A Founder’s Guide to Moving to Bay Area
TLDR: Start in the East Bay if you want lower rent and focus. Move to Potrero Hill or Dogpatch once proximity to founders, investors, and YC matters more.
When Matt and I were seniors at Penn State, we used to fly out to San Francisco and meet as many YC founders as we could. We had no idea what we were doing. We just knew the startup world was out there, and we wanted to see it up close.
We fell in love immediately. Scootering along the Embarcadero, overhearing conversations about companies that were going to change the world, meeting investors for the first time, and feeling like the entire city was building something bigger than itself. San Francisco had an energy I had never felt anywhere else.
So right after graduation, I moved to the Tenderloin.
I had never been there before and had no idea what I was getting myself into. I stayed at the Oasis hostel and quickly learned my first lesson about moving to San Francisco: do your research on neighborhoods.
I would strongly recommend not living in the Tenderloin. Walk through it if you want to understand the city more fully, but it is not a pleasant place to live. I still remember an Uber driver looking at me and saying, “I can’t believe you walk through here.”
After we got our first $100K check, my cofounders and I flew from Pennsylvania into Oakland, found an apartment in a day, and spent six days in a Berkeley Airbnb before moving in. That kicked off a multiyear journey through the Bay Area that taught me more about where founders should live than any guide on the internet ever could.
Here is what I learned.
Start with the East Bay
This might sound counterintuitive. Most people will tell you to move straight to San Francisco. I don’t think that is always the right move.
Our first real home was on Piedmont Avenue in Oakland, and I loved it. It is quiet, walkable, and full of charm. It is close to MacArthur BART, which gets you into San Francisco quickly. You get the calm of the East Bay with easy access to the city whenever you need it.
Rent is cheaper. The food is better than people expect. And it is easier to focus.
Emeryville is another underrated option. Safe, clean, and convenient. The Amtrak station is a huge plus if you are traveling up and down California. Emeryville feels like a small town sitting right next to one of the most important startup ecosystems in the world.
We eventually spent time near Aquatic Park in Berkeley, which was one of the most beautiful areas we lived in. It is right on the water, peaceful, and ideal if you want space to think and build without constant noise.
If your budget is tighter or you want more breathing room, the East Bay is a smart place to start.
When You’re Ready for San Francisco
Eventually, our company grew to the point where being in the city made more sense.
Our first stop was Dogpatch, and I loved it. It used to be an industrial neighborhood, but it has transformed into one of the most interesting parts of San Francisco. There is great food, waterfront access, and a real sense that the area is still being built in real time.
More importantly, Dogpatch is now at the center of the founder ecosystem. Y Combinator moved its headquarters from Mountain View to Pier 70, and founders are increasingly clustering around Dogpatch and Potrero Hill. If you are fundraising, building, or trying to stay close to the pulse of early-stage tech, this is one of the best places you can be.
My favorite neighborhood in San Francisco, though, was Potrero Hill. It is safe, sunny, and feels like a real neighborhood. When you are grinding through long days, the weather and environment have a real effect on your energy. Potrero Hill gives you skyline views, a calmer residential feel, and easy access to the rest of the city without forcing you into the chaos of it.
It is also right next to Dogpatch, so you get the best of both worlds: quiet streets and proximity to YC and the broader founder scene.
If I were moving back to San Francisco as a founder today, Potrero Hill would be at the top of my list.
Other Neighborhoods Worth Considering
Mission District is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the city. Great food, strong cultural identity, better weather than most of SF, and good BART access. A lot of younger founders and startup people end up there because the energy is high.
SoMa is the classic tech neighborhood. It puts you close to offices, coworking spaces, and events, but it can feel a little more industrial and transactional than other parts of the city.
Hayes Valley has become a center of gravity for AI. If you are building in AI and want to maximize density with founders, investors, and operators, Hayes Valley is worth considering.
Mission Bay is another strong option if you want something newer, cleaner, and closer to Caltrain. It feels more polished than some older neighborhoods and is appealing if you value convenience.
The NYC Question
After Covid, San Francisco got rough in ways that made a lot of founders question whether they should still be there. In May 2025, I spent time in New York City to see if it could work as a founder base.
New York has incredible talent and momentum, but it also has more distractions. Every block offers a new restaurant, a new event, a new reason to stop working. That can be amazing for lifestyle, but it is not always ideal when you are trying to build something from zero.
What pushes you in San Francisco is that so many people around you are all in. You sit in a café and hear people talking about revenue growth, hiring, fundraising, or product velocity. That kind of environment raises your own standards. The city’s social pressure is not about nightlife. It is about building.
That is the part people underestimate. San Francisco is not just a place where startups happen. It is a place that makes you think bigger.
Practical Tips for Making the Move
The Bottom Line
I have lived in the Tenderloin, Piedmont, Emeryville, Berkeley, Dogpatch, and Potrero Hill. I have spent enough time moving around the Bay to know that where you live shapes how you build.
San Francisco is still the best place in the world to build an early-stage startup. The talent is here. The capital is here. The ambition is here. And the density of serious builders is still hard to replicate anywhere else.
If you are an aspiring founder thinking about making the move, my advice is simple: optimize for focus first, then optimize for proximity. Start where you can afford to think clearly. Then get as close as you can to the people pushing you to build faster.
And whatever you do, do not move to the Tenderloin.
Shevy is a Co-Founder and General Partner at NPU Ventures, a $5M pre-seed fund backing AI and national security founders.