It\'s Hollywood by the Bay at a Screening for Silicon Valley Reality Series

“You don't need to sweep me off my feet. You just need to be a good kisser.”

So warns a venture capitalist, Dave McClure, to the young entrepreneurs pitching him in Bravo's new reality series, “Start-Ups: Silicon Valley.” Mr. McClure yanks a laptop away from Ben Way, one of the entrepreneurs, and scans at top speed his presentation for a fitness app that tells you how long you have to live. Unimpressed, Mr. McClure rejects the request for $500,000 from Mr. Way and his sister and partner, Hermione Way. Far from a passionate embrace, their idea doesn't even rate a peck on the cheek.

Silicon Valley itself was inclined to give “Start-Ups” even less love. The industry assailed the show for its unreality long before it was ever a reality. Now, finally, it is here, with the first episode airing Monday night. The official debut was preceded by a party and screening at a San Francisco nightclub Sunday night. Everyone attending seemed to love the show, which made sense since just about everyone attending was a friend of the show or its creators - part of “the extended Zuckerberg media family,” said Randi Zuckerberg, the show's executive producer. (No, her brother Mark was not there.)

For a few hours, Ben, Hermione and the other cast members - #8212; the femme fatale Sarah, the all-American beauty Kim, the wild man Dwight, and David, the gay guy who has had a full body makeover - posed for the media on a red carpet while everyone else noshed. There was lobster agnolotti with an herb ricotta, and sushi served on iPads whose screens showed a marine motif. Other delicacies poured forth. As the show began, fresh popcorn was handed out. It would be nice to be invited to more Zuckerberg family gatherings.

Except for a few slobs among the media, everyone was decked out. Silicon Valley people traditionally pride themselves on looking as if they bought their clothes at Toys “R” Us but this party wa s full of beautiful people. Men wore suits, something unheard-of out here unless it's a funeral. Women wore plunging gowns. “The invitation said ‘geek chic,' ” said Britt Eason, who said she worked in mobile computing. “I was like, what the hell is that?”

“Silicon Valley can clean up well,” Ms. Zuckerberg said. “People don't give us credit. We can turn on the glamour when we want to.”

She gave a brief and effusive speech before the show began. For all the furor over whether Hollywood was painting Silicon Valley in its own image, “the two worlds are not as different as you think,” she said. “They're really just the same town painted in different ways.” She then rattled off some examples, including “one has silicon and one has silicone.”

Ms. Zuckerberg concluded, “If you hate sexy half-naked people, you'll probably be disappointed.”

The Bravo TV audience will make its own decision about whether ”Start-Ups” ranks with reality classics like “The Real Housewives” permutations, but what will the nerds think? Keep in mind that their idea of stirring entertainment is watching for the umpteenth time a YouTube video of Steven P. Jobs doing a MacWorld keynote speech.

There's a subplot in “Start-Ups,” where Hermione and Sarah claw each other. The nerds will likely fast-forward over that part, looking instead for moments that confirm their own importance, like Hermione saying, “Silicon Valley is a 21st century gold rush.” There are few enough of those today, which is perhaps one reason to watch the show.