After starting and selling my first startup in NYC, it's bittersweet to pack it up and head West . After a 9 year grind and becoming a self described “New Yorker” → here’s why I’m moving our early stage startup @contrahq HQ to San Francisco / SV.

Thread :

1/ SV has produced the most inclusive and inspiring communities around tech entrepreneurship. Big thanks to @david__booth @b_nicks11 @julianweisser @beondeck. Highly rec'd to early stage founders. Was a game changer for us and pairs well with a move to SV. http://beondeck.com 

2/ NYC has world class angels, but only a handful of visionary VC firms ( @usv, @ThriveCapital etc). Grateful for @jefielding, @joshhix, @alexchung, @MikeMacCombie, @roeske, @alangdunn, @scottehartley for taking a risk on @ContraHQ in the very, very, hilariously early days.

3/ Culture in the Bay is laser focused on entrepreneurship. Many people find this annoying, but as an early stage founder, this is huge. Can't beat the culture of NYC, but having startup focused people around you 24/7 is a level up. Meeting founders like @AnselParikh opened doors

4/ SV feels like the big leagues. The world's most innovative companies and people choose to HQ here. The concentration of world class mentorship ( @Katherine_Hosie, @jwdanner, @b_nicks11) and expertise ( @lennysan , @paulg, @mikeduboe) hasn’t been replicated anywhere else.

5/ SV has the best early stage investors in the world. @rohinipahndi was our first yes in SV for @contrahq, followed by @johndanner and then @davidboothe from @beondeck. Following these wins, we were introduced to some of the smartest and most helpful investors in the world.

6/ Investors in SV are more risk tolerant. Q's I got from NY investors were “how soon can you monetize?” vs “how big can this get?” from investors in SV. This minor detail makes a difference when framing success. No wonder founders like @domm and @yoyo_thomas choose to be here.

7/ Investors like @joeblairvc, got us our first speaking opportunity. Investors like @JamesCurrier, @minney_cat, @bonatsos, @JohnExley gave us product feedback and the confidence to think big. Investors like @shiyankoh, @lijin, and @ericbahn coached us to close our seed round.

8/ Not all of these people invested, but all were genuinely helpful in getting us to the finish line. This sense of #community was something I never experienced in NYC.

9/ The reality is @contraHQ is a remote-first company. I can live and work anywhere, but I still see the value in being HQ’d in SV. Shout out to the dream-team: @erinnhorner, @kuizinas, @zoecolivas, @honorary_swede, @psiablo, @rymagno, @ReardenQL, @aamatviienko, @julsgc

Thanks to everyone who said YES to this adventure. @rohinip @jwdanner @twang @jomayra_herrera @aileenlee @yipstas @ljin18 @ankurnagpal @ericbahn @dunkhippo33 @shiyankoh @joshhix @jefielding @scottehartley @roeske @david__booth @tanaymodi1 @MikeMacCombie @alangdunn cont..->

@SPangulur @alexchung @b_nicks11 @mattglickmantw @sstubo @hberkman @therealjohntan @haddartha @samharrisonvc and some others who aren't on the Twit.

Investor all hands coming soon. Inspired by @JMJ.