4 ms·

I met one of the associate directors of Startup Chile last night at a Hackers & Founders event. These people are amazing. They are trying to revamp their econ

I met one of the associate directors of Startup Chile last night at a Hackers & Founders event. These people are amazing. They are trying to revamp their economy by changing the culture, and to do that, they want to import startup culture. So, their government has set aside $100M over the next four years to get 1,000 startups to come to Chile for six months and work. But even more than that, their vision is much larger. They want the program to become a success, so that other, less developed countries start similar programs. Their goal is to try and convince 10 other governments of developing countries to embark on similar projects. They are trying to hack their economy. And... it's working. I was shocked to heard that their applicant pool wasn't that large. Also, they are willing to take people at the idea stage. So, if you want to build your startup, and take part in one of the best economic hacks I've heard of in years... apply.

smogzer 15y ago
Free lunch ? Or do they want equity ? Can't leave Chile for X years ? Must have headquarters there ?
- andrewcooke 15y ago
  there's more discussion at http://www.quora.com/Startups-in-Chile/Would-you-develop-your-startup-in-Chile-if-the-Chilean-government-financed-your-company-with-40-000-USD http://www.quora.com/Startups-in-Chile/Would-you-develop-you... but in short there aren't that many catches - certainly no equity (i would guess that people here in chile realise 40k really isn't that much in american terms; the payoff is in the numbers and the culture, not taking a stake in your particular business) [edit: also, getting a visa here is not hard. you don't need to win that grant to come here. i arrived on a tourist visa (3 months, renewable to 6), got a job offer, and within a week of the offer had permission to work. and none of that was illegal. do bring some kind of certificate indicating your level of education, though(!)]
  - icey 15y ago
    Could you share some of your experiences working in Chile? Where did you move there from? Did you already know Spanish? Have you enjoyed living & working there?
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - deleted 15y ago
      [deleted]
    - andrewcooke 15y ago
      [having problems with hn slow response] see http://www.quora.com/Hows-life-in-Santiago-Chile http://www.quora.com/Hows-life-in-Santiago-Chile for more background. i am here because my partner is a chilean academic with tenure here. in general, it's a good place to live. personally, i am not the most outgoing or relaxed person on the planet, and sometimes living in a different culture - and it could be any other culture - gets to me. but the only negative thing i can think of about living here is that the work culture in large companies (my first job) emphasizes hours over productivity. if i were coming here to run a startup i would use a more results-oriented working environment (i don't care if you work at home, but you fucking get stuff done) as an incentive. a lot of people really hate the enforced long hours. you need to speak spanish. but people will be friendly and tolerant when you screw up. you can learn while you are here. a chilean lover is as good a way to learn as any ;) PS - just thought of a negative (as i went outside). the winter air quality in santiago is terrible. if you have asthma you don't want to be coming here. another negative would be the differences in wealth, although i imagine that's more shocking to a european than an american (i have no idea why i am paying such low taxes compared to europe - why isn't more of what i earn being used to help the poorest people here?). PPS - some positives: good food (you have no idea how good a hot-dog can be); good beer (really - it's exploded the last few years with a bunch of micro-breweries); a more entrepreneurial attitude than europe; a more sane social attitude than the usa; low crime rate (despite what people here seem to think...)
      - 15y ago
- iamelgringo 15y ago
  $40k grant. Free as in beer. No equity. They want you to move to Chile for 6 months, and go to some events and meet some people while you're down there.
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
- almost 15y ago
  Apparently there's a pretty horrible form to fill out, but that's about it. I know a couple of people out there at the moment and it sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
- herval 15y ago
  they get you 40k and u have to put in 4k from your own pocket (the 40k are in the form of reimbursements - u spend something, they give u back in the following month). U have to spend the 40k during the 6 months (can't spend it all in one month for instance) and of course, you have to spend it in business-related stuff, like salaries, software, marketing, etc (they won't reimburse coffee or if you buy a car!) The contract you sign is very clear: there are no strings attached apart from having to keep someone here for 6 months and presenting reports to get the reimbursements. So it's no "free lunch" - it's just a great example of what governments could (and should) be doing with their money. It fosters innovation, that alone is a huge return of investment for the country.. disclaimer: I'm in StartupChile's first class of 2011 (Novelo team from Brazil) and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I'd be here even if they offered ZERO dollars!
  - dmvaldman 15y ago
    What's to stop you from giving a salary of $40,000 to a member of your team?
    - herval 15y ago
      the contract. You can only take 350k pesos as a salary... and when u contract services, they ask you for some sort of proof if the value is suspiciously large. So you can TRY subcontracting a friend in US and paying him 40k USD, no problem. I wouldn't expect it to go through unnoticed, though...

smogzer 15y ago

Free lunch ? Or do they want equity ? Can't leave Chile for X years ? Must have headquarters there ?

andrewcooke 15y ago
there's more discussion at http://www.quora.com/Startups-in-Chile/Would-you-develop-your-startup-in-Chile-if-the-Chilean-government-financed-your-company-with-40-000-USD http://www.quora.com/Startups-in-Chile/Would-you-develop-you... but in short there aren't that many catches - certainly no equity (i would guess that people here in chile realise 40k really isn't that much in american terms; the payoff is in the numbers and the culture, not taking a stake in your particular business) [edit: also, getting a visa here is not hard. you don't need to win that grant to come here. i arrived on a tourist visa (3 months, renewable to 6), got a job offer, and within a week of the offer had permission to work. and none of that was illegal. do bring some kind of certificate indicating your level of education, though(!)]
- icey 15y ago
  Could you share some of your experiences working in Chile? Where did you move there from? Did you already know Spanish? Have you enjoyed living & working there?
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 15y ago
    [deleted]
  - andrewcooke 15y ago
    [having problems with hn slow response] see http://www.quora.com/Hows-life-in-Santiago-Chile http://www.quora.com/Hows-life-in-Santiago-Chile for more background. i am here because my partner is a chilean academic with tenure here. in general, it's a good place to live. personally, i am not the most outgoing or relaxed person on the planet, and sometimes living in a different culture - and it could be any other culture - gets to me. but the only negative thing i can think of about living here is that the work culture in large companies (my first job) emphasizes hours over productivity. if i were coming here to run a startup i would use a more results-oriented working environment (i don't care if you work at home, but you fucking get stuff done) as an incentive. a lot of people really hate the enforced long hours. you need to speak spanish. but people will be friendly and tolerant when you screw up. you can learn while you are here. a chilean lover is as good a way to learn as any ;) PS - just thought of a negative (as i went outside). the winter air quality in santiago is terrible. if you have asthma you don't want to be coming here. another negative would be the differences in wealth, although i imagine that's more shocking to a european than an american (i have no idea why i am paying such low taxes compared to europe - why isn't more of what i earn being used to help the poorest people here?). PPS - some positives: good food (you have no idea how good a hot-dog can be); good beer (really - it's exploded the last few years with a bunch of micro-breweries); a more entrepreneurial attitude than europe; a more sane social attitude than the usa; low crime rate (despite what people here seem to think...)
    - 15y ago
iamelgringo 15y ago
$40k grant. Free as in beer. No equity. They want you to move to Chile for 6 months, and go to some events and meet some people while you're down there.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
almost 15y ago
Apparently there's a pretty horrible form to fill out, but that's about it. I know a couple of people out there at the moment and it sounds like a pretty sweet deal.
herval 15y ago
they get you 40k and u have to put in 4k from your own pocket (the 40k are in the form of reimbursements - u spend something, they give u back in the following month). U have to spend the 40k during the 6 months (can't spend it all in one month for instance) and of course, you have to spend it in business-related stuff, like salaries, software, marketing, etc (they won't reimburse coffee or if you buy a car!) The contract you sign is very clear: there are no strings attached apart from having to keep someone here for 6 months and presenting reports to get the reimbursements. So it's no "free lunch" - it's just a great example of what governments could (and should) be doing with their money. It fosters innovation, that alone is a huge return of investment for the country.. disclaimer: I'm in StartupChile's first class of 2011 (Novelo team from Brazil) and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I'd be here even if they offered ZERO dollars!
- dmvaldman 15y ago
  What's to stop you from giving a salary of $40,000 to a member of your team?
  - herval 15y ago
    the contract. You can only take 350k pesos as a salary... and when u contract services, they ask you for some sort of proof if the value is suspiciously large. So you can TRY subcontracting a friend in US and paying him 40k USD, no problem. I wouldn't expect it to go through unnoticed, though...