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No Mosquitoes, But Some Things About Startup Scene Bug Austin Transplant

What do new transplants think of San Diego’s startup scene? Last week, we spoke with two CEOs who relocated from Silicon Valley. This week, we ask a solo entrepreneur how moving to San Diego impacted his business, if there were any surprises along the way, and what he’d like to see more of in San Diego.

DAVID LOWE

Moved to San Diego: July 2016

Total time here: 7 months

Business: Tech and Co-living Entreprenuer

David Lowe is a serial entrepreneur who recently moved to San Diego from another startup hub — Austin, Texas.

In Austin, Lowe founded a startup called Uberpong, a company that leans on the resurgence of table tennis’ popularity (particularly in the tech and startup crowd). The company offers custom Ping-Pong paddles, which users can design online or through Uberpong’s mobile app.

Now Lowe is moving on to another concept that serves the quirks of the startup crowd: coliving. Like coworking with beds and showers, coliving is a new kind of startup community where entrepreneurs share living and working space all in one building.

Lowe moved to San Diego to launch his first space, to be called Qwerky Coliving, and has been gathering research and making connections for the last several months.

Reasons for leaving Austin:

Saturated market. “Too many people were moving to Austin to start a company,” Lowe said. “Austin is growing too big too fast, and it’s saturated — especially in tech.”

Hot and buggy. “There was 100-degree heat, and that was a real challenge,” said Lowe, who moved to Austin from London. “Then the sun would go down and the mosquitoes would come out.”

Other cities considered before moving:

San Francisco, New York, Boston, Sydney, and Barcelona.

Why San Diego?

Beach life. “My health was deteriorating in Austin, and my allergies were terrible,” Lowe said. “I grew up on the Northwest Coast of England, and I missed the ocean.”

Nascent Startup Scene. “The startup scene is just getting going, so I know that I can bring value,” Lowe said.

What were your expectations versus reality? Did anything come as a surprise to you after getting settled in?

Conservative business culture. “At several business networking events, I’ve felt like I don’t quite fit in,” Lowe said. “Every time I open my mouth, people’s jaws hit the ground. I think my ideas are a bit progressive.”

Cliquish startup groups. “Similar to Austin, there seems to be one incubator that everyone goes to,” Lowe said. “If you’re not a part of it, you’re out of the startup circle. That doesn’t make for a supportive ecosystem.”

Poor public transportation. “The traffic and the public transportation infrastructure are very challenging,” Lowe said.

What would you like to see more of/less of in San Diego’s startup community?

More fun. “More founder fight clubs, more Ping-Pong tournaments, and more competition between startup people,” Lowe said. “In Austin, we had ‘Startup Olympics’ because startup people are very competitive by nature. I’d love to see more of that.”

More accessibility. Many startup events are held at swanky lounges, expensive bars and other corporate-friendly locations. Lowe said it would be nice to see gatherings at more casual and affordable venues.

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