HN Explorer

San Diego?

15 points by Prrometheus ↗ HN
What do you all think of San Diego as a location for a startup? I just got into grad school there (I'm waiting on Stanford, but that's a long shot). I know it's far from Silicon Valley.

Are there any VCs there? Any cofounders? Other startups? Would it be too much of a PITA to fly to the Valley all the time for living in San Diego to be worth it?

27 comments

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edw519
I'd be more concerned about the beautiful weather than the start-up environment.

Will it energize you or distract you? 95% of your time will be heads down hacking no matter where you live.

When I lived in Southern California, it energized me. Wrote some of my best code with the windows open and the ocean breeze blowing through. Will it be the same for you?

paulsb
There is a very large biotech scene in San Diego, so I imagine there will plenty of VC's. Not sure about the computer tech scene, though.
caudicus
Biotech/computer startups! We can't all be doing social networks and aggregators ;)

Just think about coding looking unto the beach with a cup of tea. Living the dream.

falsestprophet
Are you working on a computational biotech startup? Do you know of any examples. I have only found a few that I am interested in, but they are out of Montreal and Budapest.
paulsb
I am, or at least I would be if I could find some programmers. Being out of the UK probably isn't much help to you either. As for examples, most tend to be in the drug discovery/modelling area because industry will pay for that. I think there is huge potential for targeting other areas as well as industry. Some of the really good stuff is academically based, which means it just whimpers along as the funding comes in from grants; eventually, most of these projects just die because they aren't promoted and/or developed with a business mindset.
ilamont
Sounds like an opportunity to me. These VCs may be looking to diversify.
Frocer
I have heard there's a fair VC/Entrepreneurial presence in San Diego, for instance, Slacker.com is based there.

But as someone pointed out, I would be more concern about the beautiful beaches and weather. Lots of distraction certainly :)

Prrometheus
Oh no! Not beautiful weather and beaches! Next you’ll be telling me there’s gorgeous women and a short drive to Mexico!
henning
san diego really sucks if you don't have a car.

most of the startup stuff is biotech.

doubleplus
san diego really sucks anyway. and that's coming from a native. :)
kirubakaran
I heard you guys have the best weather... no?
henning
I guess, but you're surrounded by SUV-driving, GOP-voting soccer moms.

And god help you if you're a plaintiff in a wrongful injury lawsuit against any organization; the jury will be entirely composed of former military and police or their wives and they'll assume your case is frivolous irrelevant of the facts. I could tell stories that would make your blood boil.

I've heard people describe San Diego as a sprawling faux automobile-metropolis and I agree. Our city government is so corrupt and incompetent the New York Times called us Enron by the Sea.

Bottom line, San Diego kind of sucks (I have lived here all my life).

I suggest San Francisco instead if you have a choice.

Xichekolas
"you're surrounded by SUV-driving, GOP-voting soccer moms"

That is starting to sound a mighty bit like Kansas. wince

food79
I'm a native. I found the weather to be boring. It is always sunny, never rains, and the plants are either evergreen or scrubby bushes. So you don't get a sense of what season it is.

If you work there then you are not outside much though - you get into your car in your covered garage, and drive to the office park. If you want lunch, then you drive from the office park to the strip mall.

It is not a walkable place at all--even in the strip malls, to get from one end to another you drive from one spot in the parking lot to another.

doubleplus
2nd on the weather. I'm living somewhere else for the first time (Portland) and I just experienced my first ever autumn and winter.

I understand to the OP these responses might seem a little dismal, but SD really does have a stagnant feel to it imho.

pfedor
san diego really sucks if you don't have a car.

As opposed to the Silicon Valley??

jey
I'm a San Diego expat who now lives in San Francisco without a car. I love it. I just wish we had SD weather here...
benmathes
San Francisco proper and the middle of the Valley (Palo Alto, Menlo Park, etc.) are very different -- from San Mateo down to San Jose you pretty much need a car since everything is very flat and spread out compared to, say, Manhattan or Boston.
st3fan
"I know it's far from Silicon Valley." - As if all good things happen in SV.
Prrometheus
What I want to know is would I be shooting myself in the foot by trying a startup in San Diego?
edw519
No! What goes on inside your head is infinitely more important than what goes on inside your neighborhood.
catfish
Having lived here for 30 years here is my two cents.

San Diego is not a startup town. To expensive, not enough talent, and everyone good longs to head north. I love this place and have had marginal success working here, but the politics here, and the folks that have money who drive it, are to conservative. You would be happier in the valley in terms of surrounding yourself with like minded thinkers.

Nuff said...

noelchurchill
Who else is located here in San Diego?? I love it here, but I don't feel like I'm surrounded by many other people who have the same interest in web startups. So in that sense it's not very motivating for me. But the weather is great, the beaches are nice, and the ladies tend to be more attractive ;-)
food79
There are startups, just not as many web ones. If you want biotech or wireless then you are in business though.
johnnyice213
Resources and lots of like minded people. That is what you'd be missing if you skipped SV and headed to San Diego. I'm an entrepreneur myself and moved to San Diego (from NY) almost 2 years ago.

I was working on a startup coming out here and the beach and weather did not help me focus (but other distractions including living with my college friends directly ON the beach).

That aside you can find like minded people, but it is much MUCH MUCH harder. I've joined a couple startup groups on meetup.com and actually that is how my current partner and I met. But I haven't been to any meetups since.

Personally, the weather is beautiful and does give me inspiration, but I wouldn't sacrifice all the resources that you would get in SV.

... one pro to San Diego aside from the weather might be if you do have a somewhat successful startup here you may get more attention since there are so few. Take Goowy (http://news.yahoo.com/s/sddt/20080208/lo_sddt/aolacquiressan...) for example.

Hope that helps!

John

kyro
Prrometheus, what's your email address?

I used to live in SD, but transferred to Orange County. I'd really like to chat and get together with news.yc'ers in southern California, the few that seem to be out there.

delackner
Do not pick San Diego. I have lived in the valley and in San Diego, and it is a cultural wasteland that will drive all your best potential hires away to other parts of the world. It sure drove me away, to Tokyo.