what is network school?

in short: learn. burn. earn. fun.

network school is a physical community of builders, creators, and founders living together on an island in the singapore–johor special economic zone, just across the water from singapore. it was founded by balaji srinivasan, former general partner at andreessen horowitz and cto of coinbase, and the author of the network state.

four words: learn. burn. earn. fun.

learn: weekly talks and workshops with founders and builders in the community. hackathons, book clubs, and people exploring ai and crypto, building on solana, openclaw, and claude code. past speakers include vitalik buterin, bryan johnson, and jesse pollak.

burn: a 24/7 gym, personal trainers, group workouts, fitness classes, and sports tournaments. three nutritious meals a day.

earn: a task-based earning platform where you complete real work, such as development, design, and content creation, and get paid in cryptocurrency.

fun: bonfires, trips to singapore, community events, and parties. the kind of spontaneous social life most people have not experienced since college.

all-inclusive.

this is the question everyone asks first, so let me address it up front.

$1,500 per month. this includes accommodation, three meals a day, a fully equipped gym, all events, a coworking space, and high-speed wi-fi.

want 25% off? use my link: ns.com/kalashvasaniya

(after the 25% discount, you pay $1,125 per month.)

you are not just paying for a place to stay. you are stepping into an environment designed for focused building, meaningful connections, and consistent growth. everything is set up so you can spend less time worrying about logistics and more time actually creating, learning, and collaborating with people who are on the same path.

network school serves a specific kind of person:

remote workers: who can work from anywhere but are tired of doing it alone.

founders: building startups who want to be surrounded by other builders.

indie hackers (like me): who are shipping, experimenting, and figuring things out in public.

content creators: looking for both a community and a content engine.

engineers and developers who want to build in crypto, ai, and frontier tech.

digital nomads: who are done drifting and want a sense of belonging.

families: looking for a different way to raise kids while doing meaningful work.

personal trainers, event organizers, and community builders: who thrive in collaborative environments.

what you need: alignment with the values of building, learning, and mutual respect.

here is the part most articles about network school skip: yes, you can bring your kids during your stay at network school.

i do not have a family, so i cannot share firsthand details about this. however, you can find all the information here: ns.com/wiki

network school is not just another community; it has a clear long-term vision.

balaji srinivasan laid it out in five stages:

v1 (done): 128 people, 90 days, proof of concept

v2 (done): 256 members, a full-year program

v3 (now): a permanent campus nearby for 1,024+ people

v4: open-source prefab blueprints so anyone can recreate this anywhere

v5: members launch their own startup societies, potentially funded by network school

the idea is simple but ambitious: bootstrap a startup society that can bootstrap other startup societies.

this is also the first real step toward what he calls a network state, an internet-first community that starts online, builds a physical base, and eventually aims for real-world recognition.

governments from singapore, abu dhabi, dubai, and el salvador have already shown interest.

the network state conference 2025 at marina bay sands drew more than 8,000 registrations, with speakers such as brian armstrong, ben horowitz, andrew huberman, and vitalik buterin.

whether or not the network state idea achieves diplomatic recognition, one thing is clear:

the community is real.

the island is real.

the 256 people living there right now are real.

and the momentum is undeniable.

the application process is straightforward:

go to ns.com

fill out the application; it takes a few minutes.

if accepted, choose your start date (new members join on the 1st of each month).

show up and start building.

connect with me on x if you have any questions.

i am not going to pretend network school is some perfect utopia. it is a startup, and startups are messy. things are still being built, fixed, and figured out in real time.

but here is what actually matters. in just a few months, i have met more ambitious, kind, and genuinely interesting people than i did in years. that changes you. your standards go up. your thinking sharpens. your work gets better without you even forcing it.

this place is honestly one of the craziest environments i have ever been in. people from 80+ countries, different age groups, and completely different backgrounds. as an introvert, that kind of exposure feels different. it pushes you out of your bubble whether you like it or not.

i have had conversations with a film producer, an ai researcher, a former australian mayor, creators with millions of followers, crypto builders, and more. you do not get that kind of density of people easily.

my biggest takeaway is simple. being around people who are building forces you to level up without even realizing it.

for me, it is totally worth it.