Visiting the Valley and planning my next move in life, thoughts?

[BuffalotoSV]

Hey there HN!

My questions are at the top followed by my story.

1.If you’re not a technical founder but need to get programming done for your startup would you recommend: getting a CTO, teaching yourself programming, getting a MS in CS, something else? 2.Would you recommend starting a startup in the Valley? Or do you think starting in Buffalo, NY and then moving here once the idea is validated is a good idea? 3.What opportunities in the startup space are there with a BS in chemistry + MS in biology? 4.What places should I visit while I’m here? People to talk to? 5.General thoughts/comments!

I’m from Buffalo, NY (2200 miles away!), visiting the Valley for two more weeks, BS in chemistry + MS in biology, love to build things, and I’m at a crossroads in life: do I go the startup route or do I continue onto more school?

Startup route: My background is in science and I have a heavy interest machine learning. Tech startups really excite me, but I’m trying to figure out how I can contribute with my science/medical background.

I have three tech startup ideas which I’ve built prototypes for (didn’t use programming, just simple mockups.) So I’m thinking I need to teach myself programming, learn programming from a Masters’ program, or join up with a CTO to help bring these ideas to life.

School route: If I went back to school I would pursue either a MS in Computer Science or a fellowship in Biodesign (biomedical engineering at Stanford.) I really love science and I love tech, if I could combine both interests I would be really happy.

Miscellaneous: I visited the Hacker Dojo + have spent plenty of time at Stanford. Loving the culture here!

Thanks so much for all your help + I really appreciate it, Mike

[mchannon]

1. CTO-grade developers aren't cheap, but they aren't scarce either. You either need to pay for their skills (employee/contractor) or convince them to spend their time on your idea (prove you can sell, market, and/or fund the enterprise as a cofounder).

2. Stay in Buffalo until you have something to show investors. Maybe even stay there afterward. Rents will bleed your company dry before it makes it out of the crib.

3. Use your imagination. Many coders of skill don't have compsci degrees and none would bat an eye at your background if you claimed you were an expert developer. Much more impressive would be the ability to sell and market and get funding for your ideas.

4. Computer History Museum, Google's campus (a little networking can net you a free lunch there), Land's end, Ocean Beach, 2nd & Market (SF).

5. If you can't sell to save your life, commit to building a project yourself and avail yourself to online code courses to learn the craft as you build.

[rak00n]

Why 2nd & Market? That sticks out from that list.

[david927]

Hi Mike! Here's my two cents:

1. I would try to find a technical co-founder. If you want to do a technical startup, there's often a lot more involved than just programming (including configuration and architecture). Of course, that's easier said than done. Let no one stop you from learning programming, if that's interesting to you, but it will definitely increase your odds of success if you have a co-founder who knows their stuff.

2. Would you recommend starting a startup in the Valley? No. Not if it's your first startup. My feeling is that nearly anywhere else is going to be cheaper. You'll be able to raise funding much more easily here when the time comes, but that's probably not going to happen right away. It's not as easy to raise investment as it might seem. That said, if you love it here, and it won't bankrupt you, go for it. But I would be wary.

3. What opportunities in the startup space are there with a BS in chemistry + MS in biology? There's always space for a good idea/execution, no matter the background. But -- the easy areas are crowded, the hard areas tend to fail because, well, they're hard. Looking at your domain, say Biology, are there areas that are under-served or poorly executed? But be careful, an easy answer to that might be hiding the devil in the details. It's a place to start, though.

4. What places should I visit while I’m here? If it was me, I would hang out on University Avenue in Palo Alto; find someone at Google to invite you to lunch; check out event sites, like meetup.com, for things going on.

I don't know if that's good advice but it's my advice. Hope you have a great time on your trip, Mike!

[tedmiston]

> learn programming from a Masters’ program

A Master's in CS won't teach you programming. You can learn the programming part on your own with online content or a bootcamp. If you have been able to conquer that level of difficulty in academia, you should have no problem getting started with programming. It's unintuitive to most people from the outside but Computer Science and programming really are pretty separate things.

> 1.If you’re not a technical founder but need to get programming done for your startup would you recommend...

This is a biased answer, but I am a one-man shop independent contractor software engineer who also takes freelance projects sometimes. There are certainly a few other people out there that offer similar services like me as well. I'm currently helping a non-technical client in a situation like yours build their MVP.

I also often encourage people to go work for a startup or try to understand the industry from the inside before founding.

[eb0la]

1. Learn to Code as goog as possible BUT don't try to code your product. Use what you learn to be able to be on tech people shoes and make communi cation flow.

2. The valley is a good place to interact with people that is building things... But it is not THE place to be 100% of the time.

The best place to be is where you can get/onboard customers better. Maybe you can get an important market share from Buffalo. After all you live near financial market customers. Look what it makes sense to you.

[JSeymourATL]

> BS in chemistry + MS in biology, love to build things...

Considering your background-- have you explored Biotech?

Before launching your own startup; suggest getting some base-level experience at any early-stage company > http://www.biospace.com/News/the-10-hottest-bay-area-biotech...

[rak00n]

Don't do it. A startup is a lot of work and the chance of success is miniscule even for the people with decades of background in CS.