", but eventually will be forced to wait tables, or work at starbucks.
SO, to all you guys that are deciding to move to SV:
1. What stops your "idea" from being successful where you are currently at? Can't you get your business/idea off the ground to a certain point, where you CAN actually get some kind of funding, and maybe have move with VC money, and not your credit card.
2. Do you really think that just by the fact that you come here, you will find everything paved in gold? And everything is going to resolve itself somewhow, and you going to meet that VC/angel and give you money?
3. Are you actually preparing to move to the SF Bay area well enough? Do you guys realise that rents and living expenses are thru the roof in here (NYC/Manhatan is the only place more expensive). Do you guys know how HARD (like in months) is to find a decent appartment. Make sure you get some temporary housing BEFORE coming here, or you will get screweded big time by thinking you can stay in ah hotel, and find a place in a week or so.
People, I don't want to rein your parada, but be realistic. If you have a very good idea/prototype/initial users, tell VCs. that you have the willingess to move to SV, and maybe move here when you get some funding.
Otherwise, you can come to SF (visiting) go to those tech parties, demos, to connect with potential investors. You don't need to move to SV to do that.
SO, to all you guys that are deciding to move to SV:
1. What stops your "idea" from being successful where you are currently at? Can't you get your business/idea off the ground to a certain point, where you CAN actually get some kind of funding, and maybe have move with VC money, and not your credit card.
2. Do you really think that just by the fact that you come here, you will find everything paved in gold? And everything is going to resolve itself somewhow, and you going to meet that VC/angel and give you money?
3. Are you actually preparing to move to the SF Bay area well enough? Do you guys realise that rents and living expenses are thru the roof in here (NYC/Manhatan is the only place more expensive). Do you guys know how HARD (like in months) is to find a decent appartment. Make sure you get some temporary housing BEFORE coming here, or you will get screweded big time by thinking you can stay in ah hotel, and find a place in a week or so.
People, I don't want to rein your parada, but be realistic. If you have a very good idea/prototype/initial users, tell VCs. that you have the willingess to move to SV, and maybe move here when you get some funding.
Otherwise, you can come to SF (visiting) go to those tech parties, demos, to connect with potential investors. You don't need to move to SV to do that.
I think you're really making a lot of pretty backwards assumptions about the kind of people who would still move to the bay area if they weren't accepted into YC.
My startup has 6 people who all quit their jobs more than a year ago and have been working for free full-time since then. We have bet everything on our idea and we're running out of time and money but unfortunately where we're located the kind of investors who are progressive enough to appreciate what we are doing just simply don't exist.
Long before we even knew YC existed we had already planned to move to SV to search for funding and launch in early-mid 2008. We have a fairly extensive network of people who can help us there. Really, it would be insane for us to try to raise capital anywhere else.
If YC had been in Boston this cycle we wouldn't have even applied.
My startup has 6 people who all quit their jobs more than a year ago and have been working for free full-time since then. We have bet everything on our idea and we're running out of time and money but unfortunately where we're located the kind of investors who are progressive enough to appreciate what we are doing just simply don't exist.
Long before we even knew YC existed we had already planned to move to SV to search for funding and launch in early-mid 2008. We have a fairly extensive network of people who can help us there. Really, it would be insane for us to try to raise capital anywhere else.
If YC had been in Boston this cycle we wouldn't have even applied.
I agree that being a hacker and moving to SF to try to make it big is like moving to Hollywood to make it big as an actress. The difference is that, as risk/benefits go, it makes sense.
Huh?
If you fail at being an actor, you can get a job....waiting tables, or something like that. If you fail at creating a startup, you can get a high paying job in someone else's startup.
I'm not suggesting people move to the bay area. I'm trying to organize those of us that are already here.
I've lived here for quite some time.
I've lived here for quite some time.
You're off on several counts. For one thing, it does not take months to find an apartment. If you're willing to spend a month you can find a great deal (relatively of course), if you need an apartment in a week you can just pay a little more.
More generally, if you aren't tied down with family obligations, move to Silicon Valley.
More generally, if you aren't tied down with family obligations, move to Silicon Valley.
OH really?
Renting is back to the dot boom craze levels.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/18/...
....
Average monthly rents in the region's financial and high-tech hubs have jumped more than 10 percent in the last year, and occupancy rates hover around 95 percent, according to a quarterly rental survey by RealFacts.
The average rent for an apartment in San Francisco stood at $2,243 in the third quarter, up nearly 12 percent from one year ago; in San Jose, the average rent also jumped 12 percent to $1,622, said RealFacts of Novato, which tracks rents in mostly large buildings across the nation.
.... A few years ago, after the dot-com implosion, landlords welcomed pets if it meant filling a vacant apartment. But Fougner, in his mid-30s, said online apartment searches turn up few that allow pets. Even then, he said, prices are usually at the very high end of his range - around $2,500.
Meanwhile, he has stopped going to open houses; even when Fougner would show up 15 minutes early, he found five or six people waiting.
"We might just end up getting a spot for $2,400 or $2,500 (a month), which will just make me sick every month writing that check," Fougner said. "But if it's not a dump and has a patio, then we'll want to stay home more anyway."
The average rent for an apartment in San Francisco stood at $2,243 in the third quarter, up nearly 12 percent from one year ago; in San Jose, the average rent also jumped 12 percent to $1,622, said RealFacts of Novato, which tracks rents in mostly large buildings across the nation.
.... A few years ago, after the dot-com implosion, landlords welcomed pets if it meant filling a vacant apartment. But Fougner, in his mid-30s, said online apartment searches turn up few that allow pets. Even then, he said, prices are usually at the very high end of his range - around $2,500.
Meanwhile, he has stopped going to open houses; even when Fougner would show up 15 minutes early, he found five or six people waiting.
"We might just end up getting a spot for $2,400 or $2,500 (a month), which will just make me sick every month writing that check," Fougner said. "But if it's not a dump and has a patio, then we'll want to stay home more anyway."
I've lived in SF for 3.5 years. You're grossly misrepresenting the rent situation.
Great job! I hope there's enough hungry teams that this gains momentum. I bet a small site like techstarsblog.com or startupweekend.com would keep the community active.
I'm totally in!
I know the Facebook group has been mentioned, but we need someplace to discuss logistics and whatnot.
I know the Facebook group has been mentioned, but we need someplace to discuss logistics and whatnot.
I'm for it! We've already taken the plunge and now are settled in MV. It's nice out here. Ran into the fuzzwich guys yesterday. Been to SuperHappyDevHouse and Googleplex. Come on out!
It's like nerd summer camp all year round out here, isn't it? (I came from Austin, which is pretty nerd-friendly, but the valley is just silly.)
I'm currently working on a site to help organize and keep this part of the community connected. I'll keep everyone updated if enough people are interested. Feel free to suggest any features you would like to see, along with any questions. [email protected]
Count us in on the getting together part. We can also host events at our SF SOMA office.
I am tired of bootstrapping and am just ready to find the right funding and put the pedal to the metal. I am 4 hours away, but am more then willing to make the drive I signed up for the facebook group.
How about using meetup.com? They seem to have a lot of decent tools built around this idea.
We have a space we might be able to use. I'm checking to see if it's cool. If it is, I'll start a Meetup group so we can get together and hang out and chat and compare notes.
Lets do!
I am interested to move to Bay Area and share apartments with like-minded folks
I am interested to move to Bay Area and share apartments with like-minded folks
Hi! I'm from Russia! :)
And I also want to move to the Bay Area. Agree on visas problems! Let's try to solve these problems Together!
Feel free to drop me an email: [email protected]
I am all for it, Lets do it!
in for meetups...applied to fb group
Because of the all the people move in, it's pretty expensive around here.
I've started a facebook group for us to organize, however, if someone has a better venue to discuss and get things rolling, by all means, post away.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5381210911
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5381210911
http://hackrtrackr.com shows all the ycomb readers in your area interested in a meetup. hopefully they provide their email in the profile.
Maybe a more relevant picture for the group would be a good idea?
[deleted]
Lets do it.