Stranded Technologies Podcast

Eche Emole is the co-founder of Afropolitan, a digital nation aimed at empowering Africans to lead abundant lives. With a background as a lawyer, technology executive, and community organizer, Eche has extensive experience in his field. He has successfully organized events for over 200,000 diaspora Africans, including the 2019 Year of Return in Ghana, which generated $1.9 billion in economic activity. Eche's vision for Afropolitan was further solidified after reading "The Network State" by Balaji Srinivasan, which inspired him to create a "cloud nation." Recognizing the problem of poor governance affecting the African people, Eche saw an opportunity to create a solution through Afropolitan, now recognized by the New York Stock Exchange. This is just the start for Eche, who has big plans for the future of Afropolitan, including gaining diplomatic recognition and establishing embassies, known as "Afrotowns," worldwide. The ultimate goal is to make Wakanda a reality. Infinita Linktree: https://linktr.ee/infinitavc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Scott A. Beyer. is a journalist and consultant, and owner of the Market Urbanism Report, a think tank that advocates for free-market city policy. Scott is currently on a 1.5-year-long trip to document how Market Urbanism can apply to developing world cities in Latin America, Africa and Asia.Scott has just arrived in Africa after 6 months in Latin America.Niklas and Scott talk about what's wrong with cities, how can we improve them and colorful insights from Scott's travels to existing and new cities in Latin America.Cities in the USA are suffering from institutional sclerosis and favoritism when it comes to housing and transportation policy. What's the predominant cause for rising housing prices and shortages is land-use zoning regulations.It's one of the core policy sins of city development in the USA. It makes land development a process driven by often intransigent local politics and NIMBYism (not-in-my-backyard). This policy favors the status quo over dynamic change.Scott has grown frustrated with US city politics. As an investor looking for new areas to invest in, and as a free market thinker he is now looking toward developing countries for better opportunities.This sounds counterintuitive. Don't migration flows go from developing to developed countries in search for better opportunities? Scott and Niklas both have discovered a contrarian insight: cities in Latin America are cheaper, more pleasant and safe than commonly assumed. Places like Mexico City, Rio, Santiago, Medellin or Buenos Aires are bustling with life and opportunity, rich cultural experiences and wonderful people.Also, Latin America harbors some of the most forward-thinking new city developments in the world, such as Prospera and Cuidad Morazan in Honduras.Scott is continuing his trip to Africa - and we're looking forward to re-interview him in 6 months about his next wave of colorful insights into city development.Infinita Linktree: https://linktr.ee/infinitavc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Patri Friedman is the legendary founder of The Seasteading Institute, and General Partner at Pronomos Capital, a VC fund focused on improving statecraft.Patri is the foremost thinker behind the idea of "competitive governance". Patri has been a huge inspiration for this show, and for Infinita VC.This makes this one of the most defining and important episodes in the history of the podcast.We talk about Patri's life's work and the venture funding side of funding new cities or governance experiments to foster human progress and flourishing.Patri talks about how ideas like charter cities, AI safety, internet money or life extension were part of fringe, cypherpunk-like groups.These ideas gained adoption to millions with the expansion of the internet, Silicon Valley culture and blockchain/cryptocurrency technology.After working on alternative governance ideas for 15+ years, including the foundation of Seasteading, Patri turned to VC as a way to realize these ideas.In 2019, he founded Pronomos to support charter cities. Initially, with little dealflow, new projects are now more than ever reaching him.We talk about how Balaji Srinivasan's book "The Network State" has added new fuel to the movement by innovating on a model with lower barriers to entry.The movement is now at an inflection point.The "zero-to-one" has been achieved with Próspera Honduras, and several dozens of projects like Praxis, Small Farm Cities or Kift are maturing rapidly.At this inflection point, the movement needs founders and entrepreneurs. Patri is planning to start a venture studio that is building a sales pipeline with governments open to new models for economic development and matching with founders to start them.There is no better time to build!Infinita Linktree: https://linktr.ee/infinitavc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Max Borders is an author and public intellectual. He wrote books like "The Social Singularity" and "After Collapse". He is also Executive Director at Social Evolution, a non-profit organization dedicated to solving social problems through innovation.We start the conversation by discussing competitive governance and using "exit" to improve existing institutions. Max views existing institutions as increasingly ossifying due to their monopolistic nature coupled with high switching costs.This DOS operating system is holding back humans from technological and spiritual progress. For example, the "welfare-warfare" state has increasingly replaced mutual aid organizations and thereby outsourced community care.We further talk about how both centralizing and decentralizing pressures influence how large organizations become (Ronald Coase's "theory of the firm"), the concept of holacracy, and how alternative forms of governance such as DAOs (digital autonomous organizations) provide a useful avenue for experimentation. Towards the end, Max talks about his new project of a "Shadow Constitution" that's taking the work of Balaji Srinivasan's "The Network State" further. Max plans to provide the "ought" to Balaji's "is".Infinita Linktree: https://linktr.ee/infinitavc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Adeo Ressi is an iconic entrepreneur, investor, and teacher. He is the CEO of VC Lab, which runs the leading venture capital accelerator. He is also the Executive Chairman of the Founder Institute, the world's largest pre-seed accelerator.Adeo has launched more than 14 venture capital funds and founded 11 startups, having nearly $2 billion in exits before the age of 30.Adeo speaks about his mission with VC Lab. VC Lab has to date accelerated 236 new VC firms and reduced the time to start a fund from 18-24 months down to 5.8 months.VC Lab is designed to turn venture capital into a force for good in the world.Traditionally, VC is an exclusive club and accessible only in select locations like Silicon Valley, New York, London, Berlin, etc.Regions like Latam or Africa need entrepreneurship the most to solve local problems, but the locally available capital is predatory.It is no accident that venture capital has not yet scaled globally: as so often, the barriers are regulatory. The "dinosaurs of the industry" have set up moats.Starting a VC fund is a black box, and requires a significant amount of upfront capital for legal fees to comply with a set of onerous laws.VC Lab is solving the problem by creating a full-stack: a free acceleration program, standardized legal advice in three domiciles, and fund management software.VC Lab is doing more than anyone to globalize access to VC by reducing the barriers to starting a fund for managers committed to the ethical principles of the Mensarius Oath, thereby unleashing a new wave of innovation through entrepreneurship.Towards the end of the episode, Niklas comments on why he chose VC Lab and how it helped him start Infinita VC.Check out VC Lab if you're thinking of starting a VC fund (applications for Cohort 10 are open): https://govclab.com/Infinita Linktree: https://linktr.ee/infinitavc This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Dan Epstein is Director at Trust Ventures, a VC fund helping entrepreneurs overcome regulatory challenges.As a political economist and regulatory litigator, Dan is uniquely positioned to understand the politics, law, and economics of regulation and how it affects entrepreneurs at the forefront of technology.Studying and practicing regulatory litigation on both the government side, and the entrepreneurs' side led Dan to surprising and important insights.Insights that are essential for any entrepreneur.You may not think of yourself as a regulatory entrepreneur yet, but maybe you are.According to Dan, entrepreneurship is about redefining an industry. Uber or Lyft is not a taxi company but invented the ride-sharing business.It's important for regulatory entrepreneurs to think about this because the existing industry is regulated not to fend off competitors and get a ticket to survival.Dan and Niklas develop some nuanced views about regulation and charter important territory for how to navigate the complex regulatory landscape.While the U.S. regulatory state is sclerotic, we do see hope for sustained activism, "right to try" regulations, and sunset clauses, as well as using the playbooks that are increasingly being developed for regulatory entrepreneurs.As VCs, we also see increasing international competition for jurisdiction, and entrepreneurs have the opportunity to choose.There are challenges, but there are exciting opportunities on the horizon for regulatory entrepreneurs.Infinita Discord: https://discord.gg/dwbNh7NKNiklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Website: https://infinitavc.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Thibault Serlet, the Director of Research at the Adrianopole Group, a firm providing intelligence on special economic zones (SEZs)Thibault is one of the world's leading thinkers on the past, present and future of governance innovation through SEZs.SEZs are business parks that are geographically walled off from the countries that they're in, and they have their own laws.The most famous examples are Shenzhen, China and Dubai, UAE, which both were growing into modern megacities and hubs of technology & prosperity.With the Open Zone Map Project, Thibault found more than 5.000 SEZs worldwide, a fact that is little known in the Western world.SEZs have a fascinating history, including the trade and export hubs of Europe starting in Champagne, France, proto-venture funding of city captures by crusaders, and as a tool to modernize an economy of 1bn+ people in post-Mao China.What makes SEZs so interesting is that they make governance innovation possible on a small scale, something that is not possible on a large scale due to entrenched interests. Successful innovations can then scale.That makes SEZs a laboratory for the future, both when it comes to governance innovation, and when it comes to harboring innovative firms or individuals.We talk about the pitfalls of governance innovation, such as the failed libertarian attempts since the 1960s Operation Atlantis.Also like anything, SEZs can be used for horrible things like human trafficking in the Golden Triangle in Laos.SEZs are a tool and can be used for good and bad.To illustrate their potential, Thibault talks how they could be used to test policies to combat climate change, such as a carbon tax or a biodiversity futures market.SEZs and governance innovation are at the heart of unleashing the potential of stranded technologies and start a new wave of technological progress.Infinita Discord: https://discord.gg/dwbNh7NKNiklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Website: https://infinitavc.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Eli Dourado, a senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University.Eli is also a blogger, investor, and self-described "regulatory hacker".Eli and Niklas have a conversation about many things technology, innovation, and regulatory bottlenecks. His breadth of knowledge includes aviation, energy, housing, cryptocurrency, biotech, cybersecurity, and many more areas.Eli has a background in regulatory and technology policy. He was involved in initiatives such as saving the internet from UN regulation and the debate about noise limits in civil aviation, in his role as a public policy specialist at Boom Supersonic.Energy is the key to a better future. The major regulatory mistake was the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which led to a major slowdown in the adoption of nuclear energy and hampered America's ability to build new infrastructure.Eli sees potential for modular and small-scale nuclear power. He also sees geothermal energy as a major potential source of clean energy, made possible by better drilling techniques developed during the hydraulic fracturing boom.Generally, Eli sees the pro-progress camp aligned with the environmental movement. The major disagreement he has is with the de-growth camp. Instead, to solve environmental challenges more economic growth is needed.Economic growth is at the heart of improving society in all areas and developing better solutions for problems such as climate change.After a Tour de France through many promising areas in technology, Eli is optimistic that entrepreneurs can overcome the regulatory challenges that often come with adoption. It's hard, but it can be fun, and come with a moat for your businesses.Infinita Discord: https://discord.gg/dwbNh7NKNiklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Website: https://infinitavc.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas speaks with Mark Lutter. Mark is the Founder and Chairman of the Charter Cities Institute, a non-profit which is building the ecosystem for charter cities. Mark has a PhD in economics from George Mason University.Mark also has a podcast called the Charter Cities Podcast, a fantastic listen to learn about this fascinating movement.Mark and Niklas start by talking about how they both became more motivated to pursue experimentation to fix or build alternatives to government institutions as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, and how they hope charter cities can propel new technology development such as biotech and longevity or drone delivery.Mark talks about charter cities, how to finance them and the many other challenges involved in building them. First and foremost, charter cities are a political challenge and require local partnerships and buy-in from national governments.Mark believes an optimistic scenario could lead to charter cities having 3 million residents in ten years with growth rates 1-2 percentage points higher than the surrounding region. Charter cities have a very long time horizon and are up against the inherent stability of existing institutions: people typically don't move unless there is a really strong motivation such as political or religious persecution, or instability.This stickiness of existing institutions is something Mark believes is often underestimated by proponents of "network states" such as Balaji Srinivasan. While charter cities have overlaps with network states, Mark believes there is not enough migration flow out of developed countries with bad institutions - the much stronger force pressure to migrate is from developed to developing countries.Mark cautions against claiming the sacred concept of political sovereignty and instead opts for partnerships with governments. He sees the biggest potential for charter cities in Africa, because of the strong urbanization ratesMark is a key thought leader in the charter cities space, and achieved tremendous success in increasing awareness and developing the right templates through the Charter Cities Institute - it was fascinating to have Mark on to share his learnings!Infinita Discord: https://discord.gg/dwbNh7NKNiklas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerInfinita Website: https://infinitavc.com/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com

Niklas synthesizes insights after thinking about regulation & innovation by talking to experts and practitioners for more than 8 months.Why are regulations important?John Maynard Keynes observed that capital accumulation and technical improvements enabled economic growth.Keynes calculated that with 2% growth per year, the economic pie increased by 7.5x in 100 years. If it would be 5%, it’s 130x our current level of wealth.That would lead to an age of superabundance.Regulations have a much larger impact on those than immediately obvious. They directly affect Keynes' factors of capital accumulation and technical improvements.If we want to reach an age of superabundance, we need to look at our process for making rules that impact hundreds of millions of peopleThe 10 theses are:(1) Our knowledge of the multi-layer effects of government regulation is comparable with medieval doctors' knowledge about the human body.(2) It is an obfuscation to equate regulation with government regulation. There are many more ways for achieving the same effects.(3) Our association of regulation with stability is influenced by pro-authority bias.(4) Regulation mostly targets groups that are unpopular with the majority.(5) Government regulation mostly follows as an overreaction to public events.(6) We regulate seen consequences and disregard unseen consequences.(7) In the absence of binding obligations, public officials have a herd mentality.(8) Most business regulations fail because they don’t address the Safety Paradox.(9) The main problem with regulation is the process of how we make decisions.(10) Bad regulations are hard to get rid of (Machiavelli Effect).Towards the end, Niklas discusses different solutions such as ethical exit, jurisdictional shopping, competition, and experimentation in governance.Over the coming episodes of this podcast, we'll get more in-depth about solutions, entrepreneurs that achieved the impossible, what promising governance experiments are underway and how to achieve 100x growth for humanity.Please send feedback and guest wishes to Niklas:Discord: https://discord.gg/dwbNh7NKTwitter: https://twitter.com/NiklasAnzingerEmail: niklas@infinitafund.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.infinitacitytimes.com