Where Web3 workers can find free Golden Gate views
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Inside the House of Web3. Photo: Bisharat Photography; Courtesy of Edge & Node
It's a place so new of its kind, and so blockchain-era, that to get in you need an NFT instead of a security badge.
What's happening: Web3 is under construction worldwide, but San Francisco is one of its creative hubs, and now there is a 13,000-square-foot "co-creation space" for it here.
- Dubbed the House of Web3, it was opened in the Presidio by Edge & Node, which intends it as a gathering point for its more than 60 employees, who are scattered around the world.
- Yes but: It will also be available to others, so long as they are genuinely working on building Web3.
- Educational events for residents are planned as well.
Why it matters: Edge & Node co-founder Tegan Kline said she hopes the space — with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz — gives visitors "a glimmer of hope about San Francisco" when some in the tech industry say "it's dead" or have left for other cities, like Austin or Miami.
- "I don't think San Francisco will ever die — the spirit of it won't," Kline said. "It's one of the only places in the world where you can talk about your crazy startup idea and people don't laugh you out the door. Instead, they actually offer help."
By the numbers: In the first half of this year, 28% of all funding for crypto and Web3 companies ($973 million) went to startups based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the SF Business Journal reported.
- New York City had 20% ($678 million) and Miami, 4% ($141 million).
Details: There will be no monthly fees to use the House of Web3, but Edge & Node is setting up a merit-based system, where people can apply to prove their contributions to the platform.
- Those approved by the company will eventually receive a non-fungible token (NFT), which will be used to gain access to the workspace.
What they're saying: "We really want this to be a destination," Edge & Node marketing lead Noelle Becker Moreno, who helped design the space, told Axios.
- Given that most Web3 projects are worked on by people based in different parts of the world, Becker Moreno said teams "may need a space to come together to launch something or just be heads down together. We want them to think about the House of Web3 as a place where they can do that."
What's next: Edge & Node is now accepting applications, and it expects desks to start filling up within the next few weeks.
- The office areas can comfortably hold around 200 people, Becker Moreno said.
💠Nick's thought bubble: Located right next to the Walt Disney Family Museum near the main Presidio lawn, the House of Web3 is really in one of the most idyllic parts of San Francisco.
- The space has features one might expect in a typical tech office or co-working space, like ergonomic chairs, sit-down/stand-up desks and a pingpong table.
- But then there are aspects — like the impressive art collection scattered throughout the office, including original work from Keith Haring — that signal something different is going on.