Startup offers international founders the chance to shack up in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley remains the mecca of startup incubation. Many top-notch resources for budding young founders explicitly require at least a temporary stay in San Francisco or the Bay Area, and a report from CB Insights indicates that California remains the home-base for the predominance of VC deals in North America.

But have you tried getting into this country lately? Although more international founders are being invited to participate in accelerators and incubators, there’s still an incredibly high barrier to meet and learn from the best. And if your English isn’t spot-on, you’re facing yet another obstacle in growing your startup.

Recent 500 Startups grad LinguaTrip is addressing this by offering a Silicon Valley homestay for international entrepreneurs to meet and speak English with mentors in the area. Released on Product Hunt, the program also offers a $50 discount to frequenters of the company-spotting community.

International entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on the program will sign up through LinguaTrip and undergo an extensive vetting process to ensure that they are right for the homestay. Currently, the startup boasts opportunities with 500 Startups Entrepreneur-in-Residence (and sometime TNW contributor) Poornima Vijayashanker and Lead Genius co-founder Anand Kulkarni, among others.

Those with Silicon Valley entrepreneur connections who want to mentor and practice English with an ambitious entrepreneur can sign up through a separate form to provide the homestay.

The program is really intriguing, particularly as the entrepreneur climate in the Silicon Valley continues to pursue and cultivate international founders. The language barrier is a tough one to crack, but LinguaTrip is essentially offering entrepreneurs who are less proficient in English the opportunity to not only practice the language but also receive advice about their businesses.

Then, they can return to their home countries and apply the knowledge they have gained from the trip, or work towards moving to Silicon Valley full-time.

➤ LinguaTrip Silicon Valley Homestays [Product Hunt]