What Foundations Make a Charter City Work

What if you could redesign the rules of society? Not tweak the margins, but start over entirely. That’s the question driving Erick Brimen, founder and CEO of Próspera, a private charter city in Roatán, Honduras. Próspera is a radical experiment in governance: a platform that lets governments and entrepreneurs build cities with new legal systems, regulatory frameworks, and institutions from the ground up. Brimen believes that governance itself can be innovated upon. That cities, like software, can be upgraded. His goal isn’t just to build one new jurisdiction, but to create an operating system for hundreds of prosperous, self-governing communities around the world. In this conversation, Erick and I explore what it really takes to build a modern Singapore from scratch — and why better governance might be humanity’s most powerful lever for progress.

Together we explore:

• How Brimen’s childhood in Venezuela shaped his understanding of governance and poverty

• The historical precedents for charter cities like Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong

• Why common law, trusted dispute resolution, and dynamic governance are essential foundations

• How Próspera’s Governance-as-a-Service model aligns incentives between governments, operators, and residents

• The current state of Próspera in Honduras, including its three hubs and economic impact

• The political challenges Próspera has faced and how international arbitration has protected the project

• Why regulatory innovation enables industries like biotech, crypto, and advanced manufacturing to flourish

• How the model could be applied to “catch-up growth,” industry diversification, and accelerating growth in developed nations

• The vision for a modern Hanseatic League of charter cities operating on shared governance principles

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Transcript: https://www.generalist.com/p/the-170m-experiment-to-build-a-private-city

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Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(04:10) An overview of Próspera and charter cities

(06:43) City of Próspera vs. the platform

(08:06) How growing up in Venezuela shaped Erick’s entrepreneurial vision

(12:36) The limits of seasteading and why Erick took a different path

(15:20) The opposing philosophies that shaped Erick’s path

(16:16) The moment that reshaped Erick’s understanding of poverty

(19:57) The limits of learning from Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong

(23:01) Building on the DIFC blueprint

(25:12) From Arizona to Honduras: how Próspera built its first city

(30:36) Why Honduras won

(32:12) Inside the ZEDE framework

(36:56) Próspera’s business model

(43:45) Conditions on the ground in Honduras

(47:14) A quick summary of how it works

(48:24) Quick stats on Próspera’s scale and financing

(50:47) What years of preparation made possible

(52:44) The scale and purpose of Próspera’s three hubs

(58:12) Próspera’s 10-year vision

(1:01:12) The people Próspera was built to serve

(1:04:10) Why less regulation unlocks more innovation

(1:05:58) Próspera’s political headwinds

(1:12:36) Why Erick remains optimistic that things will work out in Honduras

(1:14:44) Addressing criticism of ZEDEs and Próspera

(1:18:08) What’s next, and why the U.S. may be the greatest opportunity

(1:22:30) Final meditations

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Follow Erick Brimen

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickbrimen

Website: https://www.erickbrimen.com

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Resources and episode mentions: https://www.generalist.com/p/the-170m-experiment-to-build-a-private-city

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