[dmix]

Regarding the "how did these guys raise so much money?" thing. I'm afraid this is mostly just a sampling bias - one that I've experienced as well.

Here's why: the people who forever can't find good talented engineers are usually the bad companies with bad ideas. Getting capital from MBA-educated VC's isn't that challenging or any significant validation of success (although still a notable one).

So you are more likely to come across a large number of the crazy ones who can't find engineers/designers during your recruiting phase coming from out of town.

Once you build a network you will start to be invited to work for good startups and smart people. Good companies recruit via networks until they reach scale.

[CM30]

I don't know about that. I'd say over in the UK (and maybe a lot of places outside of the US), investors are definitely more cautious about how much they'll invest. I mean, over here, getting an investment of a few hundred thousand pounds is treated like a decent deal, where it's seen as pocket change to a Silicon Valley investor.

Which all kind of feeds into why getting talented engineers is difficult here. Cause the money you raise isn't enough to pay the kind of wages they're used to in San Francisco, nor market the business quite as much.

And people are definitely more cautious here too. Over in the US, it seems people will start a business or invest in one on the off chance it might potentially succeed at some distant point. Over here, it's 'prove your business is making/will very quickly make money or get out'. And the good engineers (if they haven't moved somewhere with better wages) will probably be at larger companies, which their friends and relatives say is a 'safe' career choice.

[neximo4]

Please tell someone this in Australia with a straight face (and London, but things have slightly changed over the past 2 or so year). It is not as easy to get capital as you think..

There is a difference in company culture in the US and the non US tech-spheres. The US isn't conservative at all in its approach to get growth & this is reflected in fund raise sizes.