The BayPlaybook
Moving a company and a life across 13,000 km is not one decision — it's about forty, each with a deadline, a price, and a wrong order to do them in. This playbook is those forty decisions in the right order: what to check before you commit, the paperwork that gates everything else, and how the first month actually goes. Sourced from members who made the move; verified against the rules as of mid-2026.
Part 1
Decide
- 00The 2-Week Scout Trip (from India)A playbook for a 14-day B-1 trip to the Bay Area before you commit to moving. You’ll leave with a visa plan, a meeting-dense itinerary, and a clear go/no-go answer.
- 01The Move ChecklistThe master checklist for an Indian founder moving to the SF Bay Area. Tick items off; each links to the guide that goes deep.
- 02Start With Your DecisionThe 10 decisions that define your move, each as a card: the question, what it turns on, and which guide to read. Work top to bottom — later decisions depend on earlier ones.
- 03Reality Check + Who Should NOT MoveThe honest case against moving, so you decide with open eyes. Read this before booking anything; finish with the 5-question self-assessment.
Part 2
The paperwork
- 04Visas for Indian FoundersPicking the right visa path before you book flights. Most Indian founders land on one of three: a B-1 to scout, an O-1A to build, or an H-1B transfer if you already hold one.
- 05US Entity & the Delaware FlipDeciding whether you need a US entity, which structure to pick, and how the Indian-side rules (FEMA/ODI) constrain you. Get this wrong and unwinding it costs lakhs; get it very wrong and unwinding it costs crores.
- 06Money, Credit & ITINThe fix is mechanical and takes about 12 months. Bank account, first cards, an ITIN if your household needs one, and the money setup that keeps a thin file clean.
- 07Banking & Setting Up US Finances (no SSN needed)Getting a working business account before you land, and a personal account the week you arrive — neither requires an SSN if you do it in the right order.
- 08Healthcare & InsuranceYou are uninsured the moment you land. Nothing carries over from India and there is no grace period. Buy a visitor plan before you fly, start your Covered California application in week one, and learn the triage rule before something hurts.
Part 3
Land
- 09Housing & Neighborhoods — the Whole Baydecide which part of the Bay to live in, know what rent actually costs right now, and sign a lease without a US credit history or getting scammed. This page is about the 12-month lease. Your first four weeks belong in a furnished co-living or monthly sublet (that playbook is in the landing pad guide), because you should never sign a year of your life onto a block you haven't walked at 9pm.
- 10Networking in SFA channel-by-channel map of how SF networking actually works — where the events live, which rooms are worth paying for, and how to run all of it on a founder's or operator's calendar with a team in IST — so your first 90 days build relationships instead of a badge collection.
- 11Getting Around SF (and the Bay)Know every transport mode, what it costs as of July 2026, and when to use which — so you stop defaulting to $25 Ubers.
- 12The Landing Pad Playbook — First 4 WeeksBook temporary housing for weeks 1–4 from India, so you land with a bed, a network, and zero pressure to sign a bad lease.
- 13Day 0–7 ChecklistThe exact sequence for your first week on the ground — what to do each day, why, and where the fuller guide lives.
Part 4
Set up life
- 14Before You Fly: Remote SetupThe four things that get harder the moment you board — your Indian number, your bank access, your driving paperwork, and the money you plan to move — handled 4–6 weeks out.
- 15Apps to DownloadThe app stack for your first 90 days, mapped to the Indian apps you already know. Download the transport, food, and community rows on wifi, day 2–3; come back for the rest as each need lands.
- 16The Desi DirectoryA vetted list of Indian-diaspora and adjacent communities in the Bay Area, with how to actually get into each one.
- 17Live Events CalendarAn auto-updating calendar of the SF events worth your time — so you can land Thursday and be at a good event Friday.
- 18Emergency Contacts & the ConsulateThe numbers, documents and consulate processes to have in place before you ever need them — starting with the direct 911 line almost nobody saves.
- 19SF Culture for Indian Founders & OperatorsThe unwritten rules of professional life in the Bay, translated for someone arriving from India.
Part 5
Live well
- 20What To Do on WeekendsA practical menu of Bay Area weekends — hikes, day trips, city life, sports, and desi anchors — plus why weekends are where founder friendships actually get made.
- 21Where to Host EventsHow to get a venue in SF for your own event — from free VC offices to paid private rooms — plus a checklist for running your first 30-person gathering.
- 22Indian Groceries, Food & the American EquivalentsWhere to buy dal, paneer, and atta in the Bay Area, what the American-store equivalents are, and how to eat well without cooking every night.
- 23Packing + Medications ListWhat to put in the suitcase — especially medicines — and what to leave behind. Print the meds table; annotate it with your doctor.
- 24Moving with FamilyWhat changes when the move is not just you — spouse work rights, school districts, childcare math, and sequencing the landing so the family survives month 1.
Part 6
Build
- 25Taxes Across the CorridorOrientation, not advice. The year you move, you’re a tax resident of somewhere in both countries — this page maps who taxes what, which forms exist, and when you need professionals on each side.
- 26When It Goes WrongThe section nobody writes: what actually happens when the visa gets denied, the runway runs out, or the company dies — and how to handle each with your options and dignity intact.
- 27First 10 US Customers — GTM for India→US FoundersThe question every corridor founder asks TFF: “How do I get my first 10 US customers?” This is the tactical answer — what to unlearn from India, and what to do instead.
- 28Hiring: US vs Keep-Team-in-IndiaThe math and the decision rules for the question every corridor founder faces: hire in the Bay, or keep building the team in India?
- 29Where We Actually WorkA thin, opinionated slice of where TFF members actually work — one or two picks per category, not a mega-list. For the full 60+ café and workspace catalogue, use [Michelle Fang’s Starter Guide to SF](https://x.com/michelleefang/status/1737550592330146231) (credit to her — it’s the canonical list and she keeps refreshing it).
- 30Programs & Accelerators — the India-Founder LensNot another list of 31 accelerators. This is the decision layer for Indian founders: what these programs actually do for you, what they don’t (visas, mostly), and when skipping them entirely is the right call.
Part 7
The corridor
- 31SSN, ITIN & Driver’s License WalkthroughsThree bureaucratic errands, step by step, in the order to run them. Total elapsed time if you start day one: SSN in ~3–4 weeks, license in ~4–8 weeks, spouse’s ITIN at first tax filing.
- 32Sending Money Home & NRI BankingThe day you become a non-resident, your money starts living under two tax systems at once. Which accounts to hold, how to move money in each direction without overpaying, and the two US forms that catch people out.
- 33The SF↔India Travel PlaybookThe repeatable checklist for the 2–4 India trips a year you’ll actually take — routes, booking timing, jet lag, documents, and customs, both directions.
- 34Wellness & Isolation — Done ProperlyThe honest version of what months 3–12 feel like, and the specific structures — therapy, peer groups, routines — that keep founders functional. Tactical, not preachy.
- 35The Give-Back PageThe TFF flywheel, made concrete. This guide exists because founders before you answered questions for free. Here’s the menu of ways to re-invest — each with an honest effort estimate.