Someone once said, the difference between a journey and just a trip are the travellers you meet along the way. Every country is pushing their model of startup, from the bootcamps to Y-combinator to Startup Chile model (6+ months). Some places are definitely international in scope (eg Chile have a policy of ~30% international teams to season their locals) whereas others are most definitely local (eg many academic spinouts). It is hard to quantify culture but some signs to look for (speaking as sweat equity)
- do the co-founders set the pace of being there crack of dawn and plugging away late at night or is it a mayana attitude
- OPM ... how do co-workers treat other people's money versus their own
- sense of mission ... let's face it, startup is more a marathon than a sprint so you need a higher purpose to keep the hires motivated than just making $$, at least if in for the long-haul through the funding valleys of death
Some warning signs ...
- be careful if all public monies, this may be transient political winds rather than sustainable ecosystem
- difference between commitment v involvement ... would people be doing it anyway rather than just for the fad du jour
- basic business environment ... if you can't trust your customers, colleagues, contracts then you're be either fighting fires or spinning wheels, especially if you've never encountered corruption previously