I’ve spoken to over 100 founders over the previous 18 months in regards to the professionals and cons of transferring to San Francisco (SF), so I made a decision to compile every little thing into this submit.
Why it’s price transferring to SF?
Firstly, SF will not be for everybody. SF is for essentially the most bold and pushed folks on the earth. It’s the foremost leagues for startups.
You’ll discover the very best focus of nice founders, nice engineers, and nice traders anyplace on the earth. However what’s much less apparent till you spend time right here, is how open individuals are. To many, San Francisco welcomes you with open arms and is the closest expertise I’ve needed to hostel tradition.
If you happen to’re a founder, being right here will increase your floor space for luck. Not simply because there’s extra capital, however as a result of everybody round you is making an attempt to construct one thing bold. That type of atmosphere rewires your sense of what’s regular.
If you happen to’re an engineer, the compensation displays the density of alternative – 2.5 instances what you’d earn in Australia, however the actual worth is what you be taught from the folks you encompass your self with.
On the advice of Julia French, I got here to SF to go to for 2 and a half months as a result of I wished to be taught from the very best on the earth. I left having performed that, but in addition with three tight circles of associates and a way of belonging I hadn’t felt earlier than.
Each time somebody asks if they need to come, I inform them to attempt it for 2 or three months. The worst-case situation is you meet good folks and be taught so much. The perfect case is that it modifications your life, prefer it has mine!
A lay of the land
I first got here to SF in 2022 (by no means, ever San Fran). It felt like Gotham Metropolis, again then however the folks made it superior!
By the tip of my two and a half months there, I didn’t wish to depart … however I ran out of cash. So don’t do this.
SF has improved so much, but it surely nonetheless has its issues. Sixth and Mission in SoMa and the Tenderloin are about as near “hell on earth” because it will get. The drug of selection there may be fentanyl, which leaves many individuals in a zombie-like state.
The perfect locations to reside in are North Seaside, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, the Marina, Cow Hole, Japantown, Russian Hill, and Fort Mason.
Some locations which might be first rate embrace Hayes Valley (lovely however proper subsequent to the Tenderloin), Chinatown, and the Mission (a bit tough in sure pockets, however wealthy in Mexican heritage with superb meals).
Locations which might be positive however a bit of boring: Mission Bay, Noe Valley, NOPA, Anza Vista Interior, something west of Haight Ashbury, Potrero Hill, Union Sq./FIDI.
If you happen to’re a founder consistently going to occasions, something south of the Mission, throughout the Bay in Oakland or Berkeley, or too far west previous Anza Vista is a bit inconvenient.
SF’s climate doesn’t actually change: fog, and a type of perpetual 15-20°C. The perfect months are August to October, however even then, carry a coat when the solar goes down.
Cool locations: Castro (Homosexual district), Haight Ashbury (Hippie, weed-smoking space), Fisherman’s Wharf (it’s a vacationer entice, however I prefer it)
Lastly, “Silicon Valley” is called the South Bay like Palo Alto, Mountain View, and so forth. Younger folks don’t actually reside there as a result of there’s nothing to do.
You may get invited to some occasions and it’s price going simply to test it out through the Caltrain and go to the Stanford campus over a weekend (it’s lovely) however for a visit targeted on assembly folks and getting immersed within the vitality, you’ll wish to base your self within the metropolis.
Earlier than you get right here
SF is unbelievable but it surely’s not for everybody so in the event you’re contemplating transferring right here, come right here on an ESTA – Digital System for Journey Authorisation. Usually you’ll be spending greater than $3k AUD per thirty days. Once I did my first SF journey I did it on a budget and nonetheless spent $6k AUD in two and a half months. If you happen to don’t have the means, save earlier than coming. Doing SF on a budget is mentally taxing (belief me, I’ve performed it!)
If you happen to don’t have an account on X dot com the every little thing app then get one ASAP. Grow to be a reply man and make associates so that you’re not touching down in SF and twiddling your thumbs.
Folks to observe:
Michelle Fang
Jonathan Chang
Julian Weisser
Noemie
All of the folks on this checklist
There’s extra I’ve missed, however these folks will typically be essentially the most informative/useful.
Attain out to folks on LinkedIn who reside in SF as nicely.
If you happen to’re a founder, there’s a base degree of data anticipated. Rewatch The best way to begin a startup by YC, not only one video, undergo each related video to you. Being ready issues.
Lodging: Get an invitation to Listing SF and attempt to get right into a Hacker/Founder Home in the event you’re a founder. I reside at Atmos however there are many them round. The folks you encompass your self with will form your expertise greater than town itself. Be round the very best so you possibly can develop into the very best, however don’t be pretentious about it.
There’s additionally an Aussies in SF Group Chat on WhatsApp run by the unbelievable Annie Liao !
Founders – SF IRL is an superior method to make associates however most individuals who go to those occasions are in the identical boat as you. You wish to get an “in” with folks to get invited to extra unique occasions, see networking chapter beneath.
Meetup.com was prompt by Mick & Geoff, however sadly doesn’t work anymore.
Lastly, set a transparent objective to your journey. Ninety days goes by quick. Don’t count on prompt outcomes. The worth lies in relationships and expertise. Melanie and Cliff from Canva got here thrice earlier than elevating their Seed spherical. Mike from Atlassian failed a few instances earlier than discovering traction. I personally raised solely $50k USD on my first journey so don’t stress if it doesn’t prove the way in which you deliberate.
You’ll overestimate what you possibly can obtain in a 12 months and underestimate what you possibly can obtain in 10!
Once you arrive
Give your self a day to recover from jet lag earlier than leaping into conferences. You wish to just remember to’re showcasing your finest self in each assembly you could have.
Get a neighborhood SIM card. AT&T and T-Cellular are each positive. I take advantage of T-Cellular; they’re not excellent, however they’re low-cost, LOL.
Uber/Lyft is fairly fairly priced for brief distances; you’ll be stunned. If you happen to’re on a funds, the e-scooters and bikes are a great mode of transportation.
Dealer Joe’s within reason priced, however you’ll find yourself buying at no matter is closest in the long run. I like to recommend stepping into the behavior of grocery buying from the get-go to save cash, notably in the event you’re right here for a very long time. Entire Meals is extra expensive however more healthy.
If you happen to get a private checking account, I like to recommend Chase. I did numerous analysis, Chase is the best to arrange and work with. Right here’s a referral code.
For transferring cash, Clever, Up, and a lot of the Australian neobanks work nicely. If you happen to’re a founder, Airwallex is great for dealing with enterprise funds. When you begin paying your self in USD, get a Mercury account!
Issues I like
My favorite factor to do is to hire an e-bike and experience by means of Golden Gate Park to look at the sundown at Ocean Seaside.
My second favorite factor is to get the ferry to Sausalito, it’s so lovely, undoubtedly an awesome place for a date in case your important different comes to go to or an awesome place to take a hinge date in the event you’ve met a pair instances earlier than.
The meals right here is sweet if you recognize the place to go.
I’m not going to place collectively a giant meals checklist simply obtain: The Michelin Information.
A number of staples: Tony’s Pizzeria, go early there will probably be a one hour wait, then go for a stroll round North Seaside or get a drink at a bar. El Farolito, has some nice Mexican! RT Rotisserie for my extra health-conscious fitness center bros and at last Thai Spice, has most likely the very best Thai within the metropolis.
Usually, Chinese language and Thai meals is worse right here than in Sydney however the Japanese & Mexican meals is healthier, for my part.
I don’t drink espresso however everybody raves about Saint Frank’s. South Park Bluebottle is the well-known one which alot of VC’s go to. Nonetheless, Jackson Sq. is turning into extra fashionable so could be price bouncing round in the event you’re searching for some serendipity
Waymo’s are cool and enjoyable, it is best to experience in a single – if you would like $10 off, click on right here.
Once I exit, I all the time appear to finish up within the Marina, particularly Balboa Cafe (which I’ve a love/hate relationship with). Beautiful espresso martini’s, however there’s a ton of bars within the marina, so you possibly can leap round if want be. The Marina, North Seaside and The Mission have loads of good bars however every little thing closes at 3 a.m. If you happen to can, go to an SF Home Get together, it’s the closest factor you’ll expertise to a fever dream!
Go to Dolores Park on a fantastic Sunday afternoon, you’ll get supplied medication inside quarter-hour, but it surely’s nice to people-watch and absorb the solar. Usually, the parks right here rock!
Necessary notice about ‘networking’ in particular person
Aussies have a superb repute right here… don’t fuck it up. Don’t be transactional. Don’t clout chase (ask somebody who they raised from, how massive their firm is, what stage of their firm they’re at, and so forth inside the first two minutes of assembly folks).
Lots of transient People do that, and everybody who really lives right here hates it. That is the one place on the earth the place standing is tied to the success of your startup, so you find yourself with numerous wannabe founders — and these are the sorts of conversations you end up having with them.
Don’t fall into this entice. Be real, be Australian.
What I normally do is ask the place somebody’s from, the place they went to school (I discover the American faculty system fascinating — there are nerdy ones, sporty ones, get together ones, and so forth.), and why they moved to SF. It’s a simple start line if there aren’t different rabbit holes to go down.
Madison Kanna sums this up very nicely. I personally nonetheless see worth within the massive events however that is one thing Jayden Clark and I’ve spoken about at size since we arrived.
Reaching out to folks on-line
I’ve had lots of people attain out to me, saying “X told me to connect with you as I’m in town, I would love to catch up to learn more about the market” or some generic shit like that. Don’t do this, the particular person might be actually busy. You are able to do 1 of the next:
Try to work in a while while they’re doing one thing they do anyway. E.g. Gymnasium, stroll, run.
If you happen to’re much less bodily inclined and also you don’t know a lot about them personally, attempt: “Hey X, heard you’re a beast at [thing you need help with]. I’m currently experiencing y problem and would love to chat with you as I’m in SF for a couple of weeks working on [startup name].”
Instance: “Hey Brian, heard you’re a beast at fundraising. I’ve seen you guys got funded by a16z and would love to see if they’d be a good fit for us. Would love to chat with you as I’m in SF for a couple weeks working on Airbnb – a marketplace for short-term accomodation.”
I’m trying to elevate cash for my startup
Elevating funding in SF takes time. Many, many individuals message me saying they wish to come right here for a number of weeks to boost a spherical. You’ll fail. Don’t do that. It takes a minimal of two months and even that comes with a excessive probability of failure.
Preparation and community are every little thing. My good friend Alisa Rae , raised efficiently after months of groundwork. She’d constructed a robust community on Twitter, had a profitable exit at 21 and adopted the steps I discussed within the “before you get here” part. She’s an unbelievable founder!
The primary antidote to the above is doing a YC or a16z speedrun, however you’d be transferring to SF for these packages anyway.
You want intro’s to get funding within the US so make associates on-line earlier than you progress right here and launch your self a few weeks earlier than your journey. Once you meet with somebody, ask if they’ll introduce you to 3 different folks (cc: Mick Liubinskas)
While you’re right here you wish to try to get “adopted” by somebody who’s on the “inside”. This could be a good friend or a mentor who may also help go into bat for you. For Airbnb, this was Michael Siebel. For Canva, this was Invoice Tai . So in the event you aren’t in a hacker home, be proactive in making an attempt to create real connections to make this a actuality.
Most traders may even count on you to maneuver right here. Many individuals attempt to do the entire “come to SF just to raise” and in the event you don’t have a very good reply as to why you’re not transferring to SF, traders received’t take you significantly.
Considerations folks have
Politics – Nobody talks extra about American politics than annoying People who you don’t wish to hang around with – and Australians visiting the US. Everyone seems to be fairly regular right here and normally leaves all their views on-line, so it appears alot worse than it’s. I barely discuss American politics.
Courting – It’s nice! There are extra males than ladies in SF, however the metropolis is numerous sufficient for all walks of life to search out somebody. The primary complaints you see are individuals who go to tech events the place there are 10 ladies and 90 males. These do occur however when you discover a good, numerous crew of individuals, you don’t expertise this. I’ve solely been to one-two of those events.
Tradition – The folks of SF work tougher than Australians however there’s room for enjoyable too. If you happen to’re searching for a great time, you’ll find one. I certain do! Make associates with folks you vibe with; individuals are very accepting to newcomers. Very totally different to Sydney’s ‘you’re solely associates with folks you went to highschool with and first 12 months uni’ vibe. I personally desire it. Individuals are extremely pleasant!
Climate – Some folks adore it, that is most likely my least favorite a part of town. Appears equal to Melbourne climate temperature-wise, which I don’t like as a Sydney boy. Nonetheless, it’s much less risky, barely ever rains. Don’t actually have an answer for this. Finest time of 12 months is between August and November however all the time carry a coat.
Security – I’m not going to deceive you, SF is extra harmful than Sydney. The reality is, reside within the locations that I really helpful above, and you may be safer.
Visa stuff – For the primary stint, get an ESTA and don’t remain in America even an hour longer than three months, in any other case you’re going to get banned from returning. They don’t fuck round right here. I’m on an E3 and spoke with a ton of legal professionals. The perfect within the recreation is Sherwin. It took him about 4 weeks to get from my first assembly with him and so they have been tremendous skilled. I requested Sherwin if he might share his calendar with different Australians for this weblog and he has graciously performed so: Meet with Sherwin. My unsolicited recommendation – I like to recommend the E3 over the O1. $4k AUD each two years vs. round $25k AUD each three years. You can even frequently renew an E3, however I’m not a lawyer and everyone seems to be totally different, so be at liberty to talk with Sherwin!
Good luck!
If you happen to’ve obtained up to now, congratulations, I want you the very best in your journey!
You probably have any additional questions that I haven’t coated, I will probably be making edits to this submit so be at liberty to DM me or touch upon this authentic submit!
Really useful readings that helped me:
Geoff McQueen
Mick Liubinskas
Michelle Fang
Hunter Watkin
Ben Kennedy is the founder & CEO of Gecko Rental Software program – an ai-powered working system for gear rental companies. He moved to San Francisco in August 2024.
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