

Ask HN: Best city for your startup? - bavidar

Where is the place for your HQ? Where will I get the best resources, talent? Without having to incur to much cost.
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twog
I decided to move my company, Banyan, to Chattanooga Tennessee. I know that
may sound radical, but Chattanooga has a thriving startup scene. It reminds me
alot of Austin, before Austin blew up. I personally feel like its about to
explode here, and Im lucky enough to have gotten here at the right time.

Chattanooga has a lot of really awesome things about it, here are a few:

\- Booming startup scene with dozens of startups all close together & growing
quickly.

\- Low cost of living. I pay about 1/4th of what the average cost of an
apartment in the valley is, for a beautiful loft located right in Downtown ( I
ride my longboard to work everyday)

\- Chattanooga was the first city in the northern hemisphere with gigabit
ethernet <http://www.thegigcity.com/>

\- Amazing outdoor scene for rock climbing, kayaking, hiking and more

\- The local government & the state of tennessee are investing heavily in the
tech scene (see gigcity)

\- Big & active angel investment scene. We raised money here & in the valley
with no problems. The quality & integrity of investors here is also very high.

\- A very high quality of designers. Chattanooga is a very hip & art inspired
place

\- Just an hour and a half from Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Nashville, & other
larger cities

\- High quality engineers at a low cost w/ great cultural fits for us ( they
like whiskey & working hard)

Im working on a few initiatives to bring some more attention to whats going on
in Chattanooga over the next few months. I would be happy to answer some
questions & would honestly tell anyone who is serious about moving their
company somewhere for growth or looking for somewhere to set up shop to really
consider coming here.

~~~
tagabek
After checking out The Gig City site, I noticed that your company won last
year's GigTank. It seems like a great opportunity, and I will probably apply
as a student. What advice would you give me (in terms of if I were to get
accepted)?

~~~
twog
Thanks for the kind words. Applying as a student is a great idea. I know the
director of the student program & I would be happy to connect you. Drop me a
line over email and I will help any way I can.

------
windsurfer
The one you're in now. Or someplace cheaper. The Internet is everywhere, and
if you're starting an Internet company, you don't need to be anywhere
physically in particular.

~~~
bavidar
True but the biggest problem I experience is the supply for good talent. In
some cities it is hard to find good programmers. Not every city is desired to
be lived in so it has to be a balance.

~~~
OafTobark
Lets say you have a smaller pool of talent locally but potentially you may
have less demand on that existing pool.

In places like SF, you have a massive pool of talent, but demand and
wages/perks are through the roof so finding talent ends up being a negative
ratio.

That said, your first hires should be people who believe in your product, no
matter where the pool lies

------
Mz
I think that depends on a lot of factors. Some programmers are willing and
able to work remotely. If you have no ambition to become really huge, some
people will find a place off the beaten path to be an asset rather than a
liability.

You might try making two lists, one which lists things you personally need to
thrive and the other which lists things you believe are necessary resources
for your business. Then do some digging and see if you can find a place which
adequately fits both lists, keeping in mind that some criteria are more make-
or-break than others.

