A Silicon Valley investor is living through the pandemic in his 500-square-foot San Francisco apartment, teaching himself to play the violin and fly-fish in the bay

Katie CanalesJun 26, 2020, 23:25 IST

Jacob Mullins and his wife with to-go cocktails in San Francisco during the COVID-19 pandemic.Jacob Mullins

Jacob Mullins and his wife Nancy have been sheltering in place in their 500-square-foot San Francisco apartment since March.
Mullins, a Silicon Valley investor at Shasta Ventures and a San Francisco resident of 11 years, is teaching himself how to play the violin and fly fish and is making the most of life during a pandemic.

Jacob Mullins, a partner at the Silicon Valley venture capital firm Shasta Ventures, is one of the estimated 6.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area who have been sheltering in place since March 17.

He works out of his 500-square-foot San Francisco apartment, fly fishes in the Bay, teaches himself how to play the violin, takes video meetings in virtual reality, and is growing a "COVID beard."

He and his wife also have a socially distant happy hour with their neighbors on their respective balconies every Friday at 7 pm to maintain a grip on some semblance of normalcy during a global health crisis.

"In a world where it's Groundhog Day and every day feels the same, it's nice, the things we look forward to every week," Mullins told Business Insider.

Here's how Mullins, a San Francisco resident of 11 years, is living through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mullins lives in San Francisco's North Beach district, a historically Italian neighborhood with scores of tasty mom-and-pop Italian restaurants.

Mullins outside of Caffe Trieste in North Beach. Jacob Mullins

Mullins told Business Insider that he has lived in this 500-square-foot apartment for 11 years. It sits near Coit Tower, an icon in the city skyline.

Mullins at his work area in his apartment. Jacob Mullins

He'd go to Shasta Ventures' San Francisco office in the city's South Park neighborhood — a popular part of town for tech workers — and spend his days in meetings and calls.

San Francisco's South Park neighborhood. Katie Canales/Business Insider

He'd go to Shasta Ventures' San Francisco office in the city's South Park neighborhood — a popular part of town for tech workers — and spend his days in meetings and calls.

In the evenings, he was an active part of San Francisco's social scene, attending events, happy hours, and conferences like Salesforce's Dreamforce.

Mullins at local fly fishing shop Lost Coast Outfitters with owner George Revel. Jacob Mullins

Right before the shelter-in-place order was issued on March 17, Mullins sipped a Manhattan at Vesuvio, a quintessential San Francisco, Beat-era cafe and bar.

Vesuvio on March 16. Katie Canales/Business Insider

He went to City Lights Bookstore, an iconic independent bookseller, right next door and bought a stack of books.

City Lights Bookstore in December 2019. Katie Canales/Business Insider

"I'm almost through them all," he said.

Mullins' reading material. Jacob Mullins

He wakes up at the same time as he used to, at 7 am, and makes himself a cup of pour-over coffee.

Mullins' morning coffee ritual. Jacob Mullins

One of his portfolio companies is a virtual reality gaming firm, so they did a board meeting in VR at one point.

A screenshot shows Mullins, lower left, wearing VR goggles in a meeting. Jacob Mullins

There's more of a focus on getting outdoors now too, and he's better about taking lunch breaks.

A sandwich that Mullins made. Jacob Mullins

He's teaching himself how to play the violin with an app called Trala.

Mullins during one of his app-guided violin lessons. Jacob Mullins

He's also learning how to fish, going out to Ocean Beach and Crissy Field and casting out periodically.

Mullins fishing in the Bay. Jacob Mullins

His wife, Nancy, was in a two-year master's program at UC Berkeley. She finished the second half of her last semester remotely.

Mullins' wife, Nancy, during her remote graduation. Jacob Mullins

She's on the job hunt now, and the two typically sit at the table together with AirPods in.

Mullins' view at his home work setup. Jacob Mullins

Half the time they cook at home, but they also venture out into the local neighborhood for takeout.

A homecooked meal in Mullins' apartment. Jacob Mullins

He's been getting takeout and delivery from joints like Portofino, a relatively new restaurant run by an Italian family.

The storefront of Portofino's in North Beach. Jacob Mullins

He'll venture outside of the neighborhood occasionally, like to make a stop at Turner's in the Mission neighborhood. But for the most part, he said the pandemic has kept him closer to home.

Owner Ken Turner poses for a photo outside his shop. Jacob Mullins

He'll venture outside of the neighborhood occasionally, like to make a stop at Turner's in the Mission neighborhood. But for the most part, he said the pandemic has kept him closer to home.

Another thing that's helped Mullins and his wife "mark time" is going to the Ferry Building's farmer's market every Saturday.

Mullins at the Ferry Building with the Bay Bridge in the background. Jacob Mullins

"And then we text them that they've got a delivery and that it's at 7 pm," Mullins said.

Mullins' wife, Nancy, with their neighbors in the background. Jacob Mullins

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A Silicon Valley investor is living through the pandemic in his 500-square-foot San Francisco apartment, teaching himself to play the violin and fly-fish in the bay

Mullins lives in San Francisco's North Beach district, a historically Italian neighborhood with scores of tasty mom-and-pop Italian restaurants.

Mullins told Business Insider that he has lived in this 500-square-foot apartment for 11 years. It sits near Coit Tower, an icon in the city skyline.

He'd go to Shasta Ventures' San Francisco office in the city's South Park neighborhood — a popular part of town for tech workers — and spend his days in meetings and calls.

In the evenings, he was an active part of San Francisco's social scene, attending events, happy hours, and conferences like Salesforce's Dreamforce.

Right before the shelter-in-place order was issued on March 17, Mullins sipped a Manhattan at Vesuvio, a quintessential San Francisco, Beat-era cafe and bar.

He went to City Lights Bookstore, an iconic independent bookseller, right next door and bought a stack of books.

"I'm almost through them all," he said.

He wakes up at the same time as he used to, at 7 am, and makes himself a cup of pour-over coffee.

One of his portfolio companies is a virtual reality gaming firm, so they did a board meeting in VR at one point.

There's more of a focus on getting outdoors now too, and he's better about taking lunch breaks.

He's teaching himself how to play the violin with an app called Trala.

He's also learning how to fish, going out to Ocean Beach and Crissy Field and casting out periodically.

His wife, Nancy, was in a two-year master's program at UC Berkeley. She finished the second half of her last semester remotely.

She's on the job hunt now, and the two typically sit at the table together with AirPods in.

Half the time they cook at home, but they also venture out into the local neighborhood for takeout.

He's been getting takeout and delivery from joints like Portofino, a relatively new restaurant run by an Italian family.

He'll venture outside of the neighborhood occasionally, like to make a stop at Turner's in the Mission neighborhood. But for the most part, he said the pandemic has kept him closer to home.

Another thing that's helped Mullins and his wife "mark time" is going to the Ferry Building's farmer's market every Saturday.

"And then we text them that they've got a delivery and that it's at 7 pm," Mullins said.