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Ask HN: Startups in DC?

27 points by djb_hackernews ↗ HN
I am planning a move to DC by the end of september where I will be looking for employment. I'd like to focus my search on startups as I am coming from a mature startup and really enjoyed the experience. I'd ultimately like to find a dev position with an early stage startup.

The problem, I can't find the DC startup scene online. I've checked startuply and npost and the other usual suspects, but there isn't much. Which I think is just an indication startups in DC aren't advertising jobs. I'd like to find the "scene" and approach the ones I find interesting to see if they have a need for someone like me.

OT: I feel like I am abusing Ask HN, so if there is a better place to ask such a question downvote with a link please.

18 comments

[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 53.4 ms ] thread
jaddison
I can't help you re: your DC startup search, but I'll vote for you because of your OT comment. Well done. ;)
astine
Hmm, I'm from the DC area, but I don't personally know of any startups that are highering at the moment.

There was a group of HN readers that meet a couple of times, but I don't know what's happend to that.

You can find some tech events: http://www.dctechevents.com/ and I'm sure that there is more.

There is a lot of opportuity, given the recent and predicted growth in government, but not all of it is being tapped; at least not in an organized way.

gms
Do you have to move to DC? Because it's very much the wrong place for what you're looking for.
luigi
Care to explain that statement?
flatline
I'm not sure what exactly OP was referring to but I can tell you that the main employer in this area is the US Gov't. The rest of the market is largely gov't contractors and subcontractors and various other service providers to the entire infrastructure. I worked for a small company in the area for a number of years, not a startup but it was a good experience, but it takes a lot of searching to find something that's non-gov't and a decent gig. I haven't run across a startup scene per se but then I haven't really looked.
bscofield
LaunchBox Digital is a DC-area incubator along the lines of YC and TechStars - you could try connecting with them to see if they know of any startups looking for devs. If that fails, I could also connect you with my CEO (I work for Viget Labs, which is headquartered near DC); he knows most of the people in the scene.
nolanbrown23
My company was part of LaunchBox Digital '09 class and I can say there is definitely a startup scene in DC but it's in the early stages. There are some great events like TechCocktail that highlight companies in the area that you can look to hook up with. As for a job, you should be able to find one with relative ease (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/17/the-best-and-worst-citi...) although it will be harder finding an early stage startup that can pay you a livable wage for DC.
eli
Net2DC (http://www.net2dc.com/) focuses on non-profits, but they're affiliated with http://affinitylab.com/ which is home to several very early-stage startups.

In the past, I've also seen several Dupont-area startups hiring on Craigslist. I assume you've already looked there?

And maybe it would help to narrow your search a bit. I know there is a active Drupal development community in DC and I believe the Rails user group does meetups as well.

daveambrose
I went to school in DC for four years and moved to Manhattan with my roommate (now co-founder) to start our company. At the time, the tech scene wasn't really alive and well (this was 2006-2007), but I've seen more of my friends enter the field with more consumer-facing companies - rather than those startups that siphon into the government. It's a good time to be in DC now.

Here's some resources you want to check:

- Social Times (DC based tech blog that covered a lot of DC companies) - http://www.socialtimes.com/

- iStrategyLabs (interactive PR/ad agency; Peter holds a ton of meetups in the area and practically knows everyone; feel free to email me for an introduction) - http://www.istrategylabs.com/

- Anyvite (DC/MD social invitation/events startup; a YC company and all around cool guys) - http://anyvite.com/home

Perceval
When I was in college, I interned for a DARPA spinoff out in Reston, VA. I assume you're not looking solely for startups physically in DC. If you are, I'm not sure you're going to find much. Most of the tech community is out in Northern Virginia, in and around Reston. Look there.
mattrepl
I'll second Social Matchbox as a good place to learn about startups in the DC area.

I've recently started a software company with a friend from Mason, but unfortunately we can't afford to hire.

Hit me up if you want to grab coffee/beer (contact info in profile). Good luck and welcome to DC!

yangtheman
I've lived in DC suburb, tried a startup, but had a major problem finding like-minded entrepreneurs in the area. There are many high-tech folks there, but they don't want to take any risks starting or joining a startup. I have moved to the Silicon Valley in 2007 (used to be in SV from 2000 to 2004), and every other person I meet wants to do something on their own. The drive, desire, and willingness of people are just different between two regions.

I found this which might help.... http://techcocktail.com/home/

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djb_hackernews
Wow. I'd just like to thank everyone that replied to my inquiry. Lots of great ideas and great resources.

OT: This post would make a good argument for links/comments being a good metric to test for submission worth.