Startup Chile 101

Have you been accepted to Start-up Chile?  Thinking about applying? Moving to Chile to do business? This is the book for you.

When I got here as part of the pilot round of Startup Chile in 2010, I didn’t know anything about Chile. I didn’t know what to expect.  I ended up had the time of my life and staying in Chile for much of the next two years. My businesses was acquired and I worked in a Chilean startup for eight months. This is the book that I wished I had when I arrived.  It’s available to buy in PDF, Amazon Kindle or in print.

I’ve now lived in Chile for over a year and will share everything I’ve learned.  You’ll get the inside scoop about how to best take advantage of the program, and your time  in Chile.  The book is divided into four sections: Startup Chile 101, Living in Chile, Doing Business in Chile and Traveling in South America.

Startup Chile 101 talks about the program’s history, the reimbursement process and how to get the most out of the program.  The second part covers Chilean culture, where to live, safety and a city guide detailing where to go out, have a beer or have a nice meal.  Part three talks about the Chilean entrepreneurial culture, doing business in Chile and hiring talent.  Finally, the last section has travelouges of places I’ve gone in South America where you might enjoy taking a trip for a long weekend.

Reviews

Rated 4.8 stars out of 5 on Amazon, here’s a few reviews. See more on Amazon:

Fantastic look into the start-up chile program and life in santiago

Very helpful lessons learned, put forth in a concise and informative way that’s easy to read. Like many entrepreneurs, my time is valuable and distractions can be costly for my business. The book contains time saving tips and information that not only helped me quickly learn how to get the most out of startup chile and to adjust to santiago but also to understand the key differences of how business is done here so there weren’t as many surprises. The ideas and resources easily paid for the book 10 times over so I’d strongly recommend it even if you have been in santiago for a few months already. – V. Kailas, SUP Entrepreneur

Best Chilean Guide Book I’ve Read

Don’t let the title fool you–this isn’t just for potential Startup Chile applicants. Anyone who is thinking about spending time in Chile should read this book. From food and nightlife to culture to housing, this book will ensure any expatriate has the time of their life studying, teaching, living, or working abroad. Lustig’s easy-to-read writing style make the book breeze by while you pick up on tips that could only come from someone who has clearly spent a lot of time immersed in the Chilean culture with a critical eye for the minutiae that make this place tick. –  SUP Entrepreneur

Excellent Guide to Chile

Probably one of the best books on practical entrepreneurship in South America. The author’s pragmatic approach makes it very easy to digest a wealth of information in an easy to read style. I wish I had known all this before visiting Chile, as I would have recovered the cost of the book many times over. Highly recommended. – R Dani, SUP Entrepreneur

My history

Back in September 2010, my business partner Jesse and I were in our office in Madison, WI working hard on Entrustet, dreading the start of the Wisconsin winter.  I saw an article in Forbes that said that the Chilean government was offering startups $40,000 of equity free money to move to Santiago for six months, just when winter would be setting in.

Jesse and I both had other businesses in college, so neither of us had been able to study abroad and we were still battling to find a business model for Entrustet, so after some googling, we jumped at the chance to apply for the program.

Six weeks later, after multiple skype interviews, a video of us explaining Entrustet over a Chilean cooking show, we got an email telling us we’d been accepted.  We were excited, but a bit nervous, we didn’t know anything about Chile besides it had one big city, Santiago, they liked soccer, they had good wine and fruit and they’d just rescued the miners (Madison’s most popular Halloween costume that year).

We did research, talked to one other entrepreneur who had arrived before us and spoke to any Chileans we could reach out to.  After a bit of debate, we knew we had to go.  In mid November, right as the first snow was falling in Madison, we packed up and took off for sunny Santiago.  We had no idea what to expect.

We arrived as the 7th company to participate in Startup Chile, as part of the pilot round.  It didn’t hit me until I got off the plane and was waiting in line at customs that I’d be living and working in a foreign country for six months.  Our six months in Chile ended up being some of the best of our lives.  We made lifelong friends both inside and outside of the program.  We grew our business, got press and looked for a business model.  I even got to give a speech in front of 200+ people including Chile’s President, in spanish, at La Moneda, Chile’s version of the White House.

During my six months, I not only learned a ton about Startup Chile, the country and its culture, but I also learned a ton about myself.  Struggling to fit in in a new culture, learning a new language, all the while working with the stress of running a startup company.  We left after six months, returned to Madison and continued to work.  After a few months, I returned to Chile for a few months, then went back to the US. Entrustet was acquired and I decided that I wanted to finish learning Spanish while learning about the rest of the Latin America market.

I came back to Chile and am now working with Welcu, a Chilean startup funded by 500 Startups, Tomorrow Ventures and a bunch of Groupon LatAm entrepreneurs.  In total, I’ve spent a year living in Chile, in and around Startup Chile.  I’m writing this ebook to share everything I learned so that you can make the most out of your time in Chile.

Note: this book is not authorized by Startup Chile or part of the program.  It’s my own opinions, thoughts and recommendations.  Please do not confuse my thoughts with official policy!

PS – If you are looking for a furnished apartment in Santiago, please check out my company Andes Property. We are a full service company that helps you find the apartment you need a a fair price.