Today’s Killer Startup: Teleport for Startups
Elevator Pitch:
Teleport calculates the best startup cities for you, based on info about your current situation and what you’re looking for.
Why It’s A Killer Startup:
One of the things I’ve loved seeing develop firsthand over the past couple of years is how many startup founders are not only willing to move to new countries but are actually super psyched on the idea. Way back when I started with KillerStartups in 2012 I wrote a piece about how every startup founder wants to travel and as the technology that supports our businesses has advanced so quickly, I’ve seen people take the leap toward location independence.
As someone who left the States in September of 2011 and has lived in six countries since then, I know all too well the hassles of figuring out where to go next and what to expect when I get there. While I usually rely on a variety of websites and Google searches, Teleport – whose founding team started at Skype – is a great tool to add to my digital nomad toolbox.
The onboarding process for the app is a little heavier than we usually expect these days, asking you info about where you currently live, your income, and what features are important to you in a future city. The slightly longer than normal process is necessary, though, in order for the app to accurately calculate where you should consider moving next.
One glitch to be aware of: Teleport only has a certain number of cities currently on the app and if your city isn’t on there, you can’t add it yourself. You can vote for it to be added but my current location, Antigua, Guatemala, wasn’t even an option for voting because the “current location” feature kept putting me in a weird suburb of Guatemala City instead of my lovely colonial town. I struggled a bit with that step before I figured out that I was just going to have to add a similar (past) city in order to get a feel for the rest of the app.
Once you’ve added your data, Teleport gives you a list of possible cities. Click on one for a quick look at cost of living, including how that city compares to SF. (Spoiler alert: Whatever city it is, it’s cheaper.) It also tells you how the startup scene in that city is and gives you a personalized “match score.”
For those of you considering stretching out your runway by living abroad or just finally pulling that 9-5 plug and working remotely, Teleport is a valuable tool to help you figure out where you and yours would fit best.
Tweetable:
#DigitalNomads and #startup founders, looking for a new city? @TeleportInc will help you find the perfect place.
