Seattle vs. San Francisco: Founders compare startup cultures after AI conference trip
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Veteran entrepreneur Matt Shobe speaks to a group of Seattle founders during their trip to San Francisco for the AI Engineer World's Fair. (Photo courtesy of Patrick Ellis)
What happens when you send Seattle founders down to San Francisco for a few days? Some hot takes on the stark differences in startup culture between the two cities.
A group of early stage entrepreneurs and members of Foundations, a Seattle-based startup community, traveled together to the Bay Area for the AI Engineer World's Fair earlier this month.
Between conference keynotes and workshop sessions, the Seattle founders debated how their hometown startup ecosystem compares to Silicon Valley.
Some of their takeaways:
San Francisco's sheer density of founders and constant idea exchange makes it the startup capital of the world.
Seattle could benefit from more of that energy — but its calmer pace with less intensity has advantages.
With deep tech talent buoyed by hometown hyperscalers in Microsoft and Amazon, Seattle is a great place for building AI startups, especially those with a vertical focus.
But it also lacks marketing and sales expertise as Seattle founders are heavily technical.
Another key observation: founders and investors in Silicon Valley founders are far less risk-averse.
'There are a lot more crazy ideas,' said Art Litvnau, a Seattle founder who helped launch Foundations.
Seattle's more 'chill' startup environment can foster a healthier ecosystem, with stronger peer support and fewer distractions.
But that relaxed culture can also mean a lack of urgency and intensity, according to the Seattle founders.
Ishan Anand, a Seattle-area founder who previously lived in the Bay Area, said he felt like San Francisco has its 'mojo' again.
'It's got a serendipity that creates collective momentum,' he said.
That serendipity is especially crucial during the AI boom as new techniques emerge on a weekly basis.
'Just imagine trying to stay on top of things without having a really strong community,' said Patrick Ellis, CTO and co-founder of Seattle startup Snapbar.
Foundations launched last year in part to help create a 'serendipity factory' for Seattle. The group runs a unique accelerator program and now has more than 200 members, including early stage founders along with longtime entrepreneurs and investors from the Seattle tech ecosystem.
'What I really like about Foundations is to capture that serendipity, that slice of San Francisco, and bring that here,' Anand said. 'When I come here, I feel like I'm back in San Francisco.'
Previously: Takeaways from the AI Engineer World's Fair: The startup playbook is being rewritten in real-time
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