The Startup Tapes #11: No English, but a Few Friends & a Lot of Talent: Moving to Silicon Valley as a Foreign Founder

Abstract

Five years ago Kazuki Ohta didn’t speak English, yet it was obvious to him that his startup had to happen in the US. He and his co-founders at Treasure Data are all Japanese, met in Tokyo, but decided to build their company in Silicon Valley from the start.

After 100 hires and $47M raised, their company highlights the increasingly common trend of fast-growth startups, started by all-foreign teams, right from the heart of California. Why do these founders do it? How? And it is worth it?