Blueseed has announced that PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel is going to be leading their round of seed financing, helping them produce the world’s first floating, visa-free startup incubator in international waters off the coast of San Francisco.
From Blueseed’s website:
“Because of the United States’ current immigration and regulatory regime, bold and creative entrepreneurs from around the world aren’t given the chance to come to Silicon Valley and develop the technologies that could be creating jobs and propelling the economy forward.
Blueseed aims to solve this problem so that Silicon Valley remains the world’s center for innovation. Our team is creating a high-tech visa-free entrepreneurship and technology incubator on an ocean vessel in international waters. Our facilities will be a short ferry ride away from Silicon Valley so that great ideas and talent from around the world can live, work, and play while having convenient access to the San Francisco Bay Area. We will provide a customized environment centered around smart, proven, cost-effective legal best practices, and modern living and work accommodations.”
This is not entirely surprising as Blueseed CEO Max Marty was also the former Director of Business Strategy at the Thiel co-founded Seasteading Institute. An avowed libertarian, Thiel has long championed the idea of creating floating micro-nations in International waters as a place to try out “start-up governments.” It looks like Blueseed offers the perfect opportunity for him to soft-launch his idea and have it validated by Silicon Valley.
Startups will be able to live on the ship and have access to high speed Internet, office space and access to “24 hour venues around the ship, catering, cafes, full service gym and other entertainment venues.” Prices for living on the ship are expected to start at $1200 per person for the basic accommodations, and Blueseed touts the cost of living on-ship as a big positive when compared to living in San Francisco: They quotes an average studio apartment price of $1,750 in The City, along with a $400-$600 desk rental fee at an incubator.
Travel to land will be by twice a day ferry with an estimated travel time of ninety minutes to the mainland and there will also be a helicopter available for emergency transport if needed. If/when businesses outgrow the center, they can move back to the mainland and rent office space in Silicon Valley.
The most significant advantage of Blueseed applies to immigration laws. Since Blueseed will reside in international waters, the aquatic incubator can welcome international entrepreneurs without requiring the otherwise necessary visas. Entrepreneurs that previously lacked access to the Silicon Valley’s resources due to the US’ visa-restrictions can be located right next to the startup epicenter and easily conduct business there while living just offshore.
The below images depict BlueSeed’s concept vessels.
View Comments (14)
Thiel's a genius no doubt, as are the other guys who started paypal (particularly musk), but is this really the best use of all this money? Â With all the problems in the world, with all the people who can't even get enough food or basic medicine, not to mentioned what extravagant projects like this are doing to the climate... it just seems like silly silicon valley ventures like this are sometimes a big distraction, so flush with money, but not really making people's lives all that much better compared to how that money could be spent, on things like vacines in 3rd world countries. but then again, there's not much ROI in helping the sick and the poor, so why would the rich want to invest there? Â Cheers to Bill Gates for coming to this realization.
Not that helping the poor isn't a worthwhile goal, but I think that supporting freedom and opportunity is also a worthwhile goal here.Â
Additionally, there isn't a finite amount of wealth in the world. Wealth is continuously created, so investing in stuff that can make money helps society as a whole.
I agree inm- and this DOES solve some read world problems- the media tends to portray immigrants as "job stealers" but the jobs being created in high tech by foreigners are jobs no Americans are filling.
This project goes to show how individuals can get around governmental red tape and get things done
Its an interesting concept and in fact last night at the Hackers and Founders Meetup with Rand Fishkin I was able to recommend BlueSeed as a possible option for an entrepreneur from the UK.  I think that the real trick will be to have early traction and success with the first wave of participants because that will set the tone of how this concept is perceived.  I would definitely participate in BlueSeed if a US visa was an issue for me.Â
I think its a great idea even if you don't need a Visa- for $1,200 a month you get a place to sleep and a desk to work from- much cheaper than San Francisco
Blueseed will host innovative startups. The next big innovation may be a great way to solve one of the big problems of the world.
What happens when the business expands too much and goes to the mainland? Â What happens to the guys with no visa?
I am assuming when the business moves to the mainland, another will move into the incubator and take its place.
The trick is the entrepreneur with no Visa- I am no expert on immigration but I would hope the government would be smart enough to grant a Visa to an entrepreneur that built a business just off the coast and by moving to the mainland will create more jobs
Unfortunately the government doesn't have a great track record when it comes to giving visas to entrepreneurs - Visa Problem Prevents Entrepreneur From Creating American Jobs - ABC News
After a company has been functioning for a while, say, a year, and has sufficient funds to sponsor H-1B or L-1 work visa applications, there are various avenues to getting people on land. The critical point is for new startups in their early phases, who can't afford the legal costs of immigration, and don't meet the stringent requirements for investor visas (i.e. $1M investment in Silicon Valley).
I'd usually think this was a crazy idea, but after reading about a college in Maryland that rehomed its students into cruise ships for a semester while their dorms were being refurbished, it doesn't seem so extraordinary anymore!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/15/us/maryland-college-students-take-to-floating-dorm.html
And let me ask you this Jessy- would you do it? Â It sounds like the boat is going to be pretty awesome- for the price I am thinking I'd go for it. Â Why not live on a boat for 6 months while getting your business off the ground? Â (Thanks for the NYT article, pretty cool)
I would jump all over this opportunity.Â
You and me both. I love the idea