Apply HN: the off grid tech park | Hacker News Reader

Apply HN: the off grid tech park

15 pointsnewman8r14 comments

Problem: Developers are often pressured into a life of working on less-than-interesting projects because the pay is steady.

Solution: Make living more affordable and reduce the pressure to generate income by developing an off grid tech park which will become a lifelong network of developers, engineers and permaculture enthusiasts.

What I've done so far: In 2015 I set up an LLC and purchased 5 acres (2.5 hours from Los Angeles) of amazing land. I have lived there for months at a time with another developer - other developers have stopped by for hackathons and summits.

What the goal is: create a place for developers, newcomers, engineers and entrepreneurs to come together and ALWAYS have a place to live and learn. A place to try all your cool projects without the fear of failure.

Business model: Tech park and incubator model. I've left this intentionally vague as this business aspect of this concept needs the most attention. I am certain there is a good way to capitalize and it will be shaped in part by early members.

Why now is the right time: there is a perfect storm for developers: a lot of us can make money remotely. An internet connection in remote areas is now affordable and fast. Solar technology prices are plummeting. The permaculture movement has given us mountains of useful literature over the last decade. Land that was almost unusable for a tech park 20 years ago is now prime.

There's also a big future in bringing technology experts and permaculture together - these two disciplines need to mingle more and I believe working off grid brings the necessity that leads to innovation.

I do realize that there's a lot of pitfalls in anything involving land ownership as well as developing communities - my commitment is to bring on legal experts which is another reason I think YC would be so helpful.

Edit* here's a dropbox with some images, all taken from the land. Also a video with some coyotes. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vvu448eyg1887l7/AAAPu488tKIdnPfHI...

Interesting! This sounds like a developer hostel, to some degree. How's the internet access from this land? Are there builds on the land? What do you need to do to get it up and running and do you have the capital for it (I assume not since you posted this though you were able to buy the land so I wasn't sure).

Maybe look to what places like the hackers dojo to see if a similar type of business model could fit for you.

I like it. I have a family so I wouldn't be able to use this but when I was back in college if I KNEW there was a place I could live and code, on the cheap and on the west coast, even if it wasn't that close to SF or LA, I would have jumped at the chance.

Target demographic is college kids I'm assuming? Also single people and / or hopeful founders?

Yeah - I have looked into a lot of existing and defunct hacker hostels to get an idea of the landscape. The big difference here being an emphasis on a cheap location, and the emphasis on a life-long network rather than a short term living situation.

Having a family is a limiting factor in people uprooting their lives, so I think you're right in saying that a younger audience is going to be the target (I'm 30 though). And yeah - single people and hopeful founders would also be a good target. This isn't something the members necessarily need to live at or pay a lot of money into - for some it may be nothing more than a cool vacation spot for a week or two.

Thanks for the support. The idea is definitely a fun one but I'm also staying realistic with all of the challenges.

Internet access is OK now, with a perfect 4g connection. Fortunately there is a local provider for high power wifi connections thats very affordable an I plan to set it up soon. There is currently a cement, permitted building pad on the land - I bought myself a small trailer for my office, 3d printer, etc and a small bunk bed. The other devs who have been there have nice tents set up - but I have plans in progress which I will get a permit for to expand the buildings.

re: what do I need in terms of capital at this point

I was able to purchase the land incredibly cheap, currently my business partner and myself have a few contracts for enterprise support that keep us afloat.

I do need capital to progress this project quickly - if I don't get any investment soon, progress will happen but at a slower pace. The biggest thing is the team though. The feeling of working with a genius team is amazing and getting some YC support will help me get some more people on board.

Things that additional capital would help: -small drilling rig to put in deeper wells, also each well requires $200-$500 for permit fees -additional building permits and materials (already have all needed air tools) -legal consultation -a very modest marketing campaign -Investment in other small nearby parcels at the county tax auction (in may - thousands of area properties being auctioned)

A great resource for real-estate development in the US is the Urban Land Institute: http://uli.org . If you like books, its bookstore is worth spending money in.

Another resource is local government, which some may find surprising. Planning departments are tasked with bringing good development to communities [for some locally determined definition of "good"]. Talking with senior staff is often a highly reliable way to determine how much resistance will come during the entitlement phase of a real-estate development project. Just understand that the "no" for a legally possible but "over my dead body" project will not be a firm one.

Looking at the project as a real-estate project in general, there seems to be a kernel that could come to fruition. The unique challenges [as opposed to the ordinary real-estate challenges] center around defining what is and isn't considered a developer and legal challenges in real-estate law regarding exclusionary sales and rentals [over 55 communities are the only exception to Federal Fair Housing statutes that quickly comes to mind and it's not so much an exception as specifically part of the law]. Though I am not a lawyer, I suspect that a community of developers will need to rely more on the sort of marketing golf communities use to attract golfers than screening.

Switching topics: How might this project meet the ruthless requirements for return on investment that venture capital demands in lieu of the return on investment more typical of real-estate development?

The business model would likely involve retaining various degrees of equity in the projects that emerge. The longer we can keep the community sustainable, the more potential projects. If the model is viable, I'd think replicating it in other locations would be a way to scale up.

As far as exclusionary sales/rentals go - I'm happy you brought that up because I'm not very familiar with it. Targeted marketing instead of screening sounds like a logical choice.

Hey, I am currently working with a group of folks over at /r/ethereum on a project relating to a crowdfunded real estate based crypto community. ( See: https://www.reddit.com/r/ethereum/comments/4dorx0/lets_buy_a... )

If you'd consider using your land for a project like this, let me know and I can invite you to the slack channel we're brainstorming in.

hit me up - smnewman07@gmail.com

Love your idea! Don't like your land. Water is life. I think you need a place less deserty to execute this plan...

There's water at 30-40 feet. It needs to be reverse osmosis filtered but it's plentiful. That being said, desert life can be harsh and it's not for everyone. If this project gets off the ground and shows some success, I'd really love to expand to a few areas of California where the conditions are more moderate.

I'd like to add a quick note:

This project is in very early stages - I was going to wait a year before even pitching it to anyone. My big concern is in people uprooting their lives to join something that's not a sure thing yet.

That being said - all are welcome to visit or work there with us - PM me to schedule a visit if you want.

> I was going to wait a year before even pitching it to anyone.

Why not start now? You may be able to raise capital and start sooner than you expect and simply turn it into a real thing. You already made the investment in buying land, why not try to use it right away? At least if you tried to start doing something with it now you'll know at least one year sooner that it will either work or fail.

It would suck if you waited until 2017, attempted to do this only to find out it's just going to fail.

Disclaimer: I've only pitched one thing ever so my opinion may be bullshit.

You're correct. I'd say that I am already doing something by having myself and another developer living out there on limited resources - can't expect anyone else to do that until I have.

Fortunately, there's not much potential for failure here because I plan to use the land for as long as I own it - I think my hesitance is just a function of knowing that a lot needs to be done before average people could live out there without too much of a lifestyle shock - but some people can handle that shock.

> I think my hesitance is just a function of knowing that a lot needs to be done before average people could live out there without too much of a lifestyle shock - but some people can handle that shock.

I bet a lot of people would. Hell I know some "hipsters" who would probably love it lol. As long as you set expectations I don't see why you couldn't just start whenever you wanted.

Thanks for the encouragement. I agree on the importance of setting reasonable expectations for community members, especially early on. If anyone reading this has lived in a hacker hostel I'd like to hear about expectations vs reality.

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