SFNYC is small and early on purpose, which means most of what it could be does not exist yet. This is the running list of what we would love to see. Some of it is low lift and could happen this season. Some of it is bigger, and will only happen with the right partners or patrons.
If one of these is yours to build, to fund, or to help with in any way, we would like to hear from you. So would we love to hear ideas that are not on this list. Write to postal@sfnyc.org with “Open Call” in the subject.
Things we would love soon
Highbrow, low lift. Small things that would make the network feel like a place rather than a thread.
- A real directory. Who is in the network, what they are building, and which city they are in this month. The single most useful thing we could make, and the backbone of almost everything else here.
- A resident fashion designer. One person whose work shows up across a year of gatherings, with the network as patron of their craft. A small, concrete way to support a maker we believe in.
- A resident photographer. Someone to quietly document the year, so the network has a memory and not just a calendar.
- City guides, written by members. The un-googleable list for each coast. The tailor, the corner table, the walk, the person to call.
- A standing salon. A recurring evening built around one guest and one idea, open to a few beyond the core.
- An apartment swap board. So living in both cities costs less, and a bed on the other coast is a message away.
Things we want to build
Bigger bets. The reasons to take this seriously over years, not seasons.
- Meshing more cities. SFNYC is the prototype, not the whole idea. The same thing wants to exist for Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Miami. A light federation, run by trusted locals, with shared standards and one membership across all of it.
- The directory as infrastructure. A trusted, opt in map of who knows whom across cities. Done right, it becomes the thing other people build on top of.
- Residencies and fellowships. A designer, a writer, a chef in residence. A small grant for a member project that would not happen otherwise.
- The citymeshing index. Honest research on how mobile people actually live across two cities. Useful on its own, and the thing that helps name the category we are early to.
- Something printed. An annual, a small object, a thing that outlives a group thread and feels good to hold.
Where partners come in
A lot of this is really about finding the right partners. We only take partnerships that make the network better for its members first. The members are never the product.
- Capital. Funds that want genuine, early proximity to builders, the kind you get at a dinner and not a demo day. They support the room; members get capital, candor, and warm introductions.
- Housing. A home swap partner such as Kindred, with member listings and priority matching, so living bicoastally gets cheaper while the partner gains real supply and demand.
- Hospitality. The best restaurants, bars, and private rooms in both cities. They get an interesting room on a quiet night. Members get the door held open.
- Travel. Airline, lounge, and rail partners who make the red-eye land softer for the people who fly it most.
- Brands with taste. Considered partnerships and early access, seeded with credible first adopters. Quality over volume.
Talk to us
If you want to build one of these, fund one, or have an idea that belongs here, write to postal@sfnyc.org with “Open Call” in the subject. Tell us which one, what you have, and what you would want in return. Short is fine. The best things here have started as one paragraph.