
Visiting the Valley and planning my next move in life, thoughts? - BuffalotoSV
Hey there HN!<p>My questions are at the top followed by my story.<p>1.If you’re not a technical founder but need to get programming done for your startup would you recommend: getting a CTO, teaching yourself programming, getting a MS in CS, something else?
2.Would you recommend starting a startup in the Valley? Or do you think starting in Buffalo, NY and then moving here once the idea is validated is a good idea?
3.What opportunities in the startup space are there with a BS in chemistry + MS in biology?
4.What places should I visit while I’m here? People to talk to?
5.General thoughts&#x2F;comments!<p>I’m from Buffalo, NY (2200 miles away!), visiting the Valley for two more weeks, BS in chemistry + MS in biology, love to build things,  and I’m at a crossroads in life: do I go the startup route or do I continue onto more school?<p>Startup route: My background is in science and I have a heavy interest machine learning. Tech startups really excite me, but I’m trying to figure out how I can contribute with my science&#x2F;medical background.<p>I have three tech startup ideas which I’ve built prototypes for (didn’t use programming, just simple mockups.) So I’m thinking I need to teach myself programming, learn programming from a Masters’ program, or join up with a CTO to help bring these ideas to life.<p>School route: If I went back to school I would pursue either a MS in Computer Science or a fellowship in Biodesign (biomedical engineering at Stanford.) I really love science and I love tech, if I could combine both interests I would be really happy.<p>Miscellaneous: I visited the Hacker Dojo + have spent plenty of time at Stanford. Loving the culture here!<p>Thanks so much for all your help + I really appreciate it,
Mike
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mchannon
1\. CTO-grade developers aren't cheap, but they aren't scarce either. You
either need to pay for their skills (employee/contractor) or convince them to
spend their time on your idea (prove you can sell, market, and/or fund the
enterprise as a cofounder).

2\. Stay in Buffalo until you have something to show investors. Maybe even
stay there afterward. Rents will bleed your company dry before it makes it out
of the crib.

3\. Use your imagination. Many coders of skill don't have compsci degrees and
none would bat an eye at your background if you claimed you were an expert
developer. Much more impressive would be the ability to sell and market and
get funding for your ideas.

4\. Computer History Museum, Google's campus (a little networking can net you
a free lunch there), Land's end, Ocean Beach, 2nd & Market (SF).

5\. If you can't sell to save your life, commit to building a project yourself
and avail yourself to online code courses to learn the craft as you build.

~~~
rak00n
Why 2nd & Market? That sticks out from that list.

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david927
Hi Mike! Here's my two cents:

1\. I would try to find a technical co-founder. If you want to do a technical
startup, there's often a lot more involved than just programming (including
configuration and architecture). Of course, that's easier said than done. Let
no one stop you from learning programming, if that's interesting to you, but
it will definitely increase your odds of success if you have a co-founder who
knows their stuff.

2\. _Would you recommend starting a startup in the Valley?_ No. Not if it's
your first startup. My feeling is that nearly anywhere else is going to be
cheaper. You'll be able to raise funding much more easily here when the time
comes, but that's probably not going to happen right away. It's not as easy to
raise investment as it might seem. That said, if you love it here, and it
won't bankrupt you, go for it. But I would be wary.

3\. _What opportunities in the startup space are there with a BS in chemistry
+ MS in biology?_ There's always space for a good idea/execution, no matter
the background. But -- the easy areas are crowded, the hard areas tend to fail
because, well, they're hard. Looking at your domain, say Biology, are there
areas that are under-served or poorly executed? But be careful, an easy answer
to that might be hiding the devil in the details. It's a place to start,
though.

4\. _What places should I visit while I’m here?_ If it was me, I would hang
out on University Avenue in Palo Alto; find someone at Google to invite you to
lunch; check out event sites, like meetup.com, for things going on.

I don't know if that's _good_ advice but it's _my_ advice. Hope you have a
great time on your trip, Mike!

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tedmiston
> learn programming from a Masters’ program

A Master's in CS won't teach you programming. You can learn the programming
part on your own with online content or a bootcamp. If you have been able to
conquer that level of difficulty in academia, you should have no problem
getting started with programming. It's unintuitive to most people from the
outside but Computer Science and programming really are pretty separate
things.

> 1.If you’re not a technical founder but need to get programming done for
> your startup would you recommend...

This is a biased answer, but I am a one-man shop independent contractor
software engineer who also takes freelance projects sometimes. There are
certainly a few other people out there that offer similar services like me as
well. I'm currently helping a non-technical client in a situation like yours
build their MVP.

I also often encourage people to go work for a startup or try to understand
the industry from the inside before founding.

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eb0la
1\. Learn to Code as goog as possible BUT don't try to code your product. Use
what you learn to be able to be on tech people shoes and make communi cation
flow.

2\. The valley is a good place to interact with people that is building
things... But it is not THE place to be 100% of the time.

The best place to be is where you can get/onboard customers better. Maybe you
can get an important market share from Buffalo. After all you live near
financial market customers. Look what it makes sense to you.

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JSeymourATL
> BS in chemistry + MS in biology, love to build things...

Considering your background-- have you explored Biotech?

Before launching your own startup; suggest getting some base-level experience
at any early-stage company > [http://www.biospace.com/News/the-10-hottest-bay-
area-biotech...](http://www.biospace.com/News/the-10-hottest-bay-area-biotech-
startups/391820)

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rak00n
Don't do it. A startup is a lot of work and the chance of success is miniscule
even for the people with decades of background in CS.

