Walker: Moving to San Francisco is non-negotiable for maximizing startup valuations
Peter Walker · The New Economics of Startups in the AI Era with Peter Walker of Carta · Jan 20, 2026 · at 14:39
Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta, discusses whether startup founders should relocate to Silicon Valley.
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“I think if you are a founder who is trying to maximize the valuation of their company, moving to SF is the obvious right strategy. I think there's actually no way to debate that. Higher, the highest valuations do not exist outside of San Francisco.”
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