We're millennial brothers and business partners who left San Francisco's tech bubble for the Midwest manufacturing scene. We never would have been able to afford to launch our startup in California.

Sat, 05/25/2024 - 06:03

John and Matine Yuksel pose for a photo — John Yuksel (left) and Matine Yuksel moved from San Francisco to Dubuque, Iowa in 2020. The brothers and business partners now live in Cincinnati.
Courtesy of John and Matine Yuksel

John and Matine Yuksel moved from San Francisco to the Midwest in 2020.
The brothers and business partners lived in Iowa and Cincinnati while launching their startup.
They sometimes miss California life but love Cincinnati's friendly people and affordability.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with John Yuksel, 33, and Matine Yuksel, 29, two brothers who moved from San Francisco to Dubuque, Iowa, in 2020 to start Beltways, an accelerating walkway company. The brothers then moved to Cincinnati in 2022. Their company is based nearby in Northern Kentucky.