Guide to the Bay Area

Accommodation

BAY AREA HOTELS & TRAVEL SITES

Palo Alto: A temporary live/work site specifically geared to best serve the needs of the international startup community, located near Stanford University and University Avenue.
Startup CrashPad A dynamic co-living and working space in Palo Alto with shared rooms for $50 per night and/or individual rooms for $90 per night. Only 250 meters from the California Avenue Caltrain station, bicycle rentals, restaurants/bars/pubs and more! Contact Sanita Laivina at [email protected]. Be sure to mention USMAC! www.startupcrashpad.com.

Palo Alto: A hacker house located in Palo Alto. They provide a soft landing for international tech entrepreneurs that arrive to Silicon Valley.
Startup Embassy They only accept entrepreneurs working in their startups so that you get the benefit of sharing your time with like-minded individuals. Must book in advance as they do fill up! Charge about $64/night. Host lots of events especially BBQs in their backyard. Contact [email protected]. www.startupembassy.com.

San Francisco: With multiple buildings they offer various options for accommodation, from single rooms, to shared. Be sure to book well in advance as they do fill up. Their location is perfect if you plan to have most meetings in San Francisco, or even the East Bay. It is also in walking distance to Rocketspace if you plan on working there during your stay.
Paramount Student Housing (part of Paramount Hotels) provides safe, affordable and quality housing for International Students, Interns and visiting professionals. To check availability and reserve a room, contact Janine Penadoat 415.397.4924, [email protected]. You will need a formal letter of acceptance of the program you are participating in with US MAC, a copy of your Visa, Passport and the Credit Card you will be paying with.
http://www.paramounthotelsinc.com | www.sfohousing.com.

San Francisco: A communal living space and startup community. They prefer guests to stay for 5 days or more- but they are flexible! They are growing relatively fast and opening new locations around the Bay Area and beyond!
Startup Basecamp: Startup Basecamp is the first Startup Hotel in San Francisco offering a unique co-living and co-working space for startup professionals and entrepreneurs to easily land in San Francisco. Quality rooms are very affordable ranging from $49/night – $139/night. More: https://www.startupbasecamp.org/co-living

Get 10% discount with code: USMAC

email: [email protected]

San Francisco: A relatively new living space for entrepreneurs that is in a great location. They are looking for longer term visitors who can stay months at a time.
Bed|n|Build is the perfect landing pad for entrepreneurs and other builders. They house entrepreneurs from around the globe and foster personal relationships and peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Located at 2332 Fulton St San Francisco, CA 94117, their place is safe, fun and well connected to public transportation. They offer shared and private rooms starting at $1,000/month. Stay with them and join their community of like-minded peers. They are continuing to expand and are opening new locations around the Bay Area. Contact Oliver Hanisch at [email protected] and mention USMAC as reference. www.bednbuild.com.

San Francisco: Better for a longer duration stay in San Francisco.
Landmark Realty Rent furnished or unfurnished apartments in San Francisco. www.landmarksf.com.

Bay Area: The go-to website for domestic and international travelers alike. You will certainly have a more “local” experience with AirBnB and most of our clients have had only good things to say about the places they stayed.
AirBnb Founded in August of 2008 and based in San Francisco, California, Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world —online or from a mobile phone. www.airbnb.com.

Bay Area: With locations throughout the Bay Area, this is a great option for travelers that do not mind sharing a room.
Oakwood specializes in providing custom housing solutions to your program’s need, whether it’s global mobility and relocation housing, intern program housing, corporate executive housing, or training program lodging. Please contact Sally Kopf, Account Executive, E: [email protected], P: +1 650-906-8705, A: 90 New Montgomery Street, Suite 1020, San Francisco, CA 94105.
www.oakwood.com.

South Bay: Although we have deals with these two hotels, they are quite far south. Staying here would be ideal if you know you will have meetings predominantly in the South Bay as they are closest to Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View and of course, San Jose. Please note that to drive from here to San Francisco will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the traffic.
The Sainte Claire Hotel 302 South Market Street, San Jose, CA. 95113. To reserve a room at The Sainte Claire, use this booking link and the Promo Code: USM. Or you can book by calling the hotel directly at 408-295-2000 and asking to speak with reservations. Their direct central reservations number is 1-888-298-7185. www.thesainteclaire.com

Hilton Santa Clara 4949 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054. To reserve a room, contact +1 408 562 6717, [email protected]. www.santaclara.hilton.com.

Transportation

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION -BAY AREA

While staying in San Francisco, public transit is a viable option to get around the city. Always give yourself ample time when taking public transit to meetings. Once outside of San Francisco, you will need a car to get around as the public transit options do decrease. If you are able to plan meetings near a Caltrain station though, then you can get by without a car.

Muni: San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency provides bus, streetcar, and metro service in the city of San Francisco, California.
http://www.sfmta.com/ , http://511.org/ , http://www.nextmuni.com

Bart: Bay Area Rapid Transit provides regional rail service in the San Francisco Bay Area. http://www.bart.gov/

Caltrain: Commuter rail between San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. http://www.caltrain.com/schedules.html

VTA: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) provides bus, light rail, and paratransit services throughout the county, including the municipalities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale. http://www.vta.org/

Marguerite Shuttle: Marguerite is Stanford’s free public shuttle service, which travels around campus and connects to nearby transit, shopping, dining, and entertainment. http://transportation.stanford.edu/marguerite/

Clipper card for public transit: Clipper can be used on Muni, BART, AC Transit, VTA, SamTrans, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit and Ferry, and San Francisco Bay Ferry. https://www.clippercard.com

TAXI -BAY AREA

Hailing a taxi in the Bay Area is a far different experience than doing so in a city like New York. You’re best bet is to use Smartphone friendly applications such as Uber and Lyftto get around fast and efficiently.

DeSoto Cab Company: 415.970.1300

Yellow Cab: 415.333.3333

Lyft: A mobile app for on-demand ride sharing. https://www.lyft.com/

Uber: A mobile app that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire and ridesharing services. https://www.uber.com/

Flywheel: A mobile app allows you to catch a cab and pay for it all with your smartphone -no need to hunt for cash.
http://www.flywheel.com/

RENT A CAR -BAY AREA

If you plan to stay outside of San Francisco proper, you will need to rent a car for the duration of your stay. If you stay in San Francisco, but occasionally need to drive to the South or East Bay, then you can rent a car for the day or even just a few hours.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car: An internationally recognized brand with more than 6,000 neighborhood and airport locations in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Germany. http://www.enterprise.com

City Rent-A-Car: San Francisco car rental for exotic, luxury, and discount cars, SUVs, vans, and trucks. http://www.cityrentacar.com/

Zipcar: The world’s largest car sharing and car club service. http://www.zipcar.com/

City Car Share: A non-profit program that provides its members with the use of fuel-efficient vehicles by the hour.
https://www.citycarshare.org/

Getaround: Peer-to-peer/Social car sharing and local car rental. Rent cars by the hour from people around you.
http://www.getaround.com/

RelayRides: RelayRides is a peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace. It allows private car-owners to rent out their vehicles via an online interface.
https://relayrides.com/

OTHER INFORMATION

WAZE app for real-time traffic reports, detours and more while on the road. Download today: https://www.waze.com/

Steve Blank’s Visitor’s Guide to Silicon Valley: http://steveblank.com/visitors-guide/

Stanford University Entrepreneurship’s Corner: http://ecorner.stanford.edu/

US MAC Partners

Financial Services

Bank of the West, BNP Paribas Group: A financially strong, well-capitalized and prudently managed FDIC-insured bank that customers have entrusted with their money for over 135 years. www.bankofthewest.com
Julien Christiaens, AVP Business Development Officer
P: 415-432-3335

PP&Co: Petrinovich Pugh & Company has provided Silicon Valley with its expert financial services since 1951. ww.ppandco.com
Jie Zhu, CPA, PFS, Partner
P: (408)287-7911 ext. 1937

Law Firms

ReedSmithLLP: A law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. www.reedsmith.com
Richard Horning, Partner
P: +1 650.352.0509

DLA Piper: DLA Piper is a global law firm with 4,200 lawyers located in more than 30 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East, positioning us to help companies with their legal needs anywhere in the world. www.dlapiper.com
Curtis Mo, Partner
P: 650-833-2015

Accelerator/Incubator
Rocketspace: RocketSpace is an open innovation campus located in the heart of San Francisco. Startup. Blastoff. www.rocket-space.com

FAQ

BUSINESS CULTURE

1.I’ve visited New York before, but it’s my first time in the San Francisco Bay Area. How does the business culture differ?

Generally, people in the Bay Area are more easily accessible, and more open to try news things in the Bay Area than any other place in the United States. This is why so many entrepreneurs start their US expansion plans in the Bay Area instead of other regions of the US. This is where you will find ‘early-adopters’ of your innovation. More people will be willing to take a risk on your innovation in the Bay Area compared to any other place in the world.

2. Typically, how fast does business happen? In my home country it can take anywhere from 5 to 10 meetings with a potential client before I know if some meaningful business will (or will not) happen?

Business happens very fast. This is why we emphasize that you come prepared with your 30-sec elevator pitch, your 3-minute sales pitch and a 10-minute product demo before you meet with a prospective client or partner. Generally, within the first 20 minutes of a meeting you will get a sense if the response will be positive or negative. In our experience, we’ve seen substantial business arising from the first two meetings. But for international companies this can take longer depending on your stage of US market expansion. American clients want to know that you can address their customer service needs as well as, or better than your competition.

3. What is the general etiquette for meetings in Silicon Valley?

A few simple guidelines:
US MAC has an entire 8-week program that addresses this question, but here are the salient points. First of all, be sure that whomever you’re meeting with, you adopt a ‘win-win’ mentality for the meeting. You should have clear objectives about what you expect to take away from the meeting, and be sure that you consider how the other person will benefit from the meeting.

GET THE DETAILS. Be sure to capture all the details about the meeting location. In addition to the street address, ask about parking options and find out building numbers and/or unique entrances to the building you need to enter. Many large corporations in Silicon Valley have immense ‘campuses’ for you to get lost in. In addition, be sure to get your contact’s mobile phone number and also provide them with your number, in case you need to reach one another prior to meeting.
DON’T BE LATE. Plan your route ahead of time and allow for unexpected traffic situations. The ‘WAZE’ app offers helpful alternative routes, should you encounter unexpected traffic interruptions. Further, if you are late, do not expect your contact to extend the meeting time. They most likely have another appointment following yours.
CONFIRM. If you’ve arranged the meeting well in advance, be sure to confirm the appointment the day before with the prospect to be sure that unexpected schedule changes have not come up. Send a confirmation email the day before to make sure that nothing has changed. This is both a professional courtesy and a practical step to make sure that your time is not wasted.
BE PREPARED. Have everything ready in your head – value proposition, ‘wow!’ statement and business model. Don’t expect that you will be showing your PPT presentation. But be ready to do so, if the setting is right. Your first meeting will usually be a discussion to explore and learn. During the meeting, start by explaining your objectives for the meeting, then present your pitch. This should take no more than 10 minutes. Then spend the rest of the meeting on Q&A. You should come prepared with a specific set of questions to ask the prospect. It’s important to let the other person do all the talking.
FOLLOW UP. Within a few hours after the meeting, send a thank-you email to acknowledge the prospect’s time and to summarize potential next steps
DRESS CODE. Regarding attire – it’s almost always ‘business-casual’. For men, a collared shirt, nice jeans and optionally a sports coat is fine. For women, a good look is nice pants/skirt/dressy jeans and a nice shirt. Dresses are fine too as long as they are of an appropriate length and not too revealing. Please save the yoga pants for the yoga studio. For both men and women, please refrain from wearing shorts or athletic wear to the office and/or business meetings. Ask your mentor for advice for specific meetings, as a few companies may be slightly more formal.

RAISING CAPITAL FROM VCs & ANGEL INVESTORS

1.What’s the easiest way for me to meet with investors in Silicon Valley?

The easiest way is not the smartest way, for foreign companies. Every month Silicon Valley event organizers host investor pitch forums, where you can apply to present your company. These organizers include: SV FORUM, SF NewTech, VC Taskforce and several others. For a small fee (typically less than $100) you can present your innovation to a panel of prominent Silicon Valley investors for feedback and consideration in their deal flow. While this is relatively easy, we advise you against this unless you’ve been coached and advised by industry-relevant consultants in the Bay Area beforehand. Reasons are simple: Silicon Valley investors have a standard, tried and true method for receiving investor pitches, and unless you have been trained and coached on these methods, you will embarrass yourself and waste everybody’s time.

2. Can I raise investment capital from VCs or business angels in Silicon Valley?

3. I have an amazing idea for a new product. Can I get funding from a Silicon Valley investor to fund it?

SELLING & MARKETING IN AMERICA

1. Will sales consultants work for a success-fee?

No. You will not find any competent sales consultants that will work for you on a success-fee basis, only. The rationale is simple: Why should a talented, connected consultant take all the risk with your company? The typical model for hiring sales consultants is to pay a fixed monthly retainer, with a commission paid on achieving a specific milestone, such as contract signed, or partnership agreement made, etc. There’s plenty of business activity in the Bay Area to keep everybody employed, so people do not work for success fees only. Remember, this is Silicon Valley. Talented sales people don’t need to compromise their financial situation

2. I don’t have much budget to spend on marketing and PR. What are some low-cost tips to position myself competitively in the US?

Here are four low-cost tips: 1) Invest in a virtual office –adding the US address on your business cards and website will eliminate the barrier of you being perceived as a ‘foreign’ company to prospective clients; 2) Use American spelling in all your marketing materials (not UK English); 3) Make news and press materials on your website relevant to Americans. For example, if you announce a partnership with Orange (big European telecom provider), don’t expect the average American to know who they are. Adapt the news story accordingly, and emphasize only the most impressive parts of the story; 4) Build your network –use LinkedIn to connect with contacts in the Bay Area. Everyone uses LinkedIn prominently. Also, join industry associations, social media discussion, etc. with sources such as SV Forum, SF NewTech, Startup Digest and more.

Preparing for your new office and Relocation to the Bay Area

Preparing for US market expansion usually requires setting up an office, a new corporation and a work visa. In addition, your personal relocation to the Bay Area can be a daunting task if you do not prepare in advance. Below are some basic essentials to consider.We suggest that you engage with legal professionals at least 6 months before you plan to actually move here in order to reduce risk and unnecessary expenses.

Immigration / Work Visa Most entrepreneurs wishing to move to the United States can only qualify for one of two possible work visas: the L1 or the E2. You need a visa before you can do any of the important things like open a bank account, get a social security number, etc. Depending on your specific circumstances you can expect to pay as little as $3,500 USD and as much as $8,000 (USD). Please contact an immigration lawyer to get all the details.

Setting Up the Corporation
You might already have a Virtual Office, but you will need a legal entity from which to do business in the United States. Sure, you can cheaply set up your own US corporation online for as little as $300 USD, but it’s very important for you to obtain advice from legal professionals so that you do not create costly complexities in the future. Should it be a Delaware Corp or a C-Corp? Which is better? Maybe a Las Vegas Corp? Depending on the corporate structure of your current company, ownership structure, sources of intellectual property, etc., you will need professional advice in order to maximize your business potential in the United States. Please contact one of the legal professionals below.

Tax, Protection of Intellectual Property & Transfer Pricing
All important, all essential, for you to get advice from professionals on these matters. Without the right advice, you will risk paying unnecessary tax penalties to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is the US government’s tax agency. You cannot mess with these guys! Please contact one of the legal professionals below.

Living in the Bay Area
The cost of buying or renting property in the Bay Area is very high. Unless you’re relocating from London England or Tokyo, you will likely be in shock. But, that’s the cost of doing business in the land of tech opportunity! If you’re young and single, you may wish to consider sharing an apartment with other up-and-comers in San Francisco. But if you’re married with children you will want to shop around for the best deal.

Budgets –what is this all going to cost? (estimates)
These are our general, estimated costs, for relevant services related to living expenses for one year, as of February 2014. All estimates vary –estimates are not based on any exhaustive research.

Relocation/moving expenses	$5,000
Setting up the corporation	$5,000
IP protection	$15,000
Immigration / work visa	$5,000
Office rent (1 desk in San Francisco)	$10,000
Apartment rent (studio apt)	$28,000
Marketing/Sales/other consultants	$100,000
Insurance -health/property	$8,000
Car lease	$5,000
Conferences/networking events	$2,000
TOTAL	$171,000