Distance/proximity is, from my experience, one of the largest factors you can control for your startup. Not specifically for acquisitions but also for sales (if

Distance/proximity is, from my experience, one of the largest factors you can control for your startup. Not specifically for acquisitions but also for sales (if you're B2B). I've done two startups in the same space. The first was located in Cincinnati, OH and my current one in SV. They are frighteningly similar though the space has changed dramatically. It depends on your market to know where the optimal location is for fostering relationships. Hint: it's not always SV (though it often is). You hear it time and time again that relationships happen very serendipitously. And by serendipitously I mean you meet someone in a coffee shop that will later introduce you to someone that changes the course of your start-up forever. The depth of the network in SV is extremely deep. My experience in Cincinnati (albiet 8 years ago) was that it wasn't as serendipitous and it wasn't nearly as deep. Things may have changed and in places like NYC it might actually be similar to SV. My $.02 is that relationships are critical. Making location equally critical.