<aside> đź‘‹ Welcome! This is a kickstarter for any founder (or operator/investor/tech professional, really) who is new to, thinking of moving to, or looking to get more connected to San Francisco.
In this document, I put together everything I wish I knew before moving here, how to navigate the ecosystem, and aggregated community wisdom to give you the best possible map of everything startups/tech in SF.
Table of Contents:
If you have any recommendations, resources, or information you’d like to contribute, please DM me on X and I’d be happy to add!
Last Updated: June 5, 2025
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The Starter Guide will always be free to readers — these sponsors have graciously supported this resource and provided special perks to you as a part of their long-term investment & commitment to the SF ecosystem, and make it possible to continue running this wiki.
I’m especially thrilled to uplift Agree — I’ve known Will at Agree for years now, dating back to when his fund invested in Safara, a travel and hotel loyalty startup I used to work at. Not only is he making business and freelance transactions 200% faster with Agree (proud Agree user myself!) and still actively deploying capital at Adventure Fund, he also graciously gives his time back by teaching at Northwestern and is a joy to be in his orbit. I’m a big fan of what he & Marty are building.
Agree.com is an all-in-one platform that combines free e-signature with smarter invoicing and faster payment processing. By replacing multiple tools like DocuSign, QuickBooks invoicing, and Stripe payment links, Agree helps companies go from contract to cash quicker than ever before.
Book a demo with the founding team, mention “SF Starter Guide” and they'll upgrade your account for free and waive all processing fees on the first $250k in invoice volume.
Contact Will Hubbard at [email protected] for any questions!
You’ve probably already seen Fidelity Private Shares’ and Brex’s events all over the SF ecosystem, and they show up for founders in many more ways than not.
Fidelity Private Shares brings certainty to startup founders and leaders with their automated cap table and equity management platform. From inception to IPO, Fidelity has the expertise and robust support to help guide you.
Starter Guide to SF readers get 20% off our paid accounts and all onboarding fees waived.
You can see an overview of their product here, or you can contact David Santana at [email protected] for more information.
Hey SF founders! There’s a reason 1 in 3 U.S. startups trust Brex. While you're working hard to change the world, Brex takes the finance busywork off your plate, so you can stay focused on building. Brex brings high-yield banking with same-hour liquidity, smart corporate cards with up to 20x higher limits, and automated expense management, all in one place. Everything you need to extend runway, move faster, and scale with confidence.
Starter Guide to SF readers get points worth $250 in Brex travel or $150 in cashback (plus other perks, including a potential free Times Square or SF 101 billboard!) when you sign up.
You can see an overview of their product here, or you can contact Jonathan Chang at [email protected] for more information.
There’s no other city like San Francisco when it comes to the capital of technology & innovation — being at the precipice of the future and surrounded by the most ambitious, optimistic talent. The amount of idea sharing and serendipitous opportunities that arise from just being here is unparalleld. VC funding, partnerships, development — you name it. If you are young, building a company, or want to accelerate your career in tech, SF is the indisputable best city to do so.
<aside> 💡 The data proves it…