I met one of the associate directors of Startup Chile last night at a Hackers & Founders event. These people are amazing. They are trying to revamp their economy by changing the culture, and to do that, they want to import startup culture. So, their government has set aside $100M over the next four years to get 1,000 startups to come to Chile for six months and work.
But even more than that, their vision is much larger. They want the program to become a success, so that other, less developed countries start similar programs. Their goal is to try and convince 10 other governments of developing countries to embark on similar projects.
They are trying to hack their economy. And... it's working.
I was shocked to heard that their applicant pool wasn't that large.
Also, they are willing to take people at the idea stage.
So, if you want to build your startup, and take part in one of the best economic hacks I've heard of in years... apply.
If you have a product that you think might be popular enough to run afoul of the U.S. patent mafia, it might be worth consulting with someone versed in Chilean patent law and trying out a launch there instead.
Chileans are interesting. I like the country, they seem to be culturally capitalist (though when we were there we did observe a communist party having a rally of some sort.) But on the street, you don't see kids bugging you for money, the poor kids go around selling coca-colas in the park. The older kids sell american cigarettes.
Chileans don't seem paranoid, or to have an inferiority, nor a superiority complex like many people. They're open, but not pushy. If you don't say anything to them, they'll leave you alone, but if you ask a question they'll try to answer it.
Santiago has a gay quarter which looked about comparable to the kind you'd find in an american cities. We were there during the day so I can't say anything about the scene, other than it isn't in the closet.
Oh, and they have the best food.
Highly recommend Chile as at least a place to visit. I could certainly live there.
the political spectrum is wider than the usa, and people are more politically involved (both of which you would expect, i think, given the country's history). some of the most decent people i know here are still active communists; many of my friends were in the party during the dictatorship because that was the main coordinating movement in the resistance.
there's an active debate about how society should work. i suspect some americans will see "communists" and think they are going to have their work stolen from them. that's not the case. in practice the debate is more about where to position the country between what you might call "european" and "american" ideals. sure, some people i know advocate permanent revolution. but on the other side some people advocate eugenics of the poor (seriously - speaking from experience). there really is a wider range (and i think that's a good thing).
i live in chile, although i work for us companies. when this was announced i was pretty sceptical, but it does seem to be making a significant difference to the local culture. there is a lot more "buzz" - many more meetings, job offers, companies appearing. there's even a conference being organised - http://www.startechconf.com
Nice, you might be able to answer the number one question I have about this program: how do native Chileans feel about this? Is there a perception that they're being skipped over, do they feel negatively towards outsiders being brought in through this program, or are they generally positive towards it?
there's a lot of info at http://www.quora.com/Hows-life-in-Santiago-Chile but basically: if it's imported, it's more expensive than the usa, but if it's local then it's less so. so the cost of living depends a lot on your standard of living. if you want all the luxuries you might expect in the usa or europe, you'll need to spend a similar amount. but if you're happy living in a cheap part of town, eating local fresh food, you could get by on much less.
you could rent a small apartment in a good area (providencia) for $300 a month; a ride on the metro or bus is $1 - $1.50; bread is around $2.50 a kilo... minimum wage here is about $500 a month (the quora page is a bit out of date - the dollar has lost some value...). i imagine you'd need to pay around $2,500 a month for a decent programmer - less for someone with less experience.
This seems an exceptionally interesting & exciting idea. Is this the first time something like this has been run institutionally in an emerging economy or developing nation?
StartupChile is almost certainly the savviest and most effective effort out there, both in results and their marketing of themselves, but there are many other international pushes to promote entrepreneurship.
this is a very silly question, but what are the odds they will accept founders from Asia? i'm Indonesian currently working in Malaysia. if the odds are good, i'm willing to try. i don't want to waste my and their time submitting application if i know they favor certain countries of origin (i just pessimistically think they're luring people from Valley and the like, not just some random countries).
"Any globally-minded entrepreneur is eligible to apply, regardless of his or her nationality and all applications will be judged under the same criteria."
if you watched This Week in Startup, there's an episode where Jason and Jose were pitched on the ideas worked at StartupChile. the first was from brazil. second from Italy. Third was boston. No silicon valley in sight!
Last I looked at this, I thought one of the requirements was that your startup had to directly affect Chile, like providing jobs or something of that sort. Am I completely incorrect or is there something on there with that provision?
There is a checklist of things they like to see. Hiring locally is one of the points in the list, but you only need to do a few items on the list so you can get by with scoring an article in your hometown paper, going to a Chile event, etc. Also, even if you don't need developers you can hire a Spanish speaking assistant to do all the admin work and contacts with the government. The list of things you can do is in the FAQ & Terms, see startupchile.org
I wonder what the internet penetration, internet speed and mobile penetration is in Chile. Do they see this as something that would directly benefit Chile through the products or something that would just create a pool of people and ideas that would indirectly improve the startup environment in Chile.
And then the broader question in my mind is: can you build a successful US focused startup from somewhere else? Aren't the first six months some of the most critical stages of your product development where you have to be close to your users and understand their needs well?
When I first heard about this a few months back I was somewhat skeptical, but it seemed like a great idea. It's nice to see a Gov't that doesn't have its head firmly lodged up its own ass and one that is trying different approaches to attracting business. From the other comments it seems as though it's working out pretty well- When I can no longer take anymore of the politics and RIDICULOUS politicians here in the States, Chile could be a good place for the next adventure...
40k for six months of my life in an area where I don't have a lot of familiarity or a network of business associates or friends isn't a great deal.
Six months of my life to win a contract with the Chilean government to use my software, and I'm sold. How much support or networking is done by the program? Is it pretty much you get the money and you're on your own in a foreign country?
I was looking into living in Chile after I heard about this program and one thing that really jumped out is that the Chilean Peso is running at more than 450-1 against the dollar. Does anyone know why the currency is so devalued? Is the political situation unstable? Or is the sovereign debt situation out of control?
Any developers here interested in applying? I've been thinking about it but I'm primarily on the business side. If anybody would like to discuss possibilities please check my profile for further background and contact info.
You need to incorporate in Chile upon arrival (they help you with that), so I don't see how being incorporated in your own country would help because that company would just become a subsidiary to the Chile parent.
[+] [-] iamelgringo|14 years ago|reply
But even more than that, their vision is much larger. They want the program to become a success, so that other, less developed countries start similar programs. Their goal is to try and convince 10 other governments of developing countries to embark on similar projects.
They are trying to hack their economy. And... it's working.
I was shocked to heard that their applicant pool wasn't that large.
Also, they are willing to take people at the idea stage.
So, if you want to build your startup, and take part in one of the best economic hacks I've heard of in years... apply.
[+] [-] smogzer|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thaumaturgy|14 years ago|reply
If you have a product that you think might be popular enough to run afoul of the U.S. patent mafia, it might be worth consulting with someone versed in Chilean patent law and trying out a launch there instead.
[+] [-] econgeeker|14 years ago|reply
Chileans don't seem paranoid, or to have an inferiority, nor a superiority complex like many people. They're open, but not pushy. If you don't say anything to them, they'll leave you alone, but if you ask a question they'll try to answer it.
Santiago has a gay quarter which looked about comparable to the kind you'd find in an american cities. We were there during the day so I can't say anything about the scene, other than it isn't in the closet.
Oh, and they have the best food.
Highly recommend Chile as at least a place to visit. I could certainly live there.
[+] [-] andrewcooke|14 years ago|reply
there's an active debate about how society should work. i suspect some americans will see "communists" and think they are going to have their work stolen from them. that's not the case. in practice the debate is more about where to position the country between what you might call "european" and "american" ideals. sure, some people i know advocate permanent revolution. but on the other side some people advocate eugenics of the poor (seriously - speaking from experience). there really is a wider range (and i think that's a good thing).
[+] [-] andrewcooke|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thaumaturgy|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] te_platt|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mlok|14 years ago|reply
...and since searchyc is now dead (RIP), there is this : http://www.hnsearch.com/search#request/submissions&q=chi...
[+] [-] robfitz|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] corry|14 years ago|reply
Seems like a cool program, just trying to understand how far that $40k would go (or even the $5k that you can pay yourself).
[+] [-] andrewcooke|14 years ago|reply
you could rent a small apartment in a good area (providencia) for $300 a month; a ride on the metro or bus is $1 - $1.50; bread is around $2.50 a kilo... minimum wage here is about $500 a month (the quora page is a bit out of date - the dollar has lost some value...). i imagine you'd need to pay around $2,500 a month for a decent programmer - less for someone with less experience.
so bring a laptop with you!
[+] [-] angusgr|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] HistoryInAction|14 years ago|reply
StartupChile is almost certainly the savviest and most effective effort out there, both in results and their marketing of themselves, but there are many other international pushes to promote entrepreneurship.
[+] [-] wiradikusuma|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zb|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bazookaBen|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] limedaring|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ebaysucks|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Okvivi|14 years ago|reply
And then the broader question in my mind is: can you build a successful US focused startup from somewhere else? Aren't the first six months some of the most critical stages of your product development where you have to be close to your users and understand their needs well?
[+] [-] Futur1st|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] runT1ME|14 years ago|reply
Six months of my life to win a contract with the Chilean government to use my software, and I'm sold. How much support or networking is done by the program? Is it pretty much you get the money and you're on your own in a foreign country?
[+] [-] HistoryInAction|14 years ago|reply
Looks like they do a fair bit of networking.
[+] [-] daimyoyo|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] matioyeah|14 years ago|reply
Would applying for something like this with the intent of working with Chilean, or other, coders be a waste of the reviewers' time?
[+] [-] markddotme|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clb22|14 years ago|reply
Disclaimer: I'm the curator of Chile Startup Digest
@cleiva
[+] [-] ccarpenterg|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] gcb|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lawfulfalafel|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ebaysucks|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wolfparade|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] hercule|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ebaysucks|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bazookaBen|14 years ago|reply