Why I'm Joining 200 Innovators for 2 Months on an Island

My trip to Roatán to produce a documentary about the rise of startup societies in emerging markets.

On Jan 4th, I will embark on a 2-month journey to an island with 200 other entrepreneurs and scientists, all focused on a singular goal: to accelerate research on longevity and explore new governance models.

It’s called Vitalia.

During my stay, I will produce a short documentary - What If It Was A Startup - about the rise of startup societies in emerging markets.

The documentary aims to delve into the ecosystem of startup societies and tell the stories of entrepreneurs who are building cities from scratch and new governance systems for the Internet era.

We want to explore the following questions:

• What if cities and institutions were created in the same model as startups?

• What is the role of startup societies for progress and social development?

• What is the impact of longevity research on emerging markets?

• How do digital and decentralized technologies help underprivileged communities?

We want to tell this story through the lens of a South American citizen.

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But, what exactly is Vitalia and how can you be part of this journey?

▶️ What is it?

Vitalia is a 2-month pop-up city that will bring together 200 residents passionate about longevity research and open governance to discuss and build around these ideas.

The project's goal is to bootstrap multi-jurisdiction districts dedicated to accelerating the longevity industry to increase health span, reverting aging, and potentially defy death.

Vitalia City is one of the projects emerging in the Startup Society/Network State ecosystem, which are organizations that aim to innovate in digital governance/institutions for the Internet era, including building new Cities from scratch.

Vitalia was inspired by Zuzalu, the world's first pop-up city, which hosted 200 residents for two months in Q1 2023 in Montenegro. 

The project was envisioned and led by Vitalik Buterin, the billionaire founder of the Ethereum blockchain.

▶️ Where will it happen?

Vitalia will take place in Próspera, a charter city located in Roatán, a Caribbean island about 65 kilometers off the northern coast of Honduras.

Próspera was established under Honduran ZEDE laws, which aim to replicate the successful governance experiments of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Dubai by granting legal and regulatory autonomy to the administrator of the zone.

▶️ What is the schedule?

Vitalia will be organized around 4 main topics:

- Longevity & Human Improvement (Jan 14 - 20)

- Crypto Cities & Network States (Jan 29 - Feb 4)

- AI & Techno-Optimism (Feb 5 - 11)

- Pathways to Life Extension (Feb 19 - Feb 25)

But Vitalia is not just a conference. It’s a (pop-up) city with very talented residents. 

Therefore, in addition to the top-down organization, several bottom-up initiatives are emerging, such as the Art Residency Program, Vitalia Lab, Makerspace, and Scientific Journal, without mentioning the upcoming Meetups and side events.

▶️Who is gonna be there?

The talents coming are mind-blowings and from different backgrounds (dev, science, art, business, finance, etc).

We already have great speakers confirmed too, including Aubrey de Grey, Bryan Johnson, Alex Tabarrok, and Erik Voorhees.

▶️ How to be a part of it?

You can participate by helping to support the documentary, which offers several benefits depending on the chosen tier.

All tiers will have access to our Discord server, where I will share daily updates and insights about the project, as well as summaries of the profiles of the residents I meet there.

If you are a content producer or a brand and want to cover Vitalia firsthand, we are offering personalized social media content in the format of short videos.

🔗Support the Documentary Here

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I deeply believe in the power of bringing together very talented individuals to solve big problems. There is something magical about highly ambitious people spending a lot of time together.

We are living in the most impactful and significant period of human history.

We have access to the most advanced technologies ever developed, such as AI, blockchains, and cryptography, all combined with social innovations like charter cities and network states.

This means we now possess god-like tools to address the most complex global challenges, such as extreme poverty, aging, climate change, and becoming a multi-planetary species.

Pop-up cities like Vitalia serve as a gravitational force to attract the right talents focused on experimenting with and building these new technological, social, and political innovations.

I’m pretty convinced that Vitalia will leave an important mark on history and help guide society towards a more abundant future.

And that is why I going to this island to produce this documentary.

See you there!