Some further thoughts on these helpful tips... 1) Amen to the momentum in New York. In theory they know design, they know media, they like risks, and they've got money (although much of the money is only just now opening up to investing in startups). 4) An AT&T iPad sim card + a skype plan can be a great option too for people with jailbroken iphones. If data is important to you then $25/month for 2GB is pretty great. Normal 3G speeds. 7) Yelp, Zipcar, Google Maps, Skype, Airbnb, Meetup, Kayak - all indispensable apps while in the states. 11) Zipcar's are great if you are an Australian who wants to check out the valley. Ask your state transport department in AU for a copy of your driving record before you leave to make the setup process simpler. The public transport systems in SF and NY are great so pony up for a transit card as soon as you get there. They 'Silicon Valley' area is another story though. Take a rental car or zipcar with you. 13) Don't forget to factor in substantial tipping as well if you expect to be eating out a lot. Taxes and tips add up very quickly. 14) San Francisco summers are similar to Australian winters.
On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 11:36 AM, Kev <social%[email protected]>wrote: > Hey Folks > > Just spent about a month in the USA and thought I would give a small > report on a few random findings etc in case it may be useful to > someone. > > 1) New York's tech scene is powering ahead, I think with a few more > exits from NYC based companies, NY will have as much tech start up > cred as the bay area. Over the last 3 years of visiting I have > noticed a significant pick up in momentum re New York start up tech. > 2) There is a group of tech/start-up aussies in NY that meet regularly > called DUNY (down under new york) - > http://www.meetup.com/downunder-newyork/ > 3) It is always worth finding a conference in SF or NYC - to showcase > or attend, I always get great value out of conferences there. > 4) AT&T offer the best deal for prepaid phones whilst you are there, > $50 per month for unlimited talk and text, you have to add a dataplan > on top of this. If your phone is quad band but still not the right > frequency you will not get 3g but the slower edge network. > 5) Virgin mobile offer some pre-paid mobile internet options, even > though wifi is ubiquitous in SF/NY etc, it is really worth having a > backup particularly if you are meeting investors, clients, showcasing > at a conference etc. > 6) If you are staying a week or more at a place craigslist and airbnb > are your friend, you can find sublets at a fraction of the cost of > hotels and much more comfortable, does require a lot of emailing and > follow ups though. > 7) Yelp.com is your friend in the USA to find restaurants, bars, cafes > etc. > 8) Having business cards, itineraries etc on arrival in us can help if > you get a little unlucky with immigration grilling you for some > reason. > 9) May be stating the obvious but most investors still aren't > interested in investing in early stage start-ups outside of the US, > sometimes even outside of the East / West coast. > 10) Get used to the fact that when you tell most Americans that you > are from Australia they will respond with "Awesome, I have always > wanted to go to New Zealand" - a good reply is "that is cool, I have > always wanted to go to Canada!" - but for the most part Americans are > open, warm, friendly, trustworthy, smart, and helpful - but they are > fascinated with NZ though. > 11) LA also has a pretty solid tech scene, but don't even try to get > around without a car. > 12) I really recommend if you haven't been to the US before that you > do it, I really get a lot of inspiration, new perspectives etc each > time I go. > 13) When getting quotes on hotels, remember to ask them to include > tax, some places like LA have 2/3 taxes they add on AFTER quoting you, > same with car hire, no insurance (including 3rd party!) is included. > > > Hope that this helps. > Kev > > http://twitter.com/ke_ga > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach > Australia mailing list. Visting http://siliconbeachaustralia.org for more > > Forum rules > 1) No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself. > 2) No jobs postings. You can use http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/jobs > > > To post to this group, send email to > [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. Visting http://siliconbeachaustralia.org for more Forum rules 1) No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself. 2) No jobs postings. You can use http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/jobs To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/silicon-beach-australia?hl=en?hl=en
