5 ms·

Ask HN: Victoria Startups

4 points by hluska 14y ago

Does anyone know of any interesting Victoria, British Columbia based startups? My days in the hinterland are coming to an end and I'm moving west. Does anyone know of some interesting startups that are looking for bodies? Technically speaking, I'm a generalist with a particular affinity for user experience, user analytics and front end code. I have a marketing degree (which is a dirty word around here - sorry). And I've been accused of being a pretty good hustler who can sell almost anything.... I'd appreciate any and all help you can provide! There's something immensely scary (but also exciting) about moving without an inkling of a gig...

spitfire 14y ago
Don't come to Victoria. Go to Vancouver instead.
- hluska 14y ago
  Thanks for the advice! Why do you say that?
  - spitfire 14y ago
    Cost of living is extremely high(some of the highest in Canada), while salaries are unreasonably depressed. If you're a skilled developer/bizdev/etc you'll be offered between 1/3rd and 1/2 of what you could earn in Vancouver. Victoria is a very conservative culture - people are viewed as labour (In the economic sense, a cost to be minimized). This isn't helped by the fact that the average age is 45. I know of half a dozen developers who moved away and doubled or more their salary.
    - pasbesoin 14y ago
      Were you the person who commented a while back on a few people heading off to Courtenay? Not that that's necessarily recommended (200+ km up the coast, pretty remote including culturally, and small potatoes IIRC), but to stay on the island while avoiding Victoria's costs? And/or some people moving into the island's interior? My apology if not, but I seem to recall someone commenting on developers relocating to different parts of Vancouver Island.
      - hluska 14y ago
        I don't recall that particular comment, though I know that some people in Campbell River are trying hard to turn CR into something of a tech centre. There's a really great buzz on the island right now...
        pasbesoin 14y ago
        Campbell River sounds right. Google Maps updated their imagery, splatting a big bunch of cloud over CR so that I missed it, initially, while refreshing my memory. I thought it might have been spitfire who commented to that effect. But that was some months ago; I guess I could wade back through history. I liked Victoria's ambiance when I visited, but the friend I was visiting there (already half a decade ago) commented repeatedly to the effect of it being/becoming a retirement community. With lots of well-off retirees to bid up prices. Does the island really have enough going on elsewhere to create a general buzz?
        mock 14y ago
        The retirement community aspect has shifted somewhat; downtown is now younger and a bit more vibrant with all the condos that have gone up (and continue to be built). $300k will get you a tiny condo - $500k will get you something you actually like. Houses within walking distance of downtown (north park, which isn't the best neighborhood, but isn't the worst either) go for around $600k. Most young families are buying in Langford or further out where money goes further than that. Victoria is definitely doing more tech-wise that Campbell River or Courtenay, in that there are more tech companies, more startups, and more tech jobs. As with anywhere outside of a major hub, you're going to have to do a lot of leg work to find those jobs - and to find ones that pay well.
        spitfire 14y ago
        Victoria is absolutely beautiful. Bar none. But it's unofficial slogan is "Welcome to Victoria. For the newly wed and nearly dead!". Unfortunately, the newly wed can no longer afford 9x the average income to buy an average house. It is a very grey town. As you've mentioned lots of well off individuals bidding up prices and a very conservative, risk averse climate. As for the island creating a buzz? I don't think so, not in the competing with SV or NYC sense. I could certainly see the island serving a niche ecosystem though. In fact, if the media could get over itself I think they could have a big part to play in growing that sort of environment.
    - hluska 14y ago
      I can't thank you enough for this - thanks very much!!!
mock 14y ago
While it's true that salaries are by default depressed, anyone who's a pretty good hustler should be able to at least get within 5% of Vancouver. The real problem is that you're competing with all the kids who get out of UVic, don't want to leave the island, and are willing to work for peanuts. On the other hand, if you're a high level/senior marketing, sales, or developer, there are opportunities at more reasonable pay levels - assuming you can find a position (it is after all, a relatively small community, and senior spots don't crop up all that often). One of the primary annoyances is that http://www.viatec.ca/ http://www.viatec.ca/ (the local tech community group) is kinda worthless for finding work - or for that matter, for finding talent when you're hiring. My experience is that hiring tends to be by word of mouth or via recruiter. Two of my last three Victoria jobs have been through recruiters, one was through word of mouth, all were reasonably well paid (at least as well as I did in Vancouver). There are strangely a fair number of startups, mostly in the mobile advertising and sem/seo space - and all the regular caveats about working for startups and startup wages apply as they do anywhere else. Since I'm a developer, I mostly keep an eye on who's hiring in that space. Amongst non-startups, you might try perforce (I know they were looking for a front end guy, they might not be any more), neverblue (definitely looking to hire a couple of intermediate devs, probably a front end person too if the right one came along), and abe books. Hope that helps.
- spitfire 14y ago
  No, the problem is that people think a kid fresh out of uvic and someone 15 years in are interchangeable. That inability to differentiate is endemic to the area. Dunning-Kruger effect in the large. (There are always, of course, exceptions) Junior people can do things. senior people know what needs to be done (and can do it). Agreed that Viatec is a negative. When you put HP's computer repair service as a #2 tech company in a city it's a very bad statement. Particularly if it's multiple years running. Funny thing, you'd think Victoria would have lots of health IT startups...
  - mock 14y ago
    I agree, there's definitely a problem with salary, and I don't dispute your characterization of it. However, my observation is that you need to be able to wait for the well paid senior positions to come available. If you need the work, you're in the unfortunate position of having to look in the places that can't tell the difference between fresh grads and senior devs. It gets better if you mostly get work via word of mouth or recruiters. There are a few developers that have ended up following me when I've moved jobs because they know I only work for places that pay and have interesting work. Likewise, I recommend them, because I've worked with them before, and I know they're good senior developers who are worth the money. I've been making noises about organizing some other developer focused thing to make up for how crap viatec is... need to find sufficiently round tuits first. As for health startups, it has at least one that I know about (and I'm not talking about genologics).

4 points by hluska 14y ago

spitfire 14y ago

Don't come to Victoria. Go to Vancouver instead.

hluska 14y ago
Thanks for the advice! Why do you say that?
- spitfire 14y ago
  Cost of living is extremely high(some of the highest in Canada), while salaries are unreasonably depressed. If you're a skilled developer/bizdev/etc you'll be offered between 1/3rd and 1/2 of what you could earn in Vancouver. Victoria is a very conservative culture - people are viewed as labour (In the economic sense, a cost to be minimized). This isn't helped by the fact that the average age is 45. I know of half a dozen developers who moved away and doubled or more their salary.
  - pasbesoin 14y ago
    Were you the person who commented a while back on a few people heading off to Courtenay? Not that that's necessarily recommended (200+ km up the coast, pretty remote including culturally, and small potatoes IIRC), but to stay on the island while avoiding Victoria's costs? And/or some people moving into the island's interior? My apology if not, but I seem to recall someone commenting on developers relocating to different parts of Vancouver Island.
    - hluska 14y ago
      I don't recall that particular comment, though I know that some people in Campbell River are trying hard to turn CR into something of a tech centre. There's a really great buzz on the island right now...
      - pasbesoin 14y ago
        Campbell River sounds right. Google Maps updated their imagery, splatting a big bunch of cloud over CR so that I missed it, initially, while refreshing my memory. I thought it might have been spitfire who commented to that effect. But that was some months ago; I guess I could wade back through history. I liked Victoria's ambiance when I visited, but the friend I was visiting there (already half a decade ago) commented repeatedly to the effect of it being/becoming a retirement community. With lots of well-off retirees to bid up prices. Does the island really have enough going on elsewhere to create a general buzz?
        mock 14y ago
        The retirement community aspect has shifted somewhat; downtown is now younger and a bit more vibrant with all the condos that have gone up (and continue to be built). $300k will get you a tiny condo - $500k will get you something you actually like. Houses within walking distance of downtown (north park, which isn't the best neighborhood, but isn't the worst either) go for around $600k. Most young families are buying in Langford or further out where money goes further than that. Victoria is definitely doing more tech-wise that Campbell River or Courtenay, in that there are more tech companies, more startups, and more tech jobs. As with anywhere outside of a major hub, you're going to have to do a lot of leg work to find those jobs - and to find ones that pay well.
        spitfire 14y ago
        Victoria is absolutely beautiful. Bar none. But it's unofficial slogan is "Welcome to Victoria. For the newly wed and nearly dead!". Unfortunately, the newly wed can no longer afford 9x the average income to buy an average house. It is a very grey town. As you've mentioned lots of well off individuals bidding up prices and a very conservative, risk averse climate. As for the island creating a buzz? I don't think so, not in the competing with SV or NYC sense. I could certainly see the island serving a niche ecosystem though. In fact, if the media could get over itself I think they could have a big part to play in growing that sort of environment.
  - hluska 14y ago
    I can't thank you enough for this - thanks very much!!!

mock 14y ago

While it's true that salaries are by default depressed, anyone who's a pretty good hustler should be able to at least get within 5% of Vancouver. The real problem is that you're competing with all the kids who get out of UVic, don't want to leave the island, and are willing to work for peanuts. On the other hand, if you're a high level/senior marketing, sales, or developer, there are opportunities at more reasonable pay levels - assuming you can find a position (it is after all, a relatively small community, and senior spots don't crop up all that often). One of the primary annoyances is that http://www.viatec.ca/ http://www.viatec.ca/ (the local tech community group) is kinda worthless for finding work - or for that matter, for finding talent when you're hiring. My experience is that hiring tends to be by word of mouth or via recruiter. Two of my last three Victoria jobs have been through recruiters, one was through word of mouth, all were reasonably well paid (at least as well as I did in Vancouver). There are strangely a fair number of startups, mostly in the mobile advertising and sem/seo space - and all the regular caveats about working for startups and startup wages apply as they do anywhere else. Since I'm a developer, I mostly keep an eye on who's hiring in that space. Amongst non-startups, you might try perforce (I know they were looking for a front end guy, they might not be any more), neverblue (definitely looking to hire a couple of intermediate devs, probably a front end person too if the right one came along), and abe books. Hope that helps.

spitfire 14y ago
No, the problem is that people think a kid fresh out of uvic and someone 15 years in are interchangeable. That inability to differentiate is endemic to the area. Dunning-Kruger effect in the large. (There are always, of course, exceptions) Junior people can do things. senior people know what needs to be done (and can do it). Agreed that Viatec is a negative. When you put HP's computer repair service as a #2 tech company in a city it's a very bad statement. Particularly if it's multiple years running. Funny thing, you'd think Victoria would have lots of health IT startups...
- mock 14y ago
  I agree, there's definitely a problem with salary, and I don't dispute your characterization of it. However, my observation is that you need to be able to wait for the well paid senior positions to come available. If you need the work, you're in the unfortunate position of having to look in the places that can't tell the difference between fresh grads and senior devs. It gets better if you mostly get work via word of mouth or recruiters. There are a few developers that have ended up following me when I've moved jobs because they know I only work for places that pay and have interesting work. Likewise, I recommend them, because I've worked with them before, and I know they're good senior developers who are worth the money. I've been making noises about organizing some other developer focused thing to make up for how crap viatec is... need to find sufficiently round tuits first. As for health startups, it has at least one that I know about (and I'm not talking about genologics).