When I studied abroad in Freiburg, Germany 3 years ago I lived in something that was fairly similar to a boardinghouse. It was all college students but we were attending a variety of universities in the town. We each had a private bedroom/bathroom (with heated floors no less!) but there were 3 shared kitchens - one on each floor.

Info about where I lived: http://www.goethe.de/ins/de/ort/fre/unt/enindex.htm

I wasn't doing startups at that point but I was was obsessed with technology and the internet. Upon arrival I was a bit disappointed to learn that wifi was only available in the common dining hall areas.

This actually ended up being the most beneficial "feature" of our living situation because instead of closing our doors and surfing the web in our private rooms we were constantly out in the common rooms where all sorts of serendipitous moments occurred. Some of my best memories from my study abroad started because I had been sitting in the common room/dining hall on my computer before getting hooked into going on some adventure downtown.

I would LOVE to live in a situation like that again. I feel it would be amazing to set up something in the style of a boardinghouse in Austin, TX (where I'm moving in March).