Indian-American entrepreneur Balaji Srinivasan is pursuing his ambitious vision of creating a “network state”—a digital-first, decentralised community that begins online and later acquires real-world territory. His latest step in this direction is the launch of The Network School, a live-in program on a private island near Singapore.
Launch of the Network School
Started in September 2024, the Network School is a three-month residential program for startup founders, fitness enthusiasts, and tech innovators. It serves as a pilot for Srinivasan’s concept of a future society that forms online before establishing real-world legitimacy.
Digital Vision with a Physical Base
In August 2024, Srinivasan announced through a Substack post that he had acquired an island near Singapore using Bitcoin. He described the island as the physical base for the Network State experiment, starting with the Network School.
An Experimental Community in Progress
Participants at the Network School describe the initiative as a real-life test of building a new society. One attendee, Instagram user Nick Peterson, called it “an oasis for gym rats and startup founders” and referred to it as a working model for the idea of a new nation.
Who Is Balaji Srinivasan?
Srinivasan is a Stanford-educated tech leader with degrees in electrical engineering. He has co-founded biotech firm Counsyl, served as CTO of Coinbase, and was a general partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Born to Tamil Nadu-origin parents, he has long promoted alternative models for forming societies in the digital age.
The Network State Concept
In his book The Network State: How to Start a New Country, Srinivasan outlines a framework for creating communities that begin online, gather support through crowdfunding, and eventually establish self-governing territories. The goal is to rethink citizenship, governance, and societal structure for the internet era.
A Step Toward a Digital-First Nation
With the Network School now functioning on a private island, Srinivasan’s bold vision is moving from theory to practice, marking a significant development in the global conversation around digital governance and the future of nationhood.
