joyce

We didn't and still don't have "tons of VC cash" to burn - only our own savings accounts at that time, so no 5-star hotels or high class restaurants for us.

Also, I would not say we had a holiday mood at all during our time there. We started working the same day we arrived, but being in Hawaii had so many unexpected positive effects on productivity and product vision, we really wanted to share.

And, I could never win a surf contest.

These are all good tips to follow for any new team trying to get to MVP, regardless of if you are in a startup weekend, and test out the idea and the team.

Not giving legal advice but here are my two-cents: 1) Possible tax savings: Signing bonuses are taxed as income. If you held your stock long enough, you may qualify for long-term capital gains tax treatment. 2) Silicon Valley is a repeat player business. You don't want to screw over your investors if you want to raise more funds or do anything else here where folks might ask around about you. 3) Non-competes are generally unenforceable in CA except in certain situations, including the acquisition of a company.

Aww shucks, thanks for the compliments!