More than 100 international technology companies have interest in becoming residents of a floating city located in international waters outside of Silicon Valley. The project, called Blueseed, was co-founded by Max Marty and Dario Mutabdzija and lead by venture capitalist and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. The company is looking to either convert a cruise ship or remodel a barge in into a pirate island that would provide living accommodations, working space and entertainment facilities for approximately 1,000 customers paying between $1,200 and $3,000 each per month. Read on for more.
The vessel will be stationed 12 nautical miles from the coast of California, in international waters, and it will have a crew of 200 to 300 people. The location would enable non-U.S. startup entrepreneurs to work close to Silicon Valley without the need for a U.S. work visa.
Research released by Blueseed revealed demand from interested U.S.-based companies sat at 20.3%, while Indian and Australian companies made up 10.5% and 6% respectively. The company also found that across the U.S., nearly 7,000 computer science Master’s and PhD graduates each year are foreign nationals, and many encounter difficulties finding jobs before being forced to go home. Blueseed is looking to change that when it launches in the third quarter of 2013.
[Via The Register]
