The Startup Entrepreneur’s Guide to Coliving & Coworking in San Francisco:
It’s easy to see why San Francisco is one of the most popular cities in the world for entrepreneurs. It’s the home of incredible tech companies like DropBox, EventBrite, Square and LinkedIn, it’s is one of the first cities to start “hacker houses” to support international entrepreneurs, and it’s been the home of innovation and cultural trends for decades. If you’ve already made the move to California or you are just wondering where to begin, here are some tips that can help you to transition into living and working in the City by the Bay.
The Best Location for Co-Working and Co-Living
Silicon Valley is famous for being the epicenter of technology startups. From Apple to Netflix, this is the think tank of the world for innovation. However, Silicon Valley is big, really big. Silicon Valley refers to the southern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area plus Santa Clara Valley which includes the city of San Jose and other surrounding cities and towns. It’s about 2984 square kilometers with 2.92 million people. With such a large area, where should you settle down?
Nerd Wallet recently posted questions that every entrepreneur should ask themselves when they are considering moving to a new city
- Is There Access to Capital?
- Can I Afford to Live There?
- Is This Place a Boom or a Bust?
- Will I Find a Supporting Network?
When considering these questions, it’s no wonder why San Francisco rises to the top every time. In fact, a lot of startups are concentrated in the SOMA (short for South of Market Street) neighborhood which just may be your best landing spot. Here is a cool map of how many and which startups are found here.
Get Connected at a Startup House in San Francisco
Remember that first day of school when you were a kid? Yeah, it feels like that when you move to a different city and meet new people. Insecurity, loneliness, discouragement and frustration are inevitable. That’s why you need to find a strong support system from the get go. Fortunately, Startup Basecamp which is conveniently located in the heart of downtown San Francisco, close to Union Square, the conference hall Moscone Center and all the major startups offices in SOMA has done the hard work for you. We’ve created clean, affordable startup house in san francisco where you can join other people who have the same goals as you. We also have set up open co-working spaces where you can connect with other international entrepreneurs to share ideas, network and use valuable tools like Wifi, meeting areas and enjoy startup events in san francisco. Nomad Pass is another incredible asset that shows you other locations around the globe where you can find similar accommodations for entrepreneurs and digital nomads..
Acclimate to the Culture
Time is money but for at least the first three days that you’re in San Francisco, play tourist. Check out Golden Gate Park, eat a Mission Style burrito, play at The Academy of Science, go to a Giants baseball game and learn everything that you can about your new city. Not only will you feel more at home and comfortable, but you’ll better understand the culture and you’ll gain knowledge about who you’ll be working with. Not sure where to start? There’s quite a few great sites out there to find things to do. UpOutSF, Funcheap and Thrillist show everything that’s going on.
San Francisco tends to be crowded, loud, fast paced, traffic clogged, cold, foggy and there is a surprisingly large homeless population. Also, if you didn’t move from a large city like Paris or Caracas, you’re going to find that the cost of living is more expensive than you planned. However, there is also amazing cultural events, diverse neighborhoods, awesome shopping areas and fun places to hike and explore. This truly is a city that can fuel your imagination with inspiration.
Things I Wish I Knew About San Francisco Early On
Okay, so those are the top 3 tips, but here are some random facts I wish I knew when I arrived:
- Wear comfortable shoes. There are a lot of hills.
- It’s cold year round. You think California is all beach weather, but The Bay is chilly so carry a jacket.
- Most startups are located in SoMa, which stands for South of Market St. There is an estimated 1,000 startups in this neighborhood alone.
- Don’t get stuck in just San Francisco. Within a few hours you can check out Napa, Lake Tahoe, Berkeley, Oakland and more incredible local cities that are surprisingly diverse.
- Traffic stinks. Plan plenty of time for travel if you are meeting someone down the street or across town.
The best tip is this: embrace the opportunity. New city, new adventures, new dreams, new friends, new challenges… this moment is full of potential if you see that each day presents a gift to learn, grow and thrive.
