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Silicon Valley view
Little building has magical startup karma

By Mike Cassidy
Knight Ridder Newspapers

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It's just a building, a plain office edifice, not some kind of two-story rabbit's foot.

Sure, a few Silicon Valley stars got their starts there. But who in his right mind would ascribe paranormal power to the little building on Palo Alto's main street?

"It's magic," says Kevin McCurdy, who's moving his startup, Picaboo, there this fall.

Magic?

"It has great karma," says Howard Field, Picaboo's co-founder.

These men are not loons, at least not so you could tell. They've built their share of startups and seem to know a thing or two about Silicon Valley's business climate.

And so they know about 165 University Ave., a 5,000-square-foot building that's fast becoming a valley superstar. Yes, mouse-maker-and-more Logitech got its start there. PayPal did, too. So did Danger, a privately held company that's created its share of buzz.

Oh, and Google, of which you've heard. It moved into the second floor in 1999.

Yes, Google. The company that will soon go public and will thereby require a building the size of 165 University just to stow the cash company insiders will rake in.

The building's owner, Rahim Amidi, has heard all this talk. He nods and smiles the smile of a man who has worked hard and done well.
 
"There is something about it," he says of his building.

Amidi, 49, knows what he's talking about. In 1981, after emigrating from Iran, he and his brother opened a plastics-brokering business in rented space Google would later occupy. (Plastics. Maybe Dustin Hoffman as "The Graduate" should have taken the advice.)

The Amidis liked the space so much, they bought the building. Then they bought more buildings and started a bottled-water company.

They expanded their father's Oriental rug business. And they started Amidzad, an investment company specializing in young companies.

And what better place to find investments than right down the hall? Yes, Amidi became an early investor in Logitech and PayPal and Danger. But Google, the company about to mint an army of millionaires?

"With Google, because the company was already funded, we didn't get a chance to do that," Amidi says.

Amidi is looking forward, not back. Yes, he's invested in Picaboo, which is working on a new way to share digital photos. And he's backed Affinity Engines, a social-networking company that occupies the space where Google started.

"I hope some of that rubs off," says Brian Samuels, Affinity's chief executive.

He quickly adds that the lucky-charm aspect is not exactly something he touts when he is, say, discussing his business plan with investors.

And here is where there seems to be a bit of a hiccup in the karmic force. Affinity is suing Google, alleging the search engine stole some of its intellectual property. Google denies the charge.

So Samuels says Google took something from Affinity. Did Google in turn leave something at 165?

"No, we don't have anything they left behind," Samuels said.

None of which has dampened Field and McCurdy's enthusiasm for their new home. They've heard — and this is just between you and me — that the secret is the decorative fountain in the courtyard. Just splash some of its water on your face and your dreams will come true.

Of course, Field and McCurdy haven't actually done that.

Everybody knows, you don't splash the water until after you've moved in.

Mike Cassidy is a columnist for the San Jose Mercury News.