Hey all,

My company, DealMaker, is hosting a happy hour in the Bay Area this Wednesday at Southern Pacific Brewing. It's going to be a fun, casual event - networking, pizza, tacos, and drinks on us.

Context: We are a tech platform that allows founders to raise capital online from retail investors (instead of OR in addition to VC). This is NOT one of those HHs that's secretly a sneaky sales pitch. We aren't trying to sell you anything. We really just want to get a bunch of people together for a fun night of networking / are doing this in just a brand awareness capacity.

If you're interested, we would love to have you there (me especially). Deets and RSVP are here:  https://www.dealmaker.tech/happy-hour

I built a tool in content creation space. It's been 6 months and currently at $15k MRR.

This month we introduced affiliate program (30% recurring commission) to grow further. But not able to find any channel to find quality partners.

Questions:

1. What channels/platforms worked best for finding quality affiliates?
2. Platform recommendations beyond JVZoo/ClickBank? How are these?
3. What's your vetting process?

Looking for specific experiences, not general advice. Happy to exchange notes related to current $15K MRR.

Check out this article in the Almanac - lots of people are working hard but not able to get by because wages are not keeping pace with the cost of everything - groceries, rent, gas, utilities, ... Please support your food bank so everyone can have food. We need to help people right now AND fix things for the long term. Demand for food assistance has skyrocketed, food distribution services say they need more help heading into holidays - The Almanac

Hi there! I am visiting my bf’s family here for the holidays. I’m a big photobooth person and was looking to see if the silicone valley area had any photobooths? okay with bars and such - thanks!

(Originally posted on the r/Palo Alto Reddit

Hi everyone, I'm a European founder interested in spending a few months in the Bay area for fundraising and networking. I'd like to stay in communities with other founders. Any recommendations on where to stay? Is co-living a good option? if so, is there any recommendation on a co-living space?

p.s. also is there any tips/recommendations on fundraising in the US as foreign founders?

Thank you!!

Hey guys,

I see a lot of international students who have started their own startups here in the US. As someone who is planning to do the same in the near future, I was wondering if you guys knew how said students have managed to do so considering the visa implications of working on your own venture. Do they go down the International Entrepreneur Parole route? If they mostly, if not solely, go down the O-1 route instead, what are the requirements that the startup must fulfill in order for their case to be considered strongly irrespective of the other criteria of an O-1? Are there any other non-O-1/EB1-A routes that they take?

Thank you for your time and effort. I appreciate the help

Hey folks!

I am launching a recruitment platform for tech profiles in SF, we already have over 200 clients and would love to chat with anyone looking for a job in soft/data/design.

Would be interested in hearing about your stories/pitfalls of recruitment world and how we could solve it or even find you a job :)

DM if you are interested!

Thanks, Jamie

Was recently diagnosed by a dermatologist, I have Kaiser which considers the treatment to be a cosmetic procedure and therefore is obscenely expensive, up to $4K out of pocket. Even if it wasn’t considered to be cosmetic (and therefore covered by insurance) the treatment could be up to $2K out of pocket.

I’m looking for recommendations for where to go for cheaper treatment as well possibly get the HPV vaccine if recommended by a medical professional (as of 2018 it’s FDA approved up to age 45 - GET IT!). I’m in the East Bay but willing to drive pretty much anywhere in the Bay Area. If it matters, I am low income. Thanks in advance.

Hey folks! I’m gathering insights on the real differences in engineering salaries between NY and SF. I know there’s always been talk about cost of living, taxes, and lifestyle, but I’d love to hear firsthand.

How does your salary feel in your city? Any surprises, challenges, or perks you didn’t expect? If you’re open to sharing, DM me – it’s totally anonymous, and I’m just looking to get a genuine feel for the numbers and the stories behind them. Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I am going to be starting work in Santa Clara soon as a new grad SWE, and am looking for a place to rent (places like Mountain view, Palo alto, San jose seem reasonable etc). I keep reading about how I must avoid superfund (toxic waste) sites as they may contaminate the air, the water I drink and shower with etc, but I see Silicon valley is completely littered with them.. almost all the apartments have a superfund site somewhere nearby. Just how far away should my home be from one? How do I check? I am currently using Envirostor is that reliable enough? Am I overthinking this?

I would appreciate any help/guidance from those that have moved into this place or have been living here. Please feel free to DM me. Thanks in advance!

Sign this petition to save this school from Closing!! https://www.change.org/p/keep-renaissance-at-fischer-open

While senators and congressmen paraded across the stage at the 2016 Republican Convention to show their newfound admiration for Donald Trump, a brief, six-minute speech went mostly unnoticed. Delivered by one of Silicon Valley’s prominent figures, it laid the groundwork for a movement that, slowly and discreetly, has now ascended to the pinnacle of American politics. The speaker called for a return to the American Dream—a vision of prosperity extending beyond Silicon Valley’s boundaries, centered on wealth creation rather than a "woke" agenda. Although hardly original ideas, this speech helped define a new worldview for the United States: the worldview of Silicon Valley.

One of the central figures in this elite vanguard is Peter Thiel—a powerful entrepreneur and investor known for his intellectual depth. Openly gay and a Republican, Thiel has flourished in Silicon Valley’s liberal, predominantly Democratic milieu, which still reveres him for crafting, alongside Paul Graham, the very playbook that catalyzed the success and wealth of countless startups.

For years, Silicon Valley has held a skeptical distance from Washington’s political operators. Its values—meritocracy, efficiency, and the uncompromising forces of the market—seem worlds apart from the bureaucratic culture that prevails in the capital. Most tech companies only reluctantly engage in lobbying, a move born more from self-defense than enthusiasm. Google, for example, was Kamala Harris’s top individual donor, while Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta all rank among the top ten. The rest of Silicon Valley has largely operated in its own entrepreneurial bubble—until, that is, Washington decided to burst it.

The tensions between Silicon Valley and the federal government are not new, but they have intensified as regulation attempts to catch up with rapid technological innovation. New markets have thrived in areas that were, until recently, virtually unregulated. Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir, underscored this challenge in an interview with the Financial Times, stating, “Innovative people are leaving the industry” as regulations stifle startups before they even get off the ground. If this reality has seized the minds of Silicon Valley’s leaders, Elon Musk has won their hearts with the “Twitter Files,” which revealed repeated instances of interference from the U.S. government and the EU to suppress dissenting views, opposition voices, or even information at odds with official narratives.

Recent threats from Thierry Breton from the European Comission over content moderation or the temporary suspension of X (formerly Twitter) in Brazil by Supreme Court order have made it clear to Musk—and Silicon Valley as a whole—that U.S. hard power is not merely useful but essential for defending the agenda of a tech community whose economic weight is profound. Together, these companies boast a GDP equivalent to $840 billion. If Silicon Valley were a country, it would rank as the world’s 18th largest economy.

Thiel has drawn closer to Trump, bringing with him allies such as David Sacks, Marc Andreessen, and other tech billionaires whose counsel Trump has sought on numerous topics. Notably, many in this circle urged Trump to consider JD Vance as his running mate. Vance, with nearly five years of experience in Silicon Valley (some of them under Thiel’s mentorship), embodies what critics deride as the region’s growing political influence—a modern twist on the “old money” tradition of embedding its representatives in the corridors of power.

Vance, for example, has echoed Thiel’s core ideological tenets. Recently, he remarked, “If NATO wants us to keep supporting them, and if NATO wants us to continue as an active partner in this military alliance, why don’t they respect American values and freedom of expression?” Vance’s rhetoric draws directly from Thiel’s philosophy: war is bad for business, and regulatory interference in the dot-com industry is worse. “What’s good for business is good for the country” has become the guiding principle. Furthermore, Silicon Valley aligns with Trump’s isolationist stance to the extent that it doesn’t impede the export of tech services, which face no physical borders, seas to defend, or energy dependencies to navigate.

Silicon Valley’s self-sufficiency aligns with the green transition, a vision heavily promoted by Big Tech. Nuclear energy is reappearing in the media agenda—not coincidentally. Meanwhile, the development of artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize industry and digital life alike. Silicon Valley intends to lead this charge, asserting that the race toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will unfold under its watch, free from government interference.

In this rising American elite, we see the dawning of a new ideology? A vision not of a shared national agenda but of Silicon Valley’s quest to reshape America in its own image?

Hi there I ago going to be in Silicon Valley fro the December 8-15 2024 for the Q2B Conference and I would like to network with people form the area or now where I can network with people any good suggestions and I know meet up and eventbrite and whatever I also would like to know good after work places to meet people specially will be in San Jose I already have plans of going to the tech initiative and various other points

Anybody refer me to a few B2B tech micro influencers in the SF Bay Area? I’m looking to hire them to help fill an event next week.