STARTUP SOCIETIES AND Decentralization
Society’s Immune System
Decentralized governance reacts to overcentralization in much the same way an immune system reacts to a viral infection. Throughout history, history has been replete with the rise and inevitable fall of massive empires, each of which fall victim to complacency and corruption.
WHAT IS A STARTUP
SOCIETY?
A startup society is typically a small territorial experiment in government. For centuries, innovators have created enclaves to escape institutional barriers. The United States of America itself was created to escape religious persecution in Europe. The startup societies of today are making the world into a more diverse and competitive place.
Physical Startup Societies:
Physical communities allow people to live and interact in ways not as prevalent or available in a wider community. These types of communities are usually (but not always) focused on a particular social issue or communal way of life. Examples of physical communities include new cities, ecovillages, and intentional communities, such as the Polestar Village in Colorado.
Legal Startup Societies:
Legal communities are jurisdictions that provide unique policies, laws, regulations, and rules that differ from that of its host community. The most common example of a legal community are Special Economic Zones (SEZs), which are sub-jurisdictions located within a host country, but have adopted policies designed to attract economic investment. Successful SEZs, such as Shenzhen, just outside of Hong Kong, were crucial to China’s economic success and continue to be important engines of the economy.
Digital Startup Societies:
Digital communities are virtual platforms, protocols, and communities that allow people to interact, share information, and exchange value outside of a centralized governance authority. Common examples include blockchains, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), and open-source development communities.
Types of Startup societies.
This ven diagram summarizes 3 Categories for Startup Societies (legal, physical and digital), and mentions examples of Startup Societies that emerge from two of these traits.
JUST LIKE BUSINESS STARTUPS
STARTUP SOCIETIES TEND TO BE:
Small
Cayman Islands Entreprise City
Data
Example: Floating Island Project in French Polynesia
Prosperous
Example: Dubai
Innovative / Experimental
Focused
The Catawba Digital Economic Zone
Responsive
Example: Singapore
Here are some examples
Próspera, Honduras
Based on the Honduran ZEDE law, Próspera is an entirely new city that has its own civil law and regulatory structure, independent of that of Honduras, though it remains bound by the Honduran constitution and its criminal law code. Inspired by successful special economic zones such as Shenzhen in China or Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Próspera intends to make it much easier for residents to interact with government services by better aligning local government incentives and residential needs.
Celebration, Florida
Conceived and financed by the Walt Disney Company, Celebration is a master-planned community located near Walt Disney World. Though Disney divested control of the community, it still owns and operates many local services, including power utilities. Voting is restricted to landowning entities – with Disney remaining the largest such entity.
Songdo, South Korea
Songdo is among the largest private real estate developments in history, occupying 1500 acres of reclaimed land along the Incheon waterfront. Built from the ground-up with sustainability in mind, Songdo offers over 25km of bike paths, a central pneumatic waste disposal system that eliminates garbage pickup, and over 22 million sq-ft of LEED certified space.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
The DIFC is self-governed financial and business district with its own legal system and business regulations aimed at attracting foriegn investment. Laws are issued in English, businesses can operate without a local partner, companies can take advantage of a 50-year guarantee of zero taxes on corporate income and profits.
Ethereum
Ethereum is the blockchain technology powering ether (ETH), the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, as well as thousands of decentralized application (dapps). Though it may be digital in nature, the Ethereum community has had huge impacts on the world at large.
Cayman Island Enterprise City
Made up of three Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the Cayman Island Enterprise City aimed to attract tech and service-industries to setup a physical presence in the Cayman Islands with incentives such as a 100% exemption from income and sales tax, and renewable 5-year work/residency visas that can be obtained in as little as 5 working days. As of 2020, the economic impact is estimated at over $500 million, and more than 250 companies are currently headquartered there.
Our Idea is Simple
Don’t argue about it, Build the alternative
Around the world, people are dissatisfied with their governments. Most governments are difficult (and slow) to change, in part due to their size. Our idea is simple: don’t argue about it, build the alternative. While the term “startup society” is new, the concept is not. American colonies began as startup societies to escape religious persecution in Europe.
While every society in history began as a startup, there are plenty of modernexamples. Cities such as Hong Kong, Shenzen and Singapore have lifted millions of people out of poverty and have the same economic output as many nation states. Currently, there are more than 5400 startup societies across the globe.
Success Cases
Shenzen, China
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
WHAT IS THE STARTUP SOCIETIES FOUNDATION?
“OUR MISSION IS TO CONNECT, EDUCATE AND EMPOWER SMALL TERRITORIAL EXPERIMENTS IN GOVERNMENT — ALL OVER THE WORLD.”.
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WE INTEND TO BUILD ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL POLITICS, BUSINESS, CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY.
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