Since moving to Bucharest, I’ve been to quite a few tech events – but none of them had a twist about San Francisco and its startup scene. Some events are organized once per year, others more frequently, and some are singular and unique.
In that last category falls the fireside chat with Luca Stirbat at Builders House in Bucharest. Luca is visiting a few Eastern European countries during this period and Romania was on the list.
How things move in San Francisco
Learning how things happen in San Francisco and seeing the differences between Romania and the US is eye-opening in terms of what can be achieved. In San Francisco, things move fast – pilot deals for products can be closed quickly, and the pace from conversation to commitment is something you don’t see often in Europe.
Having a place like the European Startup Embassy, where founders can go from Europe to San Francisco, is a good starting point – especially since shorter visits are also possible. Personally, I think that if someone plans to go, they should stay at least one month. It’s clear that San Francisco is a place that can accelerate shifts. Teams went there with a product and ended up pivoting entirely based on what they learned.
Bring San Francisco home
Another thing I liked hearing about is that there are running clubs and group runs where founders meet each other – something that resonates with me as someone who organizes a running club back home.
However, waiting to go to San Francisco isn’t something productive. The real takeaway is that it’s necessary to bring as much of that San Francisco energy as possible to where you are. Mindset shifts can be started everywhere, with the willingness to improve.
