Why I’m moving to S.F.

Where you live matters, perhaps more than I realized. So, I’m making a change.

There are many well-discussed reasons to move to the center of your industry: “maximize access to the best companies, the best people, and the best opportunities.” But here’s one that doesn’t get talked about as much: if your work is a big part of who you are, living anywhere other than the centre of your industry, can feel off. I know it has for me.

That’s why I’m moving to S.F.

I joined Weekend Fund in 2019 as Chief of Staff from London. I started part-time while working at a startup. My teammate Ryan Hoover lived in S.F. at the time. Within weeks, I knew this was the job for me. Luckily, Ryan felt similarly. Six months later, I joined full-time and remained in London.

Being able to invest remotely, now as a Partner at the fund, has allowed me to do work I love.

But it’s come at a cost. Being an investor at Weekend Fund is a big part of my identity. But that part isn’t grounded in the world around me in London. Even though we invest globally, most of the “worlds” we operate in are based in the Bay Area. It’s the center of our universe. Many of our portfolio founders, co-investors, and L.P.s are based there too.

For over 5 years now, my Weekend Fund and IRL worlds have been siloed. Paul Graham points out, “The physical world is very high bandwidth.” Our environments send us messages; one of the most blatant ones is “You are X.” At my running club, I’m more of a runner than I am anywhere else. When I dropped into a church service with a friend, I felt more religious than I have in years. Good environments are like “good mirrors” that reflect important parts of yourself. It works both ways. When your environment doesn’t reflect a key part of who you are, it’s like staring into a broken mirror. It can feel disorienting.

This wasn’t always a problem. Or, as much of a problem.

The apprentice stage

When I joined Weekend Fund, I was in apprentice mode.

In Robert Greene’s “Mastery” framework, we start our careers standing outside of our fields in the “apprentice stage.” My task was to learn the investing game we were playing at Weekend Fund, with Ryan as my mentor. I was learning how to identify good investments and the types of people who build venture-backed companies; what makes a good investment; how to communicate with founders, L.P.s, and co-investors; and how to effectively represent the fund. I was intensely absorbed, and my attention geo-fenced to Weekend Fund. Having physical access to the surrounding “worlds” was less important.

The practitioner stage

As I’ve grown in my career from Chief of Staff to Partner, my role has shifted from supporting investments to making investments — from student to practitioner. Robert Greene calls this the “Creative active stage.” During this next stage of my career, not having physical access to the “worlds” Weekend Fund operates in, the founders, investors, and L.P.s in it, and the “larger playing field” has started to feel very limiting.

My task for this next stage: develop a style of investing that fits my strengths (and weaknesses!). Having in-person access to founders and investors, I can learn from, including their idiosyncratic styles, feels important for my development at this stage. I can only learn so much from the players in our industry via catchup on Zoom, podcasts, Substack, and Twitter. In any career, there comes a point where you need direct access to the people you learn from (most of the people I learn from live in the Bay Area).

For the last year, I’ve wondered if moving back to the Bay Area, in search of a “better mirror” for my work as an investor, was right for me.

I decided to find out.

The trial

I spent a week in SF to “Weekend Fund IRL” late last year. Ryan and I co-worked. We hosted a hike with WF portfolio founders and LPs. I caught up with several “internet” friends, founders, and investors.

I started to feel what it was like for my virtual and physical worlds to overlap. It felt like an exhale, and I couldn’t wait to go back.

With moves (and other big decisions!), I’ve learned that you can theorize all you want, but unless you “try on” a decision, you cannot truly know.

I spent all of January in San Francisco, as documented in our Weekend Fund LP update:

So, I spent January trialing “San Francisco life.” For the month, my compass for making decisions was “What is the more S.F. thing to do?” If there was a bike route involving cycling along the water, I took that route (“the bridge” has no bad angles!). I worked out of the Salesforce Tower WeWork (the flagship WeWork!). I organized brunches at group houses, hikes in Marin, and played mafia with friends.

At the end of the month, I felt like my Weekend Fund and IRL worlds had collapsed. It was a relief.

Upgrading the trial

I’m upgrading the trial to a permanent move. With my recently approved O-1, I’ll be a San Francisco resident in a few weeks to double down on Weekend Fund and my career as an investor.

If you’re based in S.F. and would like to meet up:

• We (Weekend Fund) will host a “Welcome Vedika to S.F.” event in July. D.M. me if you’d like to attend!
• I plan to grab coffee with as many people I’ve been on an email thread or Twitter D.M. with as I can. If we’ve bumped into each other on the internet before, reach out!
• I’m also planning to run along the water as much as possible. D.M. me if you’d like to go for a run or a bike ride together.

– Vedika (@vedikaja_in)