The San Francisco Founder Guide - for every founder that wants to build a global company
The San Francisco Founder Guide - for every founder that wants to build a global company
The ultimate Guide of San Francisco for Startup Founders
Hey everybody welcome back to the Product Market Fit Newsletter 🚀
My name is Guillermo Flor and I write this weekly newsletter to help founders, growth professionals and product people to grow & fund their companies.
So, this past week I’ve been in San Francisco meeting founders and investors, and I thought it would be cool to create a guide for founders that are thinking
But, before going at it. Some good vibes as always 👇
Ok, so I want to make this article as useful as possible so let’s get to the point.
Is it worth it moving to San Francisco/Bay Area if you are a Startup Founder?
San Francisco has changed a lot in the last 5 years. Many people moved out of the city and the atmosphere is different.
However, it’s still one of the tech capitals in the world 👇
SF makes for more than twice the VC investment of NY
Silicon Valley is now called Cerebral Valley because it holds most of US investment in AI
Now, why move to SF?
San Francisco feels like the right place to be if you want to build a big tech company.
The town feels like everyone is working on a startup.
Founders build startups that want to be global, not local (as in many other countries).
There’s VCs everywhere, so access to capital is easier
Just in around this little park called South Park, check out how many VCs there are 👇
You can see the world’s future first hand
Increased Credibility: Being based in SF can signal seriousness and commitment to potential investors.
Frequent Events and Meetups: there are tech events literally every week
Just in the week I was there, I got to see Mark Zuckerberg on a live podcast, went to Saastr and there were like 10 different side events during the whole week.
Cons:
High Cost of Living: Elevated expenses for housing, office space, and general living.
Competitive Landscape: Standing out requires a unique value proposition.
Hard to make friends: People in SF are there to build companies and make money. That’s it. So there’ll be many people going in and going out of the place.
I liked how Greg Isenberg talked about his life experience moving to SF to build startups
So, I wanted to know first hand the opinion of someone that had moved to the Bay Area to build a startup before and I was luck I could interview Marta Cavestany about here experience.
How things are different in the Bay Area 👇
The 10x Rule:
"Here [in San Francisco], it's all about the 10x rule—being able to explain how your idea is 10 times better than the status quo...
The Unique Insight
and your unique insight, which is something I never heard about before."
On the Importance of Perspective in Building a Startup:
"In Spain, no one cares about how disruptive your idea is because we expect the Americans to do that. But here, it's all about disruption."
On Living in San Francisco as a Founder:
"Life happens 10x faster here... There's so much going on, from six startup events a day to a congress every week."
On Growth Hacking and Viral Marketing:
"I'm going to Dreamforce with a catchy sign to start conversations... In one day, you can have 200 relevant conversations. It’s viral and gets a lot of inbound attention."
On Sacrifices and Passion:
"We are sacrificing so much because we really, really want to be here... We bought an apartment in Spain, but now we're sharing a house with others in San Francisco."
🌉 Starter Guide to SF for Founders by Michelle Fang
I found this starter guide by Michelle Fang. It’s gold, check it out!
👋 Welcome! This is a kickstarter for any founder (or operator/investor/tech professional, really) who is new to or thinking of moving to San Francisco.
In this document, I put together everything I wish I knew before moving here, how to navigate the ecosystem, and aggregated community wisdom to give you the best possible map of everything startups/tech in SF.
Table of Contents:
Intro: Why SF?
Event Aggregators & Communities
People to Follow on X
29 Startup Programs to Know
60+ Active VCs Recommended by SF Founders
20+ Workspaces & Setting Up Your Own
60+ Cafes & Hidden Gem Meeting/Work Spots
Finding Housing (with list of 100+ housing opps)
Neighborhood Breakdown for Tech
Visiting from Out of Town
Other Resources from the Community
If you have any recommendations, resources, or information you’d like to contribute, please DM me on X (@michelleefang) and I’d be happy to add!
— Michelle Fang
Last Updated: Jan 30, 2024
🧭 Intro
So of all cities, why SF?
There’s no other city like San Francisco when it comes to the capital of technology & innovation — being at the precipice of the future and surrounded by the most ambitious, optimistic talent. If you are young, building a company, or want to accelerate your career in tech, there is no better city to do just that than in SF.
💡 Food for thought statistics:
SF remains the tech capital of the world ($25.7b VC investments in SF Bay Area)
SF AI Dominance (25% of all generative AI job postings are in SF)
Silicon Valley leads in venture funding, especially in AI (Bay Area HQ’d companies represent 31% of all venture funding & ~50% of all AI funding)
SF is a small city (only 7 x 7 miles) so not only is it accessible and easy to get around, you also maximize serendipity by running into familiar faces or seeing folks around the same communities & events frequently. People also express themselves through their work, their craft, and diverse (sometimes niche) interests. Plus with the abundance of nature, parks, and great California weather all year round, there’s lots to do to unwind and enjoy your free time.
Yes, there are challenges to living in SF — every major city like NYC, LA, and Miami faces similar problems to a certain degree (homelessness, cost of living, etc). It’s up to you to choose what you want to focus on and what works best with your personal situation.
Whether SF resonates with you as a potential city to live in, or you’ve made the jump here already, or you live here and want to get more plugged in, I hope this guide can help make SF feel more navigable on your journey.
🗓 Event Aggregators & Communities ****
How to get plugged into what’s happening and which event aggregators to follow.
🗒️ Attending tech events is one of the best ways to meet others in the same industry and get plugged into happenings that can benefit your founder journey.
I’d recommend going to more events if you are early in your career, but as you build your network, don’t spend all your time at events. Work and work events are two separate entities. Instead, prioritize events that are specific to your interests and/or are hosted by organizers you are excited about.
Attending events help build your network, but remember that building and executing work are equally important.
General Tech
Aggregators Format Cadence Subscribe Link
Weekly Threads on X by Michelle Fang X Mondays 2:30 pm Pacific Follow on X (see previous lists)
Techstars Startup Digest - SF Bay Area & Silicon Valley by Michelle Fang Mondays 12 pm Pacific Subscribe Here
SF IRL by Jonathan Chang Email Mondays 9 am Pacific Subscribe Here
Tech Events in SF by Luma Website Always On Visit Here
Industry-Specific
| AI | • Cerebral Valley • Generative AI San Francisco |
| Climate | Climate Tech Bay Area - run by Alec Turnbull and Sonam Velani |
| Other/Misc. | • Eddie’s List covers things to do and misc events in SF • Gary’s Guide (includes IRL & online events) |
A Few Communities/Recurring Event Series to Follow:
Community Description Focus
Writing Club weekly Sunday sessions for writing General
Founders You Should Know run by Jen Yip to meet great founders General
Brex Supper Clubs not only are they helping founders with banking/credit cards, Brex’s community takes a holistic approach to support you with community, connections, fundraising, billboards, etc. General
Pitch & Run Fridays every week on Fridays where you can pitch your startup General Lenny’s Community requires a paid subscription to Lenny’s Newsletter, hosts monthly meetups + Slack community with thousands of PMs, growth leaders, and founders General
Founders Running Club Saturday morning 5-10k run & talks inclusive to all founders General The Center SF tea, yoga, events, community General
GenAI Collective brings together the brightest minds to discuss, exchange, and innovate AI AI Thursday Nights in AI fireside chats with legendary minds in AI AI
AGI House frequently hosts hackathons AI
AI Salon intimate conversations on the impact of AI AI
AI Tinkerers for those with more technical backgrounds, ,monthly meetup with lightning talks and demos AI
Young Professionals in Energy climate community Climate
My Climate Journey (MCJ) community of people united by the common desire to step up and do something about the climate crisis Climate
Work on Climate solving climate change equitably and justly Climate
SF Hardware Meetup monthly hardware demos with founders and builders making physical products Hardware
SF Game Development monthly meetups around game development Game Dev Product Folks community for PMs Product
50 Y Impact Tech deep dives into deep tech topics Deep Tech
Design Buddies run by Grace Ling in the Bay Area for designers Design
📲 People to Follow on X
Accounts that are helpful for your SF journey & bring general joy to your timeline.
Jonathan Chang SF Startup Ambassador at Brex, throws events & can help you get banking/credit cards with perks
Jason Mok leads Brex’s Startups focus & also hosts events for founders in SF
Vivien Ho partner at Pear who focuses on healthcare, also runs Pear Female Founder Circle
Lindsay McCallum VC marketing queen & building the Headline community in SF
Michael Raspuzzi one of the most thoughtful community builders, organizes hackathons and hardware & climate meetups
Suffiyan Malik directs Draper University’s programming & events
Sachin Agarwal cofounded Grow SF, working to reform our city
Dan Johnson helps startups find offices and also on the advisory board of GrowSF
Eric Bahn runs Hustle Fund (hosts founder events) and champion of the SF ecosystem Josh Constine long time advocate for the SF ecosystem, Partner at SignalFire
Thomas Schultz founder of Solaris, a campus to help people find and build their life's work Dave Fontenot HF0, hosts AI-focused events
Ali Rohde hosts Thursday Nights in AI, GP at Outset Capital
Tarlon Khoubyari hosts AI & female events
Ivan Porollo co-founder of Cerebral Valley, at the center of AI in SF
Jeremiah Owyang hosts Llama Lounge, an AI startup event series
Jason Benn building a multigenerational campus of friendly, ambitious nerds in the city & writing pieces to check out
News/Media covering SF:
Natasha Mascarenhas (The Information)
Erin Woo (The Information)
Danielle Abril (Washington Post)
Nitasha Tiku (Washington Post)
Dominic Madori (TechCrunch)
💻 Startup Programs
Accelerators, communities & programs based in SF to supercharge your founder journey.
🤝 Active VCs in SF
Curated list of VCs based in SF and recommended by SF founders, investors, and operators.
Angels & Solo GPs
Coelius Capital - Zach Coelius
Mythos Ventures - Vishal Maini
🗂 Workspaces
Where to work & meet other founders.
Co-Working
WeWork (44 Montgomery, Salesforce Tower, 600/650 California are popular tech spots)
Werqwise (FiDi)
Startup HQ (FiDi)
Neon (Cow Hollow)
The Commons (Hayes Valley)
Industrious (FiDi)
Founders Inc. (Fort Mason)
Celo Office (Mission)
Newton (Hayes Valley)
Studio 45 (hardware, Bernal Heights) - also a social club & maker space!
Edge & Node House of Web3 (Web3, Presidio)
Third Web (Web3, Fort Mason)
Digital Garage ((FiDi)
Galvanize Coworking (FiDi)
Mechanic’s Institute (FiDi)
Hero City (San Mateo)
Social Clubs
Shack15 - chic interiors & amazing views, definitely one of the newer/more popular social clubs now and daily/weekly events (Ferry Building)
Groundfloor (Mission) - more diverse than just tech
The Battery (Jackson Square) - one of the older and long-established social clubs
The Modernist (Embarcadero) - typically socially active with a long calendar of events
Maker Spaces
Looking to set up your own office space?
These organizations are active in the SF Bay Area to help founders secure creative, move-in ready offices at the earliest stages.
Organization Contact Raise Bridget Fahey or Dan Johnson JLL Will Cassriel Codi Justin Venkus Avison Young Colton Hanley Cresa Jack Doherty
☕️ Cafes & Hidden Gem Meeting/Work Spots
Where to have an IRL meeting, get work done/co-work, and run into tech people.
🗺️ Full List on Corner https://www.corner.inc/list/e65af393-70dd-46d5-948a-d774f472d2ee
🍵 Top Picks
Blue Bottle in South Park (map)
Ritual Coffee in Hayes Valley (map)
The Mill in NoPa (map)
Sightglass Coffee in NoPa (map), 20th St location is frequented by AI folks (map)
Cafe Reveille in Lower Haight (map)
Dandelion Chocolate 16th Street Factory in Mission (map)
The Coffee Movement in Richmond (map)
🤫 Escape Tech with Hidden Gem Spots
Hotel Lobbies - my list of beautiful & cozy hotel lobbies that are great spots for working & taking meetings
SF Privately Owned Public Open Spaces - beautiful lobbies, interiors, terraces, etc maintained privately but open to the public
SF Public Libraries - 31 locations across SF’s neighborhoods, open late to 8 pm
Mill Valley Public Library - one of the best reading nooks & surrounded by nature
🌳 Where to Walk for Walking Meetings
Crissy Fields (beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge)
Presidio (around the main parade lawn/tunnel tops)
Hayes Valley
Golden Gate Park
Panhandle Park
Embarcadero around the Ferry Building
🏠 Finding Housing
Where & how to look for housing, roommates, and other helpful resources.
Co-Living Houses
Tech
Other Options
Helpful Links
Post & find roommates in tech on Directory SF
Co-Living 101 Guide - written by Michelle Fang (me)
Find sublets on Flashmates/Subletter SF
🔍 Note:
Facebook & Craigslist will have the cheapest listings. Join Facebook groups to find openings and roommates to live with.
Bay Area Rooms and Apartments (181k members)
San Francisco SF Housing (27k members)
San Francisco Housing, Rooms, Apartments, Sublets (153k members)
Apartmentlist.com or Zillow.com will have the larger apartment buildings. Also check if you have friends living in the building already as most offer referral bonuses (couple hundred dollars)
Rental terms will mainly if not always be 1 year (12 months), then month-to-month. Shorter terms are hard to find because they are illegal, to discourage “tech housing”
Units built before June 1979 are rent-controlled.
You should never owe a “broker fee,” a <$50 application fee may apply and is common for running credit checks. </aside>
📍 Neighborhood Breakdown
Location matters — here are some pointers about each neighborhood of SF (from personal & close network experience, not a “catch-all” representation so I’d definitely recommend you to spend time visiting different neighborhoods to see which one resonates with you personally).
<aside> 🚃 Note: Public transportation is reliable in most areas of SF & the city is quite walkable (avoiding Tenderloin area) — I would not recommend bringing a car as parking is limited and car break-ins are frequent. Uber/Lyfts are easy to call and inexpensive as the city is not that large in distance.
If you do bring a car, always remember to never leave anything inside the car no matter how long you leave the car for (leave your car empty!).
SF Neighborhoods (based on tech)
🕺 Visiting from Out of Town
How should you make the most of a visit to SF?
✈️ If you’re only in SF for a visit from out of town, I’d recommend you prioritize meeting as many people and organizations as possible. The beauty of SF is the density of ambitious talent. Clear your calendar of online meetings when you are in SF and try to get as much work done before your trip.
Tips:
Schedule meetings with folks in SF you want to meet before you leave, for the first few days of your trip
Cold DM on X/Linkedin
Find out what events they are going to / who they think you should meet
RSVP in advance for events you want to attend during your trip (events do sell out)
Meet people there & schedule 1:1s with people you connect with
The second half of your trip is for people you meet along the way
Co-work in public places (workspaces, coffee shops, etc.) when you can
❣️ Other Resources from the Community
Crowd sourced resources for your founder & SF journey.
Headline wrote a living City Guide to SF covering the best spots to eat, stay, do and shop. Read here.
Headline’s Deepdive is a tool built for founders to see financial metrics before you raise.
If you want to know what happens at AI events, check out Jason Chan’s AI Notes.
Silicon Valley Fellowship is an accelerator bringing young folks interested in exploring SV.
The Room Podcast opens doors to conversations with iconic technology founders (hosts were recently featured by Forbes 30 Under 30!).
For resources as a young founder, check out BuilderBook.
List of SF recs from Michelle Chiu.
Good People Dinners is a community built around meaningful conversations and authentic connections.
The Nudge has a SF weekly texts list that shares fun IRL things to do around the city.
For resources on voting, check out GrowSF’s Voter Guides..
and of course, remember to always bring a jacket! SF wind/fog is no joke. 🥶🌬
Thank you to contributors for sharing resources featured in this guide! (original tweet)
Thanks for sharing!
I hope synergy is going to be the same as in 2018 🚀