Day 21 last day, last meeting, finishing up

German automotive supplier

it worked out on my last day to meet with Kilian, who is running  the Slicon Valley office for a German automotive supplier. The office was founded to follow the OEM to the US. The company is doing prototypes and some US specific developments.

I introduced him to my venture and he could give me a lot of tips regards professional prototyping. That was indeed very helpful. The company is also very knowledgeable in regards to regulations and tests so they might become a partner as soon as we will start prototype development.

I finally had my first UBER ride

we ordered an UBER cab to do a bar crawl on my last evening. Booking was as easy as it could be, the driver arrived in 7min, was very friendly, we got out of the car on our first location and done. Perfect! can absolutely recommend it.

Day 20 Thursday US Immigration Issues for Entrepreneurs

 

Immigration Issues for Entrepreneurs, Techies, Students, and Startups

Immigration issues are front and center for many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, startups, and professionals from various fields and different sized organizations. The speaker did address many of the issues confronting foreign-born entrepreneurs and tech professionals in Silicon Valley as well as hiring organizations. The issues covered did include: Entrepreneurial Visa Options: E-2, L-1, H-1B, and O-1 Visas, Investor Based Green Card Options: EB-5 Immigrant Visa, Employment Based Green Card Options: EB-1 Immigrant Visa ....and more.

 

Don't get caught or better get a proper working visa

One personal word to my German fellows who are traveling to the US for work on an ESTA (visa waiver program) .. please don't! If you get caught, your startup will never make it to the US because you might become expelled for years violating immigration policies.

The Visa Waiver Program is a United States government initiative that helps citizens from within the limited set of Visa Waiver Countries (including Germany) to enter the United States for either tourism, transit or business purposes for up to 90 days without needing to obtain a traditional visa. So it helps travelers to plan a quick trip to the US within a short period of time.

Yes, WVP includes doing business. Does it mean you can work here? Unfortunately NO! The things you can do under the VWP are

• consult with business associates
• attend a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference
• attend short-term training (you may not be paid by any source in the United States with the exception of expenses incidental to your stay)
• negotiate a contract

So you can setup your startup, raise money however you are not allowed to work.

 

So what is it you CAN do. Not much, simple answer, get a visa. You have to look for a sponsoring company or organization e.g the German Accelerator, a University program or team up with an American Citizen on your startup. Or your raise enough money and the startup can hire you. Please do a proper research online, find an US immigration lawyer or use resources in Germany (there are a lot of transatlantic programs that will provide help and even visas).

 

TTIP and Immigration Reform: Immigration simplification for German SME's and Startups would be a great benefit. Both the EU and the United States have relied strongly on the migration of workers and families across borders—and both have been grappling with the social and political tensions that come with it. So TTIP eventually will simplify Immigration issues for European Entrepreneurs and SME's.

 

Challenge HW101 up in less than one hour and back again

Traffic is murderous. 101 is packed most of the day and you have to plan for time consuming rides. I had a meeting in SF so drove up taking 101 north however had about an hour to get there with 30min buffer. I made it and was there on time.

While speaking about time and appointments. In almost all cases everyone was on-time I met and not a single meeting became canceled. So was I - always on-time and sometimes some minutes earlier.

Meeting in SF with International Business School Professor

We met at a lovely place downtown SF and sat outside for a talk about my venture, my Fellowship and Silicon Valley. Olaf was a very interested listener and offered support in all kind. Including contact to a telecommunications enterprise, the UCSF (University of California, San Francisco), QB3 (QB3’s mission is to stimulate innovative life science to keep us healthy, sustain our environment and grow the economy.) He mentioned Mobile Health as the next big thing where diafyt fits perfectly into. I'll go and send him my intro to diafyt and ask him for forwarding this information to the contacts he had mentioned.

The "Du" question

He started with "können wir Du sagen" what might come funny to Americans however is a big deal for Germans. With "Du" everything becomes more personal and closer so Germans are hesitant to offer it in the first meeting. However since we are in Silicon Valley where there is no "Du" almost everyone German I did talk to used the "Du". Exceptions have been made at the event at the German Consulate and GACC what was more formal. I even wore a tie and the consulate and we had a group of 70 being all Germans.

 

Healthy American Breakfast

Keel, protein powder, blueberries, milk .. Germans not even own blenders. My host drinks this for breakfast together with a coffee. So even modern nutrition gets tested in Silicon Valley. However I will pass on this and get a Nutella Brötchen .. hmmmm :-)

 

Day 19 German Accelerator brings Best in Class German Engineering to Silicon Valley

German American acceleration

I had only one meeting scheduled for today so I was planning to spend the day at HanaHouse to take care of the many tasks I needed to follow up. Oh - the watches, yes I found them in the German Accelerator office.

Later that day I had a long conversation with Mike I met at my new Airbnb home. He was offering to send my pitch to one of his close friends in LA who is in this business and interested in new ideas e.g. diabetes. I already received a response and positive feedback from his office. So we'll see.

Airbnb secrets

Staying with Airbnb not only saves money it brings you in contact with folks who came here to promote their startups. So you share ideas, learn about their startup and receive valuable feedback on your startup. And with some luck, you can share your network an help each other. I met a very smart programmer, Tim and Cath, who is very much connected into the silicon valley startup community, Mike, who introduced me to an investor.

German Accelerator brings Best in Class German Engineering to Silicon Valley

I met with Dirk, who is running the GA and who is living in Silicon Valley since 20 years. He seemed extra busy however had time for about 45min to give me his brain dump for German want-to-be-entrepreneurs and the Silicon Valley rules and practices.

objective

What can German startups learn from Silicon Valley German Accelerator? What recommendations can be given or help can be provided for my startup?

outcome

He told me a lot and I want to share the most relevant responses: Just talking about Silicon Valley is good however without being here Germans will not find out what it needs to become a silicon Valley startup. Most who visit from Germany get the "Aha-Effekt" on what is Silicon Valley however applying this in Germany is complicated or simply will not work. So pretty much everything has to be localized and put into Silicon Valley perspective: your slide deck, your business plan, your team, your pitch, meetings, notes, emails .. Therefore the German Accelerator will bring German Entrepreneurs up to speed, teach basics, train pitches and prepare meetings. Mentoring is a big part and will bring startups and investors together.

 

 

Driven on vitamins

with so much Californian sun, an extra doses of vitamin d seems to be unnecessary. However the license plate represents Silicon Valley's love for German cars, healthy diets and motivation.

 

Sushi burritos 

what the heck .. sushi burritos? .. its very trendy and people tine up to get one. Its not more than a large sushi roll, but very popular. Its healthy, fast food and hip. There is a place on University Ave just next to the HanaHouse. I got one, yeah!

The new generation of founders

Most startups I have seen are working on some sort of online service or Smartphone App but there are as well designers, creative people, artists .. working together on the next big thing. While most of these folks are in there 20s, still in college or just about to graduate, all ages are represented.

Day 18 Tuesday HanaHouse and BMW Technology Offices

BMW Group Technology Offices in Mountain View

what would you expect from a technology center run by a German car company in Silicon Valley? Why they are here? .. These had been the question I was asking Uwe, the very kind and very knowledgeable person I met at the BMW technology offices.

BMW founded its Silicon Valley office in the late nineties with now about 30 staff with a 50/50 share of locals and expats from Germany. Focus areas are Sustainability (electric cars) and Digitalization (self driving cars).

BMW is expecting massive changes to the auto industry. Being part of this change is important. So trend scouting and innovation screening are major task the office has to provide.So the office takes innovation and transforms it to digestible solutions for the German development center in Munich.

What makes Silicon Valley unique? The culture of networking, innovation, openness and exchange makes up the Silicon Valley eco system.

 

HanaHouse Coworking on University Ave, Palo Alto

and I spent my first day at their location. its located in a former movie theatre transformed in a modern flexible workspace in the middle of Palo Alto. Its as easy as it can gets. You check in for $3 an hour, take a seat and do your work.

I met with a Mike I became introduced to during my visit to New York. I itch my startup and he offered help.

I want to know more

I'm still at HanaHouse in Palo Alto for the afternoon spending another 2 hours and $6. HanaHouse is home of a café with outside seating, see photo. Sitting here is free, including WiFi however without power outlets, so you'll need to come with your laptop fully charged.

 

I received my first message where an Investor asked for more information. "I want to know more" type of request. For me its a big achievement.

 

Hi Thomas,

Can you explain to me how the algorithm works?  What is the data you are collecting from the patient?  The implication is that you are not testing blood and you are non invasive.  Is that true? 

— Bob

So yes, I certainly know the answer and sent a quick reply explaining the algorithm and further details.

Silicon Valley is a large playing field for new ideas

I met David tonight who is 100% into Silicon Valley innovation. So he is a proud owner of an electric car, an Apple Watch, only rides UBER and stays at AirBnb places. He showed me how he did charge his car using ApplePay with his AppleWatch. And I  must confess that this is impressive and looks very futuristic. Silicon Valley is a large playing field or lab room where these inventions are become tested in a real live environment.

In Germany in contrast card payments are unusual (not mentioning ApplePay) and most places take cash before cards (or is it because of tax avoidance? .. never mind :-)

 

There are car charges everywhere with dedicated parking spaces so you don't have to worry being out of charge at least for your car. Speaking about charging, I went to the Apple store and I bought an iPhone car charger. Since because of my extensive use my phone was out of power in less than 8hrs.

 

Day 16 an 17 Zeitgeist and a Holiday Weekend

 

Zeitgeist

first of all .. the neighborhood is not where the average tourists would go to. And parking was quite challenging too. I met with German friends for a beer, burger and Bratkartoffeln. Yes, they serve German style Bratkartoffelns as French Fries.

Diabetes Reseach in SF

I had a great talk with Germans who work at a medical research lab studying diabetes-induced bone alteration. Most of them are from Munich staying for 6 Month to 3 years.

objective

what is been researched, get connections, get feedback on my venture

outcome

I received good feedback after a tough discussion. Doctors are a lot more hesitant to follow the idea that statistics can solve a medical problem. However these questions are very valuable.

• while taking over the job of caring about the patients body, will a diabetes 2 patient be even more carless about his diet and therapy?
• what if patients do not have a smartphone
• will it work in rural areas of the country
• who is responsible if the prediction is wrong
• how can clinical tests been done without risking patients life

I did my best answering these questions. Very fortunately, the self learning algorithm is quite good in even anticipating the unforeseen. It can work without an internet connection however only for some days and clinical tests are based on a non-automatic prototype where each prediction has to be confirmed by either the patient and/or the doctor.

 

San Francisco Beaches

are not as nice as you would think. On my way to SF I took HW1 north and HW35 north. Better beaches are south of Pacifica e.g. Half Moon Bay, Pascadero, ..

Rock Health Accelerator

I sad I would post the response I received. Please see below. Its not been a surprise to receive a NO since our venture is in a pre-VC stage. But its always worth trying.

Hello Thomas,
Thanks for submitting your information. Unfortunately at this time, we're going to pass on the opportunity to invest in diafyt. The amount of promising startups we review exceeds our capacity and funding, and we are only able to fund under 1% of companies that come through our door. Ultimately, given the stage of your company (pre prototype), it's too early for an investment and we wouldn't be able to add much value at this time.
We respect your work to help transform healthcare through technology, and wish you nothing but success in your efforts.
The Rock Health Team

Day 15 Saturday Sandhill Road

Visiting the VC offices on Sand Hill Road

on a Saturday? The place certainly was vacant. But I wanted to stop by and tell you about what's there. You might know already, all major VCs are located here and some call it Silicon Valley Wall Street. The road has become synonymous with venture capitalism; nearly every top Silicon Valley company has been the beneficiary of early funding from firms on Sand Hill Road including Microsoft, Amazon.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, Apple, Dropbox, .. The location btw. is a very cute area with 2 level office buildings surrounded by lots of green, walking paths and parking.

 

Venture Capitalists

• Sequoia Capital - 2800 Sand Hill Road
• Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers - 2750 Sand Hill Road
• Lightspeed Venture Partners - 2200 Sand Hill Road
• and for a full list visit link

You can reach out directly or through someone you both know. Email the partner you feel would be the best match for your business or use LinkedIn.

 

 

Sequoia Capital - VC for Apple, Dropbox, ..

I did sent out 2 messages to Sequoia partners I had been in contact 2 years ago. I'll let you know if I receive a response. VC capital might be too early for my startup however networking is always a good idea.

Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers

VC for Microsoft, Amazon.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Skype, .. And was in the news recently with a trial about sexual harassment. TheVerge.com: "Sexism in Silicon Valley: in the courtroom at Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins"

 

French Toast with fresh berries

Yelp said its the best place for French Toast in the area. So I came here for breakfast. Café Borrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025

The pace was overcrowded with a long line of 30 waiting to order. But it was soooo goooood :-) Totally recommend it. There is a good book store next to it and a Trader Joe's across El Camino Real. Btw. Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi however does not compare to Aldi stores in Germany.

Day 14 Friday San Francisco TGIF Business and Social Networking

S. F. TGIF Business and Social Networking

Network, socialize, and connect! Build your business and social network - face to face!

Come out and enjoy a great evening of good food, liquid refreshments, and connecting. Come prepared with your best smile, a firm handshake, and a great personality. Meet S.F. and Silicon Valley movers and shakers -  Internet entrepreneurs, developers, engineers, mobile app coders, attorneys, bloggers, academics, financiers, and investors! It's okay if you have to come late and/or leave early. Feel free to drop in whenever you can. You can stay for 30 minutes or for two hours.

 

I was there at 8pm sharp .. and was the first one at the event. So I decided to leave for a walk to kill some time. I went all the way up to the Coit tower what actually is a memorial that sits on top of a hill overlooking 360 degrees of SF with a great view of the evening skyline and bay.

 

I just liked the motive.

Meetup

being back at the hotel just past 9pm, almost 30 guests had shown up. I recognized some from the Wednesdays pitching event.

I actually made only one new connection. The person I was talking to was actually not attending the meet up event and is working in real-estate. So I was hesitant to tell him about my startup. However he became very interested in our diabetes venture and offered me to introduce me to influential people in Vietnam. Let's see. I'll let you know if I hear back from him. 

 

In case YOU want to read about diabetes? So here is the link to the newest materials from the International Diabetes Foundation: 2014 diabetes statistics.

 

 

Day 13 Thursday Winfried Kretschmann at the German consulate in SanFrancisco

Discussing transatlantic entrepreneurship

Winfried Kretschmann is a German politician of the Green Party of Germany. He has been Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg since 12 May 2011 and was President of the German Bundesrat from November 2012 until October 2013.

The American Council on Germany (ACG) added me to the reception as a guest.

 

The consulate is a wonderful house with a gorges view overlooking the San Francisco Bay.

Kretschmann visited the Silicon Valley for 4 days with a delegation of 70. On the last day he visited the German companies and their Silicon Valley offices: Mercedes Research & Development center, SAP where both are headquartered in Baden-Württemberg. With 3 focus groups (politics, business, science) the groups concentrated on autonomous driving, e-mobility, data security, digital revolution and Industrie 4.0.

(my) objective

I was planning to learn how Kretschmann and his delegation is strengthen the transatlantic relation, TTIP and German/American innovation.

outcome

taking to guests, I received the feedback that copying Silicon Valley will most likely not work for Germany. Germany has to find its own way to innovate. TTIP was not on the agenda.

I met with some interesting guests from German companies who have been supporting the group. I made good contacts and support for my startup has been offered. I recognized name tags from BASF, Telekom, IBM, HP, SAP, Porsche, ..

Day 12 Wednesday Mercedes research center and WOW pitch

Welcome to Mercedes Benz Research & Development North America

I received an invitation to visit the MB R&D center. I had the pleasure to get my own guide. Kyle from Business Innovation did show me to the various parts of the R&D center including the Autonomous Driving showroom, groups working on machine learning, predictive user experience and at least ten more exciting projects. He was very knowledgeable about the centers activities and innovation in Silicon Valley in general.

Located in Sunnyvale are Advanced User Experience Design, Autonomous Driving, Business Innovation, Connected Car, Telematics and User Interaction. 

Objective

I’m interested in how Daimler is using Silicon Valley innovation to grow and sustain operations in Germany and globally (Stärkung des Wirtschaftsstandortes Deutschland). So I would like to visit the innovation center and learn the benefits for Daimler Germany running a Mercedes-Benz Research & Development center in Silicon Valley.

Outcome

Silicon Valley is unique in its mixture and density of resources, schools, companies, investment capital and its self disrupting culture. German companies benefit from Silicon Valley research trends, rapid networking and the openness of discussion. Silicon Valley can be seen as a large lab room where you find what you need almost instantly. That saves time and makes development very productive. So German companies can run initial stages of development in Silicon Valley based on where the Silicon Valley eco system has its strength eg. talent, speed and "digital" innovation.

So Silicon Valley culture and eco system translates into innovation and German companies can benefit by running satellite offices. However these offices have to create value to their headquarter by developing products and services to justify extensive costs in Silicon Valley.

 

BoostbyBenz, a Mercedes Benz Research & Development Center Business Innovation Group product

Boost℠ is a new youth transportation service designed to transport children between the many activities that fill their day. Backed by the best of Mercedes-Benz, certified drivers and trained concierges provide white-glove service aboard eco-friendly Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans, giving youngsters a safe and friendly ride. 

 

Pitch Your WOW! to Bill Reichert, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures

My Airbnb host Cath pointed me to this event where Bill Reichert, one of the most prominent venture capitalists in Silicon Valley, will discuss getting to WOW! when delivering an elevator pitch. Bill will also listen to some elevator pitches and provide feedback.

objective

I'm went to this event to see how meet up events are. Who will attend, what are these people selling, how they network and last but not least attend Bills presentation.

outcome

Entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley is authentic. In Germany in contrast I discovered that the startup scene appears to be a role playing. Here, there is full commitment and interest in finding the next big thing. I mean its hard and competitive but also inviting to participate. The Silicon Valley innovative ecosystem needs fuel to disrupt itself.

 

 

The event was located at the College of San Mateo where a full room of entrepreneurs came to pitch, get advise, connect and have a slice of pizza.

 

 

 

Since I cannot repeat well enough all he said I found you a Youtube video where a presentation has been recorded. I recommend to take the time and follow his speech.

I guess the most important lessons I learned are:

• make your pitch unique, don't follow templates: start with "imagine if .."
• avoid stereotypes, distinguish from already existing solutions: "unlike other companies, we are .."
• be clear, compelling, credible: it need to stick, has to be likable and realistic
• keep it short and simple: you only get 20 seconds of attention

 

Me pitching Diafyt

I arrived over one hour early so I had the chance to talk to Bill who was the organizer of the event so he asked me if I would like to pitch tonight. I was uncertain about my ability to do a good pitch however I decided that I have to take the opportunity and signed up for the pitch alter that evening. Rob sent me to the library to printout some copies of my startup essentials and lined me up to do rehearsals. It would be my second on-stage pitch where the first I did at CeBIT this year at the P7Ventures event.

I got 60 seconds. Here is what I did say.

• There is a global chronicle disease called diabetes where 8.3% of the world population suffering from. Diabetes is a shortage of Insulin in the human body.
• We are developing an algorithm that predicts the right amount of insulin to be taken.
• the final product will be an artificial pancreas
• It consists of an online data store, a smartphone app and an embedded device you can wear at your belt

And here is his response: "You wasted 15 seconds to tell us about diabetes. We know what diabetes is. Also talking about an artificial pancreas is misleading since you are inventing a machine and most of us are thinking of an implantable organ. So I recommend rephrasing your pitch into: My name is Thomas, the founder of Diafyt, a startup that is developing a device for people with diabetes mimicking the functionality of a human pancreas that can automatically submit the right amount of insulin at the right time. Diafyt cracked the way of calculation using BigData analysis and cybernetics."

 

Advise and more startup pitching after the presentation: "I want to hear more."

Its been a long evening however Bill had all the time to let everyone come up to get his advise. So I lined up myself to watch others to present their startup and followed his advise.

If you got his interest as an investor he handed a business card while saying "I want to hear more". Before you ask, I got a card and he explained that Garage Technology Ventures is investing in unique technology however not into Biotech/MedTech ventures but he will forward my business concept and add me to his LinkedIn connections.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 10 Airbnb home and doing homework

Palo Alto Restaurants (University Ave.)

I spent time to write a one page business plan one of my potential investors did ask me for. Very fortunately I have a business concept already made so its more a new format. However it takes a lot of time to get it right (be short, be compelling). I followed up with meeting requests and Emails. Its becoming challenging to keep track of everything. At some point I will start a mind map to visualize contacts.
I went to University Ave. in Palo Alto to see if coffee places are full with startups. So the answer is yes and no. I saw more students from Stanford than startups but you actually see a lot going on. So ist probably good place to meet and hang out for a while. In most places they have free WiFi and power outlets. 

Airbnb home

I catched a place to stay at Airbnb. Success. Ist very beautiful, quiet and has a high speed internet WiFi. And Cath is a wonderful host.

Startup Gold Rush

The silicon valley is like a modern gold rush. You have entrepreneurs and you have even more businesses trying to sell services to these entrepreneurs. So be careful and decide wisely what you will be using for your venture.
There are

• Coworking spaces (its mainly shared office space)
• accelerators
• incubators
• consultants/advisers (pro: good advise for newbes, con: will charge for things you either already know or you can get for free online) 
• lawyers (pro: all sorts of legal advise, con: extremely expensive)
• networking events (pro: see what others are struggling with, find new teams and counterparts, con: expensive way of meeting new people who will ask for the same as you are)
• conferences (Pro: good for ideas and motivation, con: offline knowledge you could become for free from reading online or reading books)

I met with Cath, who is running the Bay Area Entrepreneur Center (BAEC). She is in this business for quite some time and gave me very useful insights. More important, she sent me links to ongoing events where she recommended to go. So I signed up for 2 Events, one on Wednesday and one on Friday night.

Pitch Your WOW! to Bill Reichert, Managing Director, Garage Technology Ventures
Wednesday, 6:00 PM May 20

S. F. TGIF Business and Social Networking
Friday, 8:00 PM May 22

I'll let you know what happened there and if it was worth going.

Day 11 Google

Guess where I am ..

I'm at the Google Tech Corner campus and the Google bicycle are all around campus. I had the "Google Tech Corner" photo at first however decided to go for the bicycle instead. I like the idea that the colors are already indicating Google as the brand. Its amazing what a great job the brand marketing people have done. 

 

Google Tech Corner Campus

I visited Brendan, who is working as an Consulting Manager at Google. He showed me the Tech Corners campus, facilities and spent time to answer my questions. First of all, Tech Corner is not the Google Main campus however is newly build. There are lots of amenities to keep folks on campus including tennis courts, free meals and even a little playground for children. So what did I learn. Its hard to get in. Landing a job at Google is not an easy task. Work is fast, challenging and demanding. People are bright and expect the same from you.

 

 

T E S L A

You most probably heard about Tesla and the all-electric car they are selling so I wanted to visit a store and share the experience. There is a Tesla dealership on El Camino Real close to Stanford. The dealership is not so much different to other car manufactures. The showroom shows the 2 models and one "open car" where you can see the battery and the engine in the back. They offered me a test drive. Unfortunately I had not enough time. It was really tempting. I know it would have been different to the test drive I had just recently with the e-Golf (see my report). However lets just keep this on the list for later.
I have never seen so many Tesla cars on the street than here in Silicon Valley. I have to admit they are actually pretty cool. And there are recharger everywhere. e.g. I saw full rows of charging stations at Google with mostly Chevy Volt parked in there.
Surprisingly I have not seen any of the BMW electric cars i3, i8 .. where are they hiding?

Day 8 and 9 travel to San Francisco

Silicon Valley

after a long flight I arrived at my next location on my trip, Silicon Valley. I booked my hotel at the airport since this would be the last location with free and reliable WiFi connection. Airbnb did not work out so I did decide for a Marriott Residence Inn since they had an attractive weekend rate I could not resist.

Palo Alto University Ave

I took 101 south towards my hotel but left the highway to stop in Palo Alto. PA University Ave is a quiet very pleasant neighborhood close to the Stanford campus with restaurants, shops and street entertainment. Why I mention it: here is a place where new startups are born, people meet and share their ideas. So I will see myself.

Take your time

I just arrived from New York where everyone is in a hurry. Here surprisingly everything is slowed down a bit. People even wait at red lights, I did not :-)

Change Rules

check out his website. He is simply a man who can no longer ignore how precious life is and how important it is to set your sights on something extraordinary. He traded in a life of comforts for the confines of a box truck that he now calls home.

San Andreas Fault

is a continental transform fault that extends roughly 810 miles through California. It forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

I went there to see it. On the picture the fence became separated by the tectonic shift during past earthquakes.  

 

Redwood trees

gigantic. And you don't have to travel far. Just take Pagemill Road from Palo Alto and keep driving west for about 30 minutes.

Volkswagen

the Bulli is owned by a shop and attracts guests. Its actually going. I saw the owner driving it. Will a Tesla still work after 40 years? Maybe there will be much better batteries. But first let someone make my smartphone stay on for more than half a day.

The Ocean

about 1 hour west of Palo Alto is the ocean. .. soo cool, I will never leave.