Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

London.

There are so many things happening here, every day, every night. The Anglo-Saxon cultural origins of England (which are shared by North America) mean people regard individualism and independence a lot more favourably than elsewhere which creates an ideal climate for starting up your own company.

As a leading global city, people are drawn here from all around the World every day so there's an incredibly large talent pool here. By definition, everyone speaks English here which can make things easier. As one of the main financial centres of the World, obtaining financing here is a lot more easier than at many other places.

England being an EU member, you can enjoy the advantages of being located within the EU (hiring, easy access to the European market, etc.); at the same time, there's considerably less government regulation than in other EU countries so you would have to deal with a lot less red tape.



From growing up in, and visiting London frequently, I don't really agree. London is as, or more expensive than, NYC. Programmers are expensive in London, and in dealing with the British tech culture, they don't seem to have the 'entrepreneurial spirit' I'm used to in the US, it seems less 'young, talented, take on the world attitude' and more about working at satellite offices for IBM etc.

If I was going to pick somewhere in the EU, I'd go for Berlin.


If you are not EU, London is just as hard to immigrate to as the US. Especially with the recent changes in immigration policy.


Sorry to be a pedant, but it's the United Kingdom which is a member of the EU. Also, London is probably one of the parts of England you're most likely to find people who either don't speak English well or don't speak it at all.


You're right about the UK, England and the EU, of course. About London: while I don't have data, I think it's safe to say that outside the US, London is the largest concentration of English-speaking people in the World.


Does anyone have any suggestions on how I could go about finding out about active startups in London?


What is the cost of living like there? I've always gotten the impression it's very expensive to live there, especially for housing and rent.

I've also never been there, but want to visit someday.


The costs if living in London are similar to those in New York City. Some things are more expensive, some things are cheaper but it's generally the same "ballpark".


To give you an idea: 100 euros per week rent to share a room in a crowded flat 50 euros per week food 30-40 euros a week for transportation

That is for a basic existence


It is really difficult to get British visa (leave alone US) if you're from so-called third-world or ex. Soviet block. So, East Asian cities are much better.

btw, this century is the century of the Asia. To alter slightly a famous quote by F. Brooks - think for the future - it will be there sooner than you think. ^_^




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: