Parents' Guide to

Start-Ups: Silicon Valley

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Glamorized workplace reality with catty drama, drinking.

TV Bravo Reality TV 2012
Start-Ups: Silicon Valley Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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What's the Story?

Produced by Randi Zuckerberg, sister of the Facebook founder, STARTUPS: SILICON VALLEY features six entrepreneurs who are trying come up with the next big Internet start up company. The series stars brother and sister Ben and Hermione Way, co-founders of company called Ignite; computer programmer Dwight Crow, founder of the online car search program Carsabi; and David Murray, the founder of a startup called Goal Sponsors. Also part of the gang is Sarah Austin, who works in online advertising, and Kim Taylor, a local Silicon Valley resident and online host who knows how to network her away around the tech community. In-between trying to get investors to help them launch their businesses, creating apps, and hosting online shows, each member of the group finds her/himself socializing with and competing against one another in the high-tech world of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (1):

Startups underscores the need for connections, investors, and tech savviness in order to have a successful startup Internet company. But like most Bravo reality series, much of the show's focus is on the cast's complicated interpersonal relationships and their efforts to live upscale lifestyles. The fact that their business ventures are fueled by their desire to make money and a big name for themselves in the competitive tech industry also adds to the drama.

If you are looking for something that reveals what it is really like to successfully build and launch an Internet startup, you won't find it here. But folks unfamiliar with the culture associated with the Silicon Valley tech world may find it interesting, if unrealistic. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a voyeuristic guilty pleasure, you will probably find it worth watching, too.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how realistic this series is. Do you think most people in Silicon Valley are as good looking as those on this show? Do you see enough actual work taking place to make these stories believable? Is living and working in Silicon Valley as glamorous as this reality show makes it out to be?

  • What are some of the stereotypes some folks have about people who work in computer and Internet industry? Where do these generalizations come from? Does this series reinforce or reject these stereotypes?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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