Why Seattle is Great for Our Startup

When I decided to leave Amazon, one of the first questions people asked me was whether the team was moving to Silicon Valley. There's been significant debate lately on Seattle's startup climate and specifically the lack of capital (for more background, read Geekwire articles here, here, and here).
The Bay Area is certainly an awesome and unique startup ecosystem, and I personally have strong connections there. And we will always consider any option that helps us succeed, including relocation.
Here are some of the things I find great about Seattle for startups:

• Cost of living: No state income tax, combined with affordable rents (compared to the Bay Area), mean that we have more savings and can stretch our dollars much farther. I personally have no issues eating ramen, but that shouldn't be required to survive.
• Collaborative startup community: I've been blown away by the entrepreneurs and advisors that I've met. Everyone has been helpful and eager to share their feedback and advice.
• Access to talent: My friends in the Bay Area tell me it's a constant battle to hire and retain engineers and other highly skilled team members. It's certainly not easy in Seattle, but I think it's less desperate than the current situation in SF.
• Geographic density: It takes me less than 15 min to get to any meeting, which means I spend less time traveling and more time getting stuff done.

Wrap-up

Every team's situation is different. For us, we're happy in Seattle and it makes sense to stay here. That being said, no one knows what the future holds, and I believe that part of doing a startup is being receptive to what the situation demands.