Tips for entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley for immigrants

The task of the entrepreneur is a challenge wherever it is carried out. But, if we talk about Silicon Valley, the challenge becomes even greater due to competition, culture, costs ...

Recently, we were selected as one of the 9 companies nationwide to participate in an immersion program in Silicon Valley, by the hand of  Tech Center. This initiative, promoted by ICEX and Red.es, involves a two-week experience in San Francisco in which to learn first-hand how this ecosystem works in order to raise financing rounds, to open an office in the United States, etc.

Perhaps you know a comedy series called Silicon Valley, which narrates the adventures of a group of entrepreneurs who set up their company in that place. Although humorously, the truth is that many of the situations that occur in that fiction are very close to reality, and are inspired by the typical difficulties that must be faced in order to successfully undertake there.


In this article I will explain, with a basic detail (because this topic would give to write books and books ...), 10 of the most important considerations that you should take into account if you are considering starting the adventure of starting in the United States, and more specifically Silicon Valley.

During our two weeks in San Francisco, we have been able to meet successful entrepreneurs, coaches, professionals from different fields (such as banking, legal advice, human resources ...), etc., who have given us training sessions of the highest level so that Let's get to know all the ins and outs that govern Silicon Valley. This training and talks based on real experiences are of enormous value, since they condense years of experience in the world of startups in San Francisco. Here we will summarize the main tips that we extract from all the sessions, so that you too can learn details about that world, exciting, demanding and challenging.

Tips for Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley:

Are you sure you want to start a business in Silicon Valley?


This is the first question you should ask yourself. Entrepreneurship is a unique experience, and in Silicon Valley it becomes an even more exciting adventure if possible. But, if you decide to take the leap and create or move your company to that place, you must be sure you want to do it.

The reasons for wanting to start a business in the Valley are varied, but the most common are:

The United States is a very large country, and with different regulations for companies depending on where they are established. Therefore, it is possible that, even if you want to be in the USA, you do not need to be in Silicon Valley (which, normally, is more focused on technology companies). Other areas may be more interesting for certain cases, especially if we look at costs (which we will talk about later). For example, Austin (Texas) is another nucleus in which many startups congregate, offering lower costs and enormous possibilities for growth.


As for financing, it is true that what can be obtained in Silicon Valley is often much higher than that which can be obtained in other country. With respect to India, for a company in the same state of maturity, with a product with the same traction, and the same growth forecasts, the financing that can be obtained in Series A, for example, can be more than 10 times higher in Silicon Valley.

But, in order to close these rounds, it will be necessary to demonstrate that the company is in a phase of exponential growth (known as "hockey stick"), typical of the most scalable companies, which sell products with great traction and potential audience.

If, taking the above into account, you believe that your company is in a situation where it may be attractive enough for investors, and you still think that the United States is the place where you should position yourself, keep reading the following tips.

 Costs in Silicon Valley:

The cost issue is something that varies enormously from one area to another in the United States. But, if we focus on Silicon Valley (the focus of this article), they can be summed up in one word: madness.

By the very law of supply and demand, setting up your company in Silicon Valley will involve a very important outlay that will be allocated mainly to two aspects: physical space and personnel costs. If you are immigrants and facing the visa issue you can consult here

Physical Space:

If you are going to establish yourself in the Valley, you are going to need to have a physical space for your offices with great probability, if you want to be taken seriously. And, to do business there, this space is going to have to be there. Many people consider doing business with investors and capital from Silicon Valley by having their offices in other cheaper areas of the United States but, curious as it may seem, face-to-face meetings in the 2.0 era are still a custom in the birthplace of technology.

Therefore, unless you want to have to be flying continuously, or doing hundreds of kilometers (of miles, rather) daily, you will have to have offices in the area. And, as you can imagine, this is not cheap.

On the other hand, you will also need space to live there. And, to give you an idea, renting a modest apartment in a modest area can easily exceed $ 4,000 per month. That in turn will probably have other associated costs, such as travel to your office and to the offices of clients, investors, partners ...

Staff costs in silicon Valley:

Salaries in Silicon Valley are substantially higher than what we are used to seeing in India, and even in Europe. And, if we talk about professionals related to information technology, perhaps more.

To put ourselves in a position to hire staff in the Valley, for example, we have the case of a web developer, whose salary can easily exceed $ 100,000 gross per year in Silicon Valley. If we talk about more specific branches, specialists, full-stack developers ... we can easily go to $ 150,000 - $ 200,000 per year. It should be borne in mind that many of the best professionals in the world gather there, their talent being attracted by, among other things, the high salaries that large international companies can afford.