What's the best way to visit startups in the valley?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1762510

by oldpond • 16 years ago

4 8 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

How does one connect with startups who are interested in hosting visitors for a quick tour?

CGherb256k• 16 years ago

I don't think start ups are too into visitor hours...

kevinelliott• 16 years ago

I don't agree. I see people on Facebook and Twitter visiting startups all the time (both tech celeb, and non-celeb types).

niico• 16 years ago

Well, yeah.. celebs can pretty much crash anywhere and they will get in. A regular hacker wont be that lucky.

I would recommend to email them suggesting a feature, write a couple codes of line and give it to them and tell them you are a great fan of the company and would love to get to meet them or just have a cup of coffee there.

TIP: Dont go there empty handed.

gasull• 16 years ago

You have to go to the open events they organize, if they do.

limedaring• 16 years ago

Email and ask? If they're too busy, they'll tell you, but most startups that I know that have graduated to an office are fine if someone comes by during lunch to see the office/people.

niccolop• 16 years ago

email one of the founders, they'll normally be keen for a coffee, if you've got a legitimate reason to visit. A little product praise never hurts either :-)

staunch• 16 years ago

Try asking on Twitter @their_co and/or their founders.

oldpond• 16 years ago

My challenge right now is finding good talent for co-founders or developers. My post on Craigslist got zero response, and my post on eLance got only one response from a fellow down in Uruguay.

I was at CAST 2010 this summer, and the buzz around the table led me to a small development company in Grand Rapids that hosted a bunch of us on a tour. It was great to learn about their business model and generate ideas.

I've applied to founder school in January, and if accepted I am sure there will be lots of good advice to go around. But, I am leading a workshop at eBay in a couple of weeks and thought I could make good use of my free time down there and perhaps figure out how to solve my talent problem.

Thanks for your advice and taking the time to respond.

What's the best way to visit startups in the valley?

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