Hello HN,<p>We, the guys from Windsoc (the Unified Social API) are planning to rent a car and drive down the peninsula on the Friday after LAUNCH. Are there any HNers or YC alum who may have 5-10 minutes to meet and talk with us?<p>Part of our curiosity is based on what it's like to be a startup in a place where people actually talk about startups, and part of it is to get some different perspectives on our product. Where we live (Winnipeg, Canada), the nearest major city is over four hundred miles away, so sometimes we feel a little isolated.<p>Please let us know if you have a few minutes to talk to us. Thank you very much.<p>(And yes, it is very icy up here right now... the cold has emptied the streets, and I slipped on the ice outside my house twice last night.)
Speaking as a Torontonian who visits "The 'Peg" from time to time, I vouch for the assertion that Winnipeg is the Icy Centre of Canada. It also has a great orchestra and a vibrant arts community overall. Good luck!!
We're also a Winnipeg based startup located out of the NRC on Ellice. If you happen to be using or interested in Ruby one of our guys runs the Ruby User Group out of our office once a month. The next one is this coming Thursday.<p>If that's not up your alley, we can also be found in several watering holes on Osborne, feel free to send me an e-mail, kerry -at- styckyd _ com.
As another Winnipegger, I had no idea companies like this existed in our city. Maybe I'm the isolated one, but how can we spread the word about things going on in the area?
Have fun in California, but when you come back consider taking a hard look at what you can do to make an awesome startup scene in your own backyard, similar to the amazing tech communities in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.<p>The key detail is that social fabric does not weave itself. Toronto's tech scene kicks ass ONLY because of the tireless efforts of folks like David Crow, Leila Boujnane, Joey "Accordion Guy" de Villa and more than I can ever remember.<p>Specifically: there was no tech community beyond some lame .NET user groups in Toronto when I moved here 12 years ago. Now we're probably over-saturated with opportunities to network and talk about startups... all it takes is effort, outreach and a willingness to help people.<p>One tip: open your office to visiting hackers. It's a great way to send a clear message to the world that Winnipeg takes the community aspect of startups seriously.