LaunchPad SF

launching tomorrow: an updated & rewritten 2025 starter guide to sf💫

mapping out even more:

- superconnectors to follow
- AI events + communities + conferences + hackathons
- startup programs + accelerators
- VCs recommended by founders
- finding housing (coliving houses,…

— Michelle Fang 🌁 (@michelleefang) June 4, 2025

Here's a startup idea based on the text above — think Gary’s Guide meets On Deck meets Product Hunt, but ultra-local and tailored to the AI/startup newcomer scene in SF (and eventually every major startup hub).

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Startup Name: LaunchPad Local (or just: "LaunchPad SF")

Tagline:

Your first friend in the city of startups.

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What It Is:

A digital companion platform + newsletter for newcomers to startup hubs, starting with San Francisco in 2025. Think “the ultimate onboarding experience” to a new city for startup founders, AI builders, and technologists.

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Problem:

Landing in SF (or NYC, LA, Austin, London, Bangalore, etc.) as a startup founder or AI builder is overwhelming:

• You don’t know who to follow.

• You miss key meetups and pitch nights.

• You get burned by shady sublets.

• You don’t know which VC intros are actually founder-friendly.

• You’re isolated until you randomly stumble upon community.

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Solution:

A hyperlocal, always-updated “Starter Guide + Insider Network” delivered as:

• Curated newsletter (weekly)

• Interactive city map & database

• Founder-first recs (not pay-to-play)

• Mobile app (event radar, people radar)

• Slack/Discord/WhatsApp-based community

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Core Features (SF Starter Kit v1):

• 🌐 Directory of Superconnectors (curated Twitter/X list + personal intro opportunities)

• 📅 Live AI + Startup Event Tracker (conferences, meetups, hackathons)

• 🧠 Accelerator & Program Map (On Deck, YC, Latitud, PearX, etc.)

• 💰 Founder-Recommended VC List (sortable by thesis, check size, responsiveness)

• 🏠 Housing Radar (coliving houses, founder-friendly landlords, sublet alerts)

• 💼 Workspaces Map (coworking spaces, cafes, “third places”)

• 🌍 Immigration Help (visas, lawyer lists, startup visa programs, global talent initiatives)

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Business Model:

• Freemium:
  Free for basic guide/newsletter. Paid Pro version includes:

  • Premium intros to VCs/superconnectors

  • Real-time event alerts

  • Private Slack groups by domain (AI, climate, bio, etc.)

  • Job board & housing board access

• Event Sponsorships

• Partnered "Starter Packs" with local orgs (YC, a16z, Airbnb, Deel, etc.)

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Future Vision:

Expand to other cities:

• LaunchPad NYC

• LaunchPad Bangalore

• LaunchPad Berlin
  ...each with local curators and tailored resources.

Build an AI assistant that guides you in real time based on your interests, visa status, runway, and social goals.

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Taglines to Try:

• Land in SF like a local.

• The startup welcome mat you never had.

• Your GPS for the founder journey.

• Start smarter, connect faster.

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Launch Marketing Hook:

“Everything I wish I knew when I first moved to SF.”
Make it founder-authored, founder-backed, and community-owned from day one.

LaunchPad SF https://t.co/jisX1yy9Tp

— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) June 4, 2025