That's definitely the way to go. Most of the VC-funded startups in SF that we're working with are more than happy to pay for a Southwest flight and a hotel roo

That's definitely the way to go. Most of the VC-funded startups in SF that we're working with are more than happy to pay for a Southwest flight and a hotel room upfront, rather than doing the reimbursement thing. As a general rule, the "submit receipts & wait for reimbursement" methodology is a bad idea. If a company truly wants you, they should be rolling out the red carpet, which includes not inconveniencing you. On the flip side of the coin, we've had 2 separate occasions where the start-ups paid for airfare, only to have the engineers not show up to interview. So it definitely goes both ways...