While I might be able to afford this luxury, I think networking in Silicon Valley directly relates to OP's question. What he's missing out on is the interaction

While I might be able to afford this luxury, I think networking in Silicon Valley directly relates to OP's question. What he's missing out on is the interaction with the VC's here, the incubators, the work spaces, the hackathons, etc. Participating in all that and interacting with other self-promotors because you also want to self-promote can be exhausting and what can lead to the 'toxic' referenced in the parent comment.