Blueseed Finds 181 Startups Interested in Taking to the High Seas and Escaping Visa and Other Government Dictates

Blueseed is a burgeoning venture that promises to house high-tech companies on the high seas, outside the reach of dry land governments–"Silicon Valley's visa-free offshore startup community," it bills itself.

They have now identified 181 startups who have expressed interest, and surveyed them.

Some data: USA, India, and Australia are the top three land-nations of origin of interested companies; a "Streamlined legal and regulatory environment made with low overhead in mind" is "very important" or "critical" to 57.2 percent of the interested surveyed.

Although the company very much front-and-centers visa issues (avoiding them) as a key part of its appeal, having "An alternative to having to get US work visas for my employees" was very important or critical for only 29.5 surveyed, though 44.6 said "An alternative to having to get US work visas for myself or other company founders" was very important or critical.

A whopping 88.3 listed as very important or critical this: "Living and working in an awesome startup- and technology- oriented space." Indeed, while government is an ever-present annoyance in many respects, there are some things in life more important than worrying about what government is, or is not, doing.

38.1 percent of the respondents said they would move to a Blueseed floating environment "immediately" if it met their needs; another 50.1 percent said they'd do so within a year.

Popsci reported on the survey:

The startup-centric culture seems to be a big draw, and upstart technology ventures are lining up to shell out the roughly $1,600 per month it costs for a single occupancy living space (this includes workspace as well). More well-endowed residents can get a top-tier single occupancy cabin for twice that. Blueseed's floating startup city is slated for launch by third quarter of 2013.

Tate Watkins reported on Blueseed's launch right here back in November 2011.

Blueseed CEO Max Marty explains its benefits in our May 2012 issue:

1 By building a workaround for America's antiquated and overly restrictive immigration requirements for foreign-born entrepreneurs, Blueseed will create a means by which global innovators can bring new companies and technologies to grow near Silicon Valley's fertile startup soil.

2 By helping incubate new and innovative companies off the Silicon Valley coast, Blueseed can help pull America out of its economic rut, since high-tech startups are one of our most efficient engines of economic growth. 

3 By facilitating a working space free of nationalistic restrictions, Blueseed will create a uniquely rich nexus of collaboration and innovation for minds and ideas from all over the world—a place where the phenomenon that science writer Matt Ridley's calls "ideas having sex" can freely flourish. Such areas have always been where human innovation is most rapid and fertile.

Reason.tv on Blueseed: