When Casarez arrived in California from Austin in September, he was already working to develop a food-service start-up. He figured he'd get a job at another start-up while he continued to build his own. He had three years' experience in tech jobs at General Motors, a bachelor's degree in information-systems management from Texas A&M, an old iPhone, a strong faith in the "lean start-up" method, and $20,000 from cashing out his 401(k), he said in an interview last week.