A Venture Capitalist Found “Cowboy Self-Reliance” in Wilson, Wyoming
Wesley Chan, a board partner at Felicis Ventures and the founder of Google Analytics, made a pandemic move from San Francisco to Wyoming, where he now frequents levees and meets moose in his backyard.
In this week’s Decamped, we chat with Wesley Chan, a former general partner (and current board partner) at Felicis Ventures and the founder of Google Analytics and Google Voice. In August 2020, he moved from San Francisco to Wilson, Wyo., part of the Jackson Hole valley.
The last straw: I never want to bag on San Francisco; it’s been very generous to me over the last 20 years. But it’s also a place where, when things go crazy, it’s not a fun or comfortable place to be. I was in San Francisco when the shutdown occurred and I was watching these crazy long lines around supermarkets. So I got in my car and visited like 10 national parks.
When I got to Wyoming, where Grand Teton National Park is and Yellowstone, I fell in love with it. It was the most beautiful place on the planet. I’ve always dreamt of owning a mountain home. Everyone was on remote Zooms; I predicted this thing would last two-plus years. So I just bought a house. I said, “Why not?” and I’ve been here ever since.