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I plan to launch internet based company, targeted at global users. I am from India currently living in France. Which country/location do you think will be the best to be based at. I am thinking mainly about the availability of funds/angel investors and experienced human resources for technical as well as business side. I have a network in France, but it's not easy to start a business here and taxes are high. Denmark is being talked about as very favourable location for startups, but I am not sure about it. Is it a big advantage to be in the Silicon Valley? The business idea has a high potential, and I would need the right kind of business angels / mentors to make it successful. Should I consider moving to the US.

Thanks a lot Anshumaan

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4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

While you can start a web business from any point on the planet, as long as you have a good internet connection, there are advantages to starting your business in the right environment. Some of the most successful internet companies were started in Israel (such as ICQ and shopping.com and the companies that did well in the last TC50) despite the fact that it is a country surrounded by enemies.

While many places could do, you probably want to be in the Vally, so that you can get known in the industry, and make the right connections... That would help you get noticed, and get articles in the right blogs, which is critical if you want to get masses of people to hear about your website.

You might be able to pull things off working from other countries, but you will need to either visit the valley a lot, of have someone working there full time.

Good luck with your venture.

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Thanks a lot RonGa. I understand your point, and I will try to be in the valley asap. Although I will have to find out what kind of visa could I get to the US, as I think the visa as an entrepreneur would require me to show substantial amount of funds. Will figure somw way out. Thanks again. – Anshumaan Nov 21 '09 at 22:44
I have good news and bad news... The good news is that the amount of money required for a green card for entrepreneurs is half of what it was a short time ago. The bad news is that it is now $500K, so it is still very expensive. On the other hand, you do need to raise a lot of money for a startup anyway, so if you can raise the half mil, you should be well on your way... You don't need a green card though for going to the valley and checking things out... A regular visa will do, and you can be in the states for up to 3 months with a such a visa, which is plenty of time to check things out. – RonGa Nov 21 '09 at 23:17
up vote 2 down vote

Paul Graham has some very interesting comments on the relevance of startup location. I'd read this before deciding on whether or not to pay extra special attention to location:

http://www.paulgraham.com/siliconvalley.html

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up vote 1 down vote

Israel, Is the best location for internet based startups. Try googling it and youll find a lot of regarding the issue.

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up vote 1 down vote

The single most important thing is to be where your market is at. So, if you're targeting the US market - you should be in the US, if you're targeting France - you should be in France and so on. Once that is out of the way. you are better off being in a place where the right ecosystem exists - investors, other technology companies, lost of potential customers, a good talent pool. In the US for example: SF bay area, NYC, Austin, Boston to name a few.

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