2 ms·

Ask HN: any startups in southern Virginia

3 points by movingsoon 16y ago

Does anyone have any insight in to the startup scene, if one exists, in southern Virginia? (south eastern, more specifically) I'm thinking about moving to the area for family reasons and it would be great to get a broader picture than what I've learned from Craigslist and semi-random Google searches (companies, jobs, networking, etc.)

mindcrime 16y ago
I don't know for sure, but for what it's worth... I live a few hours from that area (Chapel Hill, NC), and am a lifelong resident of NC, so I know a little bit about our neighbor to the north, and I haven't heard much at all about a startup scene in SE Virginia. When I think of that area I think of Norfolk as being fairly blue collar town, dominated by the shipping and railroad industries, and the US Navy. Virginia Beach seems more like a party town. OTOH, it's not so far away to the NOVA/DC area, which does seem to be a little more vibrant for startups. There's even a NOVA/DC "Hackers News Readers Meetup." http://www.meetup.com/Hacker-News-NOVA-DC/ http://www.meetup.com/Hacker-News-NOVA-DC/ Maybe pinging those folks would net some useful info.
- movingsoon 16y ago
  Thanks. Your impressions of the area are similar to mine, so far. I'll definitely check out the NOVA/DC group. That's a little far for anything regular but it's great to know about.
charliepark 16y ago
Hey there. I'm in Williamsburg, and would be happy to connect and fill you in on what I know. I don't know much further down the peninsula (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, etc.), or the area around Suffolk et al., but I'd be happy to chat about what little is in the area. Where are you moving? It depends on what, exactly, you're looking for. There are a few Meetup groups in the area (Ruby, etc.) There aren't many startups, especially not YCombinator-style web apps. But there are a few of us. My e-mail is posted at http://charliepark.org http://charliepark.org, so if you'd rather connect directly, that's cool. Or post here. Whatever works for you.
- movingsoon 16y ago
  Thanks. This is a great start. I sent you an email.

3 points by movingsoon 16y ago

mindcrime 16y ago

I don't know for sure, but for what it's worth... I live a few hours from that area (Chapel Hill, NC), and am a lifelong resident of NC, so I know a little bit about our neighbor to the north, and I haven't heard much at all about a startup scene in SE Virginia. When I think of that area I think of Norfolk as being fairly blue collar town, dominated by the shipping and railroad industries, and the US Navy. Virginia Beach seems more like a party town. OTOH, it's not so far away to the NOVA/DC area, which does seem to be a little more vibrant for startups. There's even a NOVA/DC "Hackers News Readers Meetup." http://www.meetup.com/Hacker-News-NOVA-DC/ http://www.meetup.com/Hacker-News-NOVA-DC/ Maybe pinging those folks would net some useful info.

movingsoon 16y ago
Thanks. Your impressions of the area are similar to mine, so far. I'll definitely check out the NOVA/DC group. That's a little far for anything regular but it's great to know about.

charliepark 16y ago

Hey there. I'm in Williamsburg, and would be happy to connect and fill you in on what I know. I don't know much further down the peninsula (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, etc.), or the area around Suffolk et al., but I'd be happy to chat about what little is in the area. Where are you moving? It depends on what, exactly, you're looking for. There are a few Meetup groups in the area (Ruby, etc.) There aren't many startups, especially not YCombinator-style web apps. But there are a few of us. My e-mail is posted at http://charliepark.org http://charliepark.org, so if you'd rather connect directly, that's cool. Or post here. Whatever works for you.

movingsoon 16y ago
Thanks. This is a great start. I sent you an email.