Pek Pongpaet gives an introduction to the Silicon Valley startup community. Some key points include: - The reality of startups is a lot of hard work for uncertain rewards, with only a small percentage becoming highly successful. - To get involved, one can attend meetups, hackathons, take classes, join a coworking space, and build connections through networking. - General Assembly offers immersive courses to learn skills like coding that are relevant for startup jobs and careers. - Common startup roles include coding, design, product management, business development, marketing, and more.

1. INTRODUCTION TO GA & THE
SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
PEK PONGPAET
INSTRUCTOR AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY
@PEKPONGPAET
PEK@IMPEKABLE.COM

2. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
HI. I’M PEK PONGPAET.
•
Owner at impekable, UI/UX design firm
•
2 years in SV
•
Launched 10+ products
•
Designed / developed products for Tesla, Accenture, Aruba, iPass
•
Multiple hackathons (participant, winner, judge)
•
Created Pictacular - TIME Magazine Best 50 websites of 2013
•
Founder, Marketer, Product Manager, Designer, Hacker, BizDev
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3. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
PICTACULAR
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4. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
WELCOME TO
SILICON VALLEY.
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5. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
THE DREAM:
Move West &
Find Your Riches
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6. 6
INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
AND
OTHER
MYTHS
FOUNDiNG A
COMPANY iS THE
BEST WAY TO GET
iNVOlVED.
TOO HARD TO
GET “iN” OR
SiliCON VAllY iS All
THAT MATTERS!
THE lOUDEST
PEOPlE
ARE THE
SMARTEST!
ENTREPRENEURSHiP
iS TOO RiSKY OF
A CAREER PATH.
NDAs
“PEOPlE
Will STEAl
MY iDEA”
ONlY
DEVElOPERS
CAN GET A
GOOD JOB AT
STARTUPS.
JUST NEED
A CODER TO
BUilD MY
WRiTE A BUSiNESS
PlAN = GET FUNDiNG

7. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
SO, WHAT IS IT REALLY?
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8. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
A LOT OF
HARD WORK
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9. 9
INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
THIS SIGN:
THIS ENERGY DRINK:
COCKTAIL-MAKING ROBOT:
THIS BILLBOARD:
THESE HIRING SIGNS:
AND GETTING THERE LIKE THIS:

10. 10
INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
0.5%
CIRCA 2010
• VC
funded Companies: ~2,750
• VC
dollars: 22B
• Total
U.S. Companies formed: 600,000
99.5%

11. 11
INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE
• 40%
of VC backed companies fail
• Another
•<
0.5%
40% make moderate returns
20% produce high returns
99.5%

12. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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13. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
13
Get out there, Get Involved, say Hello
•
Network
•
Join a meet up group (or 10)
•
Attend a hackathon
•
Eavesdrop at a coffee shop
•
Go to free workshops

14. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Help other people achieve their goals and aspirations.
Generate karma. Bring people together. Give back.
!
To a certain extent, we’re all in this together.
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15. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
15
LEARN, PRACTICE, PARTICIPATE
Roll up your sleeves and learn new skills. Try your hand at building
something — anything — and share it with people. Think about
how to best position your abilities & interests.
!
Try to become a creator, not just a thinker.

16. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
16
WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT?
There’s no “one size fits all” experience in startup world. Think
hard about what kinds of environments suit you.
!
Vertical, company size, team culture, role, time commitment, and
product are just some of the factors to consider when pursuing
opportunities.

17. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
17
IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE SCENE.
Don’t get into the startup world because it’s cool, or because it’s
an easy way to make money. (Most of the time, it’s neither.)
!
Instead, join a startup or start something new for reasons that
resonate with you on a deeper level. What will keep you going
when times get tough? (They will.)

18. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
18
IT’S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT
You will fail. Probably multiple times.
!
Don’t get discouraged though — this happens to everyone, and it’s what
allows true innovation to happen.
!
All successful entrepreneurs have been through tough times... but they
kept building, kept learning, and eventually found success.

19. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
MEETUPS, MENTORS,
CO-WORKING, ANGELS,
HACKATHONS, CLASSES,
INCUBATORS, VCS
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20. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
MEETUPS
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21. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
MEETUPS
Plus
•
Wide variety
•
Inexpensive
•
Mostly in the evenings
•
Great way to meet LOTS of people
Minus
•
You will meet too many people
•
It is more social and not very action based
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22. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
HACKATHONS
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23. 23
INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
THE SV DIFFERENCE
HACKATHON
HACKATHON

24. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
HACKATHONS
Plus
•
Action based
•
Gain experience
•
Potentially find a cofounder
•
Prizes!
Minus
•
MVP will likely be scrapped after weekend
•
Requires a whole weekend’s time
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25. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
MENTORS
Experienced, successful, busy.
!
Tips:
• Target
• Ask
a few individuals
short and specific questions
• Show
you’ve done your research
• Don’t
give up
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26. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
MENTORS
Plus
• Gives
you an extraordinary leg-up
• Access
• Learn
to people and potentially funding
from others’ mistakes
Minus
• Wrong
person takes you down wrong path or wastes your time
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27. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
INCUBATORS/ACCELERATORS
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28. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
INCUBATORS/ACCELERATORS
Plus
•
Seed funding
•
Structure for your startup
•
Peer network
Minus
•
Tough to get into
•
Too many incubators, which one to choose?
•
Take a big chunk of your company
•
Commit to a particular locale
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29. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
CLASSES/TALKS
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30. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
CLASSES
Plus
• Structured
learning
• Many
times in the evening
• Great
networking
Minus
• Some
can be pricey
• Specific
hours of access
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31. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
CO-WORKING
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32. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
CO-WORKING
Plus
• Work
with other startups
• Build
Network
• Attend
classes and events
Minus
• Pricey
– Average Desk is $500/mo
• Some
require seed funding
• Can
be noisy
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33. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
ANGELS
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34. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
ANGELS
Plus
• Many
do convertible notes
• Great
advisors
• Help
with further rounds
Minus
• Smaller
• If
increments of funding
you don’t get a seasoned investor, things could get ugly
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35. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
VCS
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36. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
VCS
Plus
•
Funding!
•
Great Advice
•
Will help with further rounds
Minus
•
You have funding, but now you have more accountability
•
Lose large ownership stake... and sometimes control of your company
•
The clock is ticking
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37. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
37
TIPS FOR GETTING INVOLVED
Find your people.
Talk to people. Ask
questions. Build your
network. Find your
community. Your
personal brand is your
net worth.
Build a community.
Do your research.
Treat Silicon Valley as an
ecosystem. Give as
much as (or more than)
you take. Everyone and
everything is connected.
Do your research. Learn
as much as you can. Go
to talks, go to classes,
sign up for a course,
read blogs online. Never
stop researching.
Keep on testing.
Apply the scientific
method to everything.
Test your idea, test your
interest, test your
audience’s interest. It’s
all about experimenting
to see what works.

38. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT,
BUT WE’RE A SUPPORTIVE
COMMUNITY.
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39. 39
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
EST. 2011

40. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
OUR VISION
We are creating a global community of individuals empowered
to pursue work they love, by offering classes, workshops and
full-time immersive programs on the most relevant skills of the
21st century, from web development, to design, to business
fundamentals.
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41. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
THANK YOU
PEK PONPAET
Email: pek@impekable.com
Twitter: @pekpongpaet
Drop me a note if you have any questions about GA, startup life, etc.
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42. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
ONE MORE THING
Prototyping Mobile Apps without Coding
When: January 9, Saturday
Where: TBD
REGISTER TODAY
www.generalassemb.ly/education
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43. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
COMMON ROLES
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Front-End Developer (CSS, HTML)
•
Back-End Developer (Ruby, Python, Java)
•
UX/UI Designer (inDesign, Photoshop)
•
Product Manager (Light frontend dev, design)
•
Business Development (Sales, Partnerships)
•
Marketing/User Acquisition (Email marketing, social media, SEO, data analytics)
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Data Scientist (Hadoop, Matlab, SQL)
•
Sales (willingness to find and follow leads)
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Community Management (Social Media)
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Operations (Customer service, Office management)
•
Other roles depending on vertical (education, fashion)
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44. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
APPENDIX: BLOGS TO READ
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Chris Dixon — http://cdixon.org
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Fred Wilson (A VC) — http://avc.com
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BetaBeat — http://betabeat.com
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SAI — http://businessinsider.com/sai
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Paul Graham’s Essays — http://paulgraham.com
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Hacker News — http://news.ycombinator.com
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TechCrunch — http://techcrunch.com
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General Assembly — http://generalassemb.ly/blog
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Venture Hacks – http://venturehacks.com
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VentureBeat - http://venturebeat.com
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45. INTRODUCTION TO THE SV STARTUP COMMUNITY
APPENDIX: NEWSLETTERS
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Startup Digest — http://startupdigest.com
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General Assembly — http://generalassemb.ly
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