A map of ambition: San Francisco

Behind every business is a series of moments, large and small — milestone moments, thinking moments, the simple daily moments that become part of your routine. And each of those moments take place somewhere. In San Francisco, maybe there’s a North Beach café with outdoor tables where you recentered your mind before a long day of pitches, and that you come back to time and again. Or a Dolores Park bench under the palm trees where your next big thing finally clicked. Or a Castro gym that steadies your body each day before you steady your company.

We made a map to gather the places behind your moments — the ones you return to when you need to recalibrate, that offer you the energy you need, or that mark a meaningful milestone.

Click the pins to read the stories, and share yours at the form below. Also... move your cursor to the white space next to the map to scroll beyond it.

As you jump around the pins across the city, what patterns do you see? Maybe it’s that ambition isn’t confined to a desk. That how and where you spend your time influences how you think, build, and show up. That possibilities can emerge from time spent in parks, cafés, sidewalks, fitness studios, and even on top of a mountain. That ambition is wherever you are.

Click around. See where other builders go and have gone. And if there’s a place in San Francisco that’s become part of how you build — or where inspiration keeps finding you — submit it. We’ll be selecting stories and adding them to the map ongoing.

P.S. See if you can find where our co-founder first pitched the idea for Mercury, and where he convinced a future co-founder to join. They’re in there, too!