5 ms·

How to bootstrap in The Valley/San Francisco for 3 months

12 points by watson 14y ago

Me and my startup co-founder are planning a 3 month business trip to the States where we are going to live in The Valley and/or San Francisco. We are from Denmark and of cause want to get as much out of the trip as possible. We are both in our 30's with a couple of startups behind us already. We are outgoing and would love to meetup with fellow hackers and entrepreneurs. We have a place to stay in Palo Alto for the first week or so and we have a few friends in The Valley in other startups that we hope(!) can set us up with desks for some of the time. But we are also more than willing to get to know new people, work from cafes etc. The official purpose of the trip is to network, bootstrap and ultimately meet with a lot of investors to pitch our project. I'm writing here in hopes of getting some good advice of how to survive 3 months in The Valley or San Francisco. I of cause have a huge amount of questions, and I bet you can tell me stuff I didn't know I needed to know. But to get the started here are my most burning questions: - Where should we go to meet and hang out with other cool startups? - How do we get internet? - How do we get SIMs without a contract for our iPhones and iPads? - Do you know of a friendly startup with one or two extra desks that we can use for a limited time? - How do we get around cheaply (transport)? - And of cause, do you have a spare bed or couch? ;)

negrit 14y ago
I was in a similar situation. - For the sim cards. Any monthly prepaid plan like the $50 T-mobile 4G with unlimited data, text &talk is fine. - For internet try check verizon, att, t-mobile or timewarner. I currently have time warner. It's a bit expensive. FIOS with 20mb/s for $45 a month. - For the event checkout http://www.eventbrite.com http://www.eventbrite.com & http://www.meetup.com http://www.meetup.com and search for the events. - Fro the transportation, get a cliper card. You can take the bart and the bus with it. Unfortunately a car is a must have for the bay area if you are planning to driving around palo alto, ... And, it's a good idea, we should setup an hacker news meetup !
- watson 14y ago
  Thanks for your quick feedback :) I've been thinking back and forth about if we should get a car, but couldn't figure out if it was a headache if we where to stay in SF for some of the time (I've got no clue if it's hard to find parking or anything like that). Since it's for a long period (3 months), would you sugest rental or should we buy a cheap old model and sell it before we leave? Btw. In regards to internet, I wasn't thinking about a DSL line (since we don't have fixed place to live) - I was more thinking if it was worth considering some WiFi hotspot plans if that sort of thing even exists (don't know if Starbucks or cafes have stuff like that)
  - negrit 14y ago
    Parking in San Francisco from my point of view is a pain in the ass. The parking cost $20 a day or something like $400 a month. (I used to live downtown so i can't speak for the other areas.) For the internet, you should take the $50 prepaid plan and do tethering with your mobile devices.
  - btgeekboy 14y ago
    Every Starbucks and McDonalds in the US that I've been to has offered completely free WiFi. No need for plans. They're both AT&T run; I believe the idea was to get people off the cell networks and onto wireless back when the iPhone came out and caught AT&T offguard.
    - codenerdz 14y ago
      If they plan to conduct business, arrange meetings, they need to be able to communicate everywhere. Cell phones are a must
      - watson 14y ago
        Absolutely - I was just thinkng about wifi because it's sometimes a hassle to always tether your phone. In my experience the tethering isn't always that stable and you have to reconnect.
  - codenerdz 14y ago
    If you were from US, Id recommend you get a zipcar/getaround account or rent a car for those few times you will need to drive down to Palo Alto/Mountain View etc. However since you are foreigners, I have no idea how the insurance aspect would play out. If you go the rental route, try to see if you can get a credit card in Denmark that would cover car rental insurance overseas, otherwise you would have to pay daily car collision insurance which sometimes costs as much as the car rental itself.
    - watson 14y ago
      Great feedback! I'll defeantly look into that. Zipcar or the like would be fun to try
- israelyc 14y ago
  Don't get the T-mobile $50 unlimited (I made that mistake when I moved here and I had to change my number), data is slow since the iPhone does not support their 4g or 3g networks. You will have data, but only on EDGE network which is painfully slow. Get the ATT unlimited text&talk for $50 and buy a 1GB data plan for $25 (total $75/M, no contract). It would work perfectly on 3G. In any case you will need to download the APN settings profile, so once you have the plan go on wifi to http://unlockit.co.nz/ http://unlockit.co.nz/ and download the att profile.
- codenerdz 14y ago
  Like other commenters said, DO NOT get tmobile prepaid if you want to use it with iDevices. Instead get StraightTalks unlimited voice/data/text "Bring Your Own Device" plan for $45(Select AT&T compatible and microsim) http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php
petern 14y ago
you might wanna link up with other startuppers at http://www.hackersandfounders.com/ http://www.hackersandfounders.com/
- watson 14y ago
  Wow! Looks very interesting - Thnx :) People should also check out their new website: http://beta.hackersandfounders.com/ http://beta.hackersandfounders.com/
icodestuff 14y ago
As far as places to stay and network, take a look at Chez JJ (http://chezjj.com/ http://chezjj.com/), a "home for itinerant hackers". I haven't stayed there to do a startup, but I've been there several times and I know the folks running the houses; they're good people, and everyone who stays there seems to enjoy it.
- mchannon 14y ago
  Seconded on Chez JJ; stayed at all three, and got an excellent amount of networking done with the most awesome individuals. Also pretty cheap as far as BA accommodations go. San Francisco and "the valley" are very different and far enough apart that you don't want to make the commute between them any more often than necessary. Plan on multiple consecutive days in one before you visit the other. It's nearly pointless (and a huge hassle) to have a car in SF, and it's useful if not essential to have a car in the valley. Zipcars are cute but they end up being far more expensive than regular rental cars if you need them for more than a few hours. They also require a significant amount of up-front planning, as you have to obtain additional hardware before being able to drive one away. Best place to meet and network are meetup.com, and other entrepreneurs' pitch sessions. Hacker Dojo and a few other co-working places are pretty good too.
10dpd 14y ago
I'd be interested to know what kind of visa you have to enable you to work over here in the US?
- watson 14y ago
  Since we are both from Denmark we are included in the Visa Waiver Program which "allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa" -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program We will not be working for anybody during our stay. It's simply a business trip so we can network, pitch for investors and hopefully raise money.
nickbarnwell 14y ago
Hej! Always great to see Danes down in the valley. I lived in CPH for three years, interned at Podio for some time, and have been rooting for the Danish startup scene since. While I can't offer much in the way of networking or a place to sleep (new to the Valley myself), I'd love to meet and get mocked for my Danish again ;)
- watson 14y ago
  Hej :) Sounds great! The Podio guys are awesome. You can get in touch with me on twa@pumodo.com. We'll arrive on the 28th of August and leave on the 25th of November.

12 points by watson 14y ago

negrit 14y ago

I was in a similar situation. - For the sim cards. Any monthly prepaid plan like the $50 T-mobile 4G with unlimited data, text &talk is fine. - For internet try check verizon, att, t-mobile or timewarner. I currently have time warner. It's a bit expensive. FIOS with 20mb/s for $45 a month. - For the event checkout http://www.eventbrite.com http://www.eventbrite.com & http://www.meetup.com http://www.meetup.com and search for the events. - Fro the transportation, get a cliper card. You can take the bart and the bus with it. Unfortunately a car is a must have for the bay area if you are planning to driving around palo alto, ... And, it's a good idea, we should setup an hacker news meetup !

watson 14y ago
Thanks for your quick feedback :) I've been thinking back and forth about if we should get a car, but couldn't figure out if it was a headache if we where to stay in SF for some of the time (I've got no clue if it's hard to find parking or anything like that). Since it's for a long period (3 months), would you sugest rental or should we buy a cheap old model and sell it before we leave? Btw. In regards to internet, I wasn't thinking about a DSL line (since we don't have fixed place to live) - I was more thinking if it was worth considering some WiFi hotspot plans if that sort of thing even exists (don't know if Starbucks or cafes have stuff like that)
- negrit 14y ago
  Parking in San Francisco from my point of view is a pain in the ass. The parking cost $20 a day or something like $400 a month. (I used to live downtown so i can't speak for the other areas.) For the internet, you should take the $50 prepaid plan and do tethering with your mobile devices.
- btgeekboy 14y ago
  Every Starbucks and McDonalds in the US that I've been to has offered completely free WiFi. No need for plans. They're both AT&T run; I believe the idea was to get people off the cell networks and onto wireless back when the iPhone came out and caught AT&T offguard.
  - codenerdz 14y ago
    If they plan to conduct business, arrange meetings, they need to be able to communicate everywhere. Cell phones are a must
    - watson 14y ago
      Absolutely - I was just thinkng about wifi because it's sometimes a hassle to always tether your phone. In my experience the tethering isn't always that stable and you have to reconnect.
- codenerdz 14y ago
  If you were from US, Id recommend you get a zipcar/getaround account or rent a car for those few times you will need to drive down to Palo Alto/Mountain View etc. However since you are foreigners, I have no idea how the insurance aspect would play out. If you go the rental route, try to see if you can get a credit card in Denmark that would cover car rental insurance overseas, otherwise you would have to pay daily car collision insurance which sometimes costs as much as the car rental itself.
  - watson 14y ago
    Great feedback! I'll defeantly look into that. Zipcar or the like would be fun to try
israelyc 14y ago
Don't get the T-mobile $50 unlimited (I made that mistake when I moved here and I had to change my number), data is slow since the iPhone does not support their 4g or 3g networks. You will have data, but only on EDGE network which is painfully slow. Get the ATT unlimited text&talk for $50 and buy a 1GB data plan for $25 (total $75/M, no contract). It would work perfectly on 3G. In any case you will need to download the APN settings profile, so once you have the plan go on wifi to http://unlockit.co.nz/ http://unlockit.co.nz/ and download the att profile.
codenerdz 14y ago
Like other commenters said, DO NOT get tmobile prepaid if you want to use it with iDevices. Instead get StraightTalks unlimited voice/data/text "Bring Your Own Device" plan for $45(Select AT&T compatible and microsim) http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php http://www.straighttalksim.com/shop.php

petern 14y ago

you might wanna link up with other startuppers at http://www.hackersandfounders.com/ http://www.hackersandfounders.com/

watson 14y ago
Wow! Looks very interesting - Thnx :) People should also check out their new website: http://beta.hackersandfounders.com/ http://beta.hackersandfounders.com/

icodestuff 14y ago

As far as places to stay and network, take a look at Chez JJ (http://chezjj.com/ http://chezjj.com/), a "home for itinerant hackers". I haven't stayed there to do a startup, but I've been there several times and I know the folks running the houses; they're good people, and everyone who stays there seems to enjoy it.

mchannon 14y ago
Seconded on Chez JJ; stayed at all three, and got an excellent amount of networking done with the most awesome individuals. Also pretty cheap as far as BA accommodations go. San Francisco and "the valley" are very different and far enough apart that you don't want to make the commute between them any more often than necessary. Plan on multiple consecutive days in one before you visit the other. It's nearly pointless (and a huge hassle) to have a car in SF, and it's useful if not essential to have a car in the valley. Zipcars are cute but they end up being far more expensive than regular rental cars if you need them for more than a few hours. They also require a significant amount of up-front planning, as you have to obtain additional hardware before being able to drive one away. Best place to meet and network are meetup.com, and other entrepreneurs' pitch sessions. Hacker Dojo and a few other co-working places are pretty good too.

10dpd 14y ago

I'd be interested to know what kind of visa you have to enable you to work over here in the US?

watson 14y ago
Since we are both from Denmark we are included in the Visa Waiver Program which "allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa" -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program We will not be working for anybody during our stay. It's simply a business trip so we can network, pitch for investors and hopefully raise money.

nickbarnwell 14y ago

Hej! Always great to see Danes down in the valley. I lived in CPH for three years, interned at Podio for some time, and have been rooting for the Danish startup scene since. While I can't offer much in the way of networking or a place to sleep (new to the Valley myself), I'd love to meet and get mocked for my Danish again ;)

watson 14y ago
Hej :) Sounds great! The Podio guys are awesome. You can get in touch with me on twa@pumodo.com. We'll arrive on the 28th of August and leave on the 25th of November.