Balaji Srinivasan’s experiment in building a techno-optimist society hit a wall in Malaysia. Now, he’s started fresh in Central Asia.
In an X post on Monday, Srinivasan announced that Network School has reopened in Kazakhstan, less than a month after the Malaysian government shut down its base in Johor’s Forest City — a development about an hour away from Singapore.
“Network School is back,” the former Coinbase tech chief and Andreessen Horowitz investor wrote in Monday’s post. “We’re up and running in the beautiful country of Kazakhstan, which combines high tech, low cost, brilliant people, a competent state, and plenty of space to build.”
He added that those who want to help build a “techno-optimist society” should apply.
On X, Srinivasan also outlined what such a society would look like — a place that delivers a “low cost of living” for people, while being “tolerant and meritocratic, recruiting talent from around the world, while also training its own citizens to win international STEM competitions.”
“In short: it’d be much like Singapore, but with ample space to expand,” Srinivasan wrote.
The Network School did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on whether existing memberships linked to its Malaysia hub are transferable.
Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley
The Network School, founded by Srinivasan in 2024, brands itself as a private, membership-based co-living and coworking community for tech founders, crypto builders, and other digital nomads. In one post marketing the school in July, Srinivasan wrote: “We’re building Silicon Valley outside Silicon Valley.”
Srinivasan’s Network School is part of a broader Silicon Valley fascination with building tech-centric societies. For example, Peter Thiel provided the initial $500,000 to launch the Seasteading Institute, which sought to create autonomous floating communities, while Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin co-created Zuzalu, a two-month pop-up city in Montenegro.
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The launch of the Network School’s Kazakhstan facility comes less than a month after Srinivasan and the Kazakh government said they had signed a memorandum of understanding.
Prospect members can choose to move alone, as a couple or family, or with their teams. According to the community’s sign-up form, basic memberships start at $900 while private apartments start at $3,000 a month.
The relocation follows a series of disagreements between the school and the Malaysian authorities. In July, Malaysia’s higher education ministry said that Network School was not registered as a private higher education institution. The school also faced an immigration investigation after allegations that Israeli nationals were among its participants. Authorities later said the foreigners they inspected held valid documents, but Srinivasan said the process itself was “punishment,” and that the school would pause investments in Malaysia until it is assured that such issues won’t recur.
In a July X post, Srinivasan said he had initially established the school in Malaysia because he was encouraged by the country’s pro-technology policies, digital nomad and investor visa programs, and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone.
State authorities ultimately revoked Network School’s operator’s business license and ordered operations to cease in late July.
A new start
The Network School’s revamped website says its new campus is in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, and was built in partnership with the government. It promises members accommodation, meals, a gym, coworking space, and technology training. Network School says an agreement with Kazakhstan will also provide expedited visas.
Under a picture of the futuristic-looking techno-park where the school will be hosted, the website says: “This building is real! Network School is on the fifth floor of Astana Hub.”
The Central Asian country has been ramping up its efforts to become a tech epicenter by launching accelerator programs for AI companies and pursuing policies to attract foreign investors and skilled talent.
Its government has publicly embraced the school, saying it intends to develop programs for startups, organize international conferences, and host hackathons with Srinivasan. The two parties have also discussed plans to create a “technological town” called Network City in Burabay, a resort town in northern Kazakhstan.
“Artificial intelligence develops where there are talented people, bold ideas, and an environment in which they can be realized,” Zhaslan Madiyev, the country’s deputy prime minister, said in a July press release. “We are building exactly such an ecosystem in Kazakhstan.”
