If you think Zoom replaced geography, let me watch the first term sheet that arrives by WhatsApp.
Your location is a weapon or a weight—no matter how many nomad YouTubers claim Bali is the new Sand Hill.
The real truth? The further you get from money, the less you get. But “move to SF and network” is almost always a dumb play for operators without a trust fund.
Startups are told that “proximity is dead”—then spend three years cold emailing VCs and getting ghosted from six time zones away.
Geographic clustering—done right—still crushes isolation. But not how you were taught.
Context/Problem: The “Post-Location” Lie is for Losers (and Scammers)
Conventional Wisdom—And Why Almost Everyone Gets It Wrong
- Twitter/X: “Location is dead. Great teams win from anywhere.”
- “Accelerators are remote. Investors ‘don’t care’ about where you are.”
- “Partnerships happen on Slack!”
- Meanwhile: 80%+ of US startup Series A checks still go to teams within a 75-minute drive of the lead investor (Crunchbase, 2024).
- In-person “clusters” (SF, Toronto, London, Berlin) still hoover up capital and partnership offers, especially in hard tech, B2B SaaS, or regulated verticals.
But Clustering Is Not One-Size-Fits-All
- Too close: You get tech echo chamber, bloated costs, and brain-melt competition.
- Too far: You end up in the cold—outside the in-groups, dealt out of the real term sheets.
- “Be where the action is” only works if you know when it actually matters for YOUR business.
- Fact: Only 7% of “indie” founders ever get a warm intro to a meaningful investor from random Twitter DMs, per Indie Hackers Survey 2024.
Pull quote:
Location doesn’t matter—until it does. And then there’s no Slack DM on earth that replaces a handshake.
Framework/Solution: The Operator’s Guide to Strategic Geographic Leverage
Here’s how elite outsiders stack the odds:
- Leverage clusters for targeted outcomes (not because YC says so).
- Engineer presence, not just residence.
- Know when “in-person” is gold—and when it’s just a burn rate bomb.
1. Cluster for Credibility, Not Community
When You Need the Right Geography:
- B2B SaaS (US Market): Presence in a North American city (or at minimum, direct network overlap via alumni, events, or anchor client site visits) is table stakes.
- 90% of 2024 B2B SaaS Series A funding in the US went to Delaware or Bay Area-inc’d firms—even when “remote first.” (PitchBook, 2024)
- Hard Tech, Regulated, Enterprise: Physical presence in leading hubs (SF for AI, Cambridge for biotech, Toronto for fintech) = exponentially higher odds of landing pilots, partnerships, or GovTech deals.
- Partnerships: Most notable JV deals ($1M+ strategic or white label) still originate on the ground through high-trust events, not via Calendly.
Data Table: Where Funding Actually Flows (US Series A, 2024)
| City/Region | % of Deals | Median Round Size |
|---|---|---|
| SF Bay Area | 41% | $15M |
| New York | 18% | $12M |
| Boston | 7% | $10.5M |
| Rest of US (all combined) | 24% | $8.7M |
| Outside US | 10% | $9M |
| Source: PitchBook, 2024. |
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2. Engineer Presence Over Permanent Residence
The Modern Arbitrage:
Location is not about living—it’s about showing up at leverage points.
- Short, intentional IRL bursts: 6–12 weeks a year at the right events, demo days, or partner onsite meets beat “being in SF” year-round for many.
- Example: ANC client base (SaaS, remote-first): Average total spend on “presence” (flights, Airbnbs, event tickets) was $7,200/y. Result: 45% higher warm lead/partnership conversion compared to perm-remote, no-travel founders.
- Operate remotely, prove in-person.
- Strategic “on the ground” sprints: Fundraising window, partner negotiation, launch, or compliance—use IRL as force multiplier, not habit.
- Never substitute glam nomad conferences for actual investor/partner nodes.
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3. Remote Network: Only Strong if Engineered, Not Assumed
Digital-first is a trap if you’re lazy. Here’s how operators win:
- Build for surgical sync: Don’t spam DMs—get systematic on referrals, alumni intros, first-degree connections.
- Ancillary network hubs: Leverage legal/financial partners in cluster cities, even if you live remote.
- Example: Canadian fintechs hire Toronto-based counsel/bankers for credibility, then operate WFH from Montreal/Vancouver/Mexico.
- IRL > async for anchors: First check, real partnerships, critical hires—close in person. Everything else: async until proven otherwise.
“Fact: Only 11% of ANC bootstrapped deals >$100K happened without at least one in-person step.” — Internal Client Data, Q1-3 2024.
Want me to bet on you?
I pick 10-12 founders per year to work with for equity. 2% advisory shares. No cash.
Apply to portfolio—
4. Know When Proximity Doesn’t Matter—And When It’ll Kill You
Here’s the honest scenario matrix:
| Business Type | Proximity Required For Funding? | Proximity Required For Partnerships? |
|---|---|---|
| US B2B SaaS | Yes (warm intro/cluster) | Yes for majors, not for micro-deals |
| Consumer Subscriptions | Not usually | No |
| Indie SaaS, Non-US | Rarely | No, if demand is digital |
| Regulated/Finance | Usually | Yes, for compliance/partner trust |
| Solo agency/freelance | Never | No |
| Marketplace | Sometimes (early)* | Sometimes if supply/demand locked in |
Notes: Marketplaces with network effects benefit from local wedge even if user base later goes global.
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5. Attack the Clustering Echo Chamber—Survive at the Edges
How to avoid getting burned:
- Don’t move ‘for networking’ if you don’t even have an MVP or cash. The “move and hope” play is a death trap for 90% of founders.
- Don’t default “remote forever” if you’re B2B SaaS and fundraising inside the US—take the hit, build the face time, then retreat with leverage.
- Attack “startup tourism”: If you’re broke and living on ramen, do one event sprint in the best cluster for your vertical—not whatever’s trending on Twitter/X.
Case Study/Proof:
The Immigrant SaaS Founder Who Engineered Proximity (Not Permalink)
- Eastern European solo founder, early MRR, no US address, no local partners.
- Rejected “move to SF” advice—obsessively mapped target VCs, events, and partner nodes.
- Flew in for 3-week targeted sprint: 2 demo days, 1 customer conference, 20+ in-person meetings, 15 warm intros via domain-specialized law firm.
- Closed anchor US design partner and raised a $650K bridge from a VC who met him at that conference.
- Went back home, operated on runway—but returned for every, partnership or series A negotiation.
- Zero cold DMs landed checks. Every real deal: handshake, not LinkedIn.
“Remote-first is a weapon only if you show up at the critical moment—otherwise, you’re just another cold email.”
Action Steps: Build Intentional Geographic Leverage
- Map your needed proximity. What actually requires in-person: funding, customers, partners, compliance? Fill out the ANC Geo-Leverage Worksheet.
- Plan at least one strategic in-person sprint/year in the key cluster(s) for your vertical. Don’t just move—deploy.
- Engineer your indirect presence: Get a local lawyer, accountant, partner, or power user tied into key clusters.
- Track warm intros vs. cold outreach success rate—cut anything under 10% reply rate outside of IRL.
- Download our Geographic Leverage Builder—audit where you’re spending time, what clusters drive returns, and what to double down on (template below).
“Geography is leverage for the disciplined. For the rest, it’s just more excuses.”
CTA & Conversion:
No more “location doesn’t matter.” Operators own their geography—and know when to deploy. Download the Geographic Leverage Builder, sign up for ANC’s unfiltered founder newsletter, or book a call to audit your fundraising reality. Don’t whine about why investors ignore you if you’re three continents away and never show up.