#37 Patri Friedman - How To Start a New City

I’m with Patri Friedman who is a General Partner @ Pronomos Capital, the world's first charter city VC fund. Before this, he founded The Seasteading Institute, a non-profit that explores the creation of sovereign ocean colonies.

What is a charter city? What does a sovereign ocean colony mean? We will explore all these ideas in detail with Patri pretty soon. For now, you should know that Patri is a champion for innovation in governance.

Our economy thrives because there’s continuous innovation happening when new products and services are brought in the market. That innovation is mostly driven by startup companies who challenge the status quo of established companies. But this dynamic doesn’t exist in governance – we’re stuck with the legal systems and constitutions we’re born into.

What if we could kick-start a new city with an entirely fresh take on society? That’s the topic of today’s discussion.

== What we talk about ==
00:00 - Introduction to the podcast
01:13 - What led Patri to start the Seasteading Institute (a non-profit that explores the creation of sovereign ocean colonies)
05:44 - The current status of the project
07:29 - What is the legal status of putting a house, in the middle of nowhere?
16:30 - Definition of a Charter City
19:13 - What type of governments would allow Charter Cities?
21:30 - Are some governments fearful of giving up control?
24:50 - Have you made any investments in Charter Cities? What are the exciting things that are happening in this space?
29:20 - How do you motivate these incredibly smart, talented, and motivated people to move to a new city?
32:45 - What does a seed investment/early stage investment mean for a charter city or a community?
35:30 - Are there any focus areas or geographical regions you're interested in that entrepreneurs can reach out to you with their pitches?
39:30 - How did your father David D. Friedman's and grandfather Milton Friedman's thinking shape your thinking?
45:10 - What is the basic principle of Anarcho-capitalism?
51:20 - Are ideas like DAO in crypto inspired by Anarcho-capitalism?
52:44 - Have you thought about what governance systems will make sense when we become interplanetary species?
55:45 - Any laws on who claims a part of Moon or Mars?
56:20 - What is Jhana Meditation, and how does it differ from other styles of meditation?
1:04:00 - Is there anything else that you want to add, that you wanted me to ask, but I didn't ask?
1:05:12 - Concluding Thoughts