Launch House Raises $12M Series A for New Age Hacker Houses

The round was led by a16z and also included notable investors Michael Ovitz, Mike Dudas and Ryan Sean Adams.

AccessTimeIconFeb 1, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 7:10 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Launch House, a revamped version of a Silicon Valley hacker house, closed a $12 million Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).

Other investors in the round included Michael Ovitz, co-founder of Creative Arts Agency; Mike Dudas, investor at 6th Man Ventures and founder of The Block; and Ryan Sean Adams, co-host of crypto podcast "Bankless."

  • What Challenges Do Appchains Solve?
    00:59
    What Challenges Do Appchains Solve?
  • Appchain Protocol Tanssi Raises $6M
    18:57
    Appchain Protocol Tanssi Raises $6M
  • Breaking Down Internet Computer's 40% Rally
    00:59
    Breaking Down Internet Computer's 40% Rally
  • HSBC Brings Tokenized Gold to Hong Kong; Munchables Exploited for $62M
    02:14
    HSBC Brings Tokenized Gold to Hong Kong; Munchables Exploited for $62M
  • In a press release on Tuesday, a16z general partner Andrew Chen cited remote work, the rise of Gen Z and trends in startup fundraising as factors propelling Launch House into "the third space for the new distributed Silicon Valley," alongside long-standing institutions such as universities and incubator programs.

    With the funding, Launch House plans to expand its residency program to additional cities around the globe and grow its metaverse location.

    The Launch House story

    When Launch House co-founder Michael Houck was laid off from Airbnb during the coronavirus pandemic, he booked a flight to Tulum, Mexico, and moved into a rental house with his friends (ironically, in an Airbnb).

    The purpose was twofold: live with friends and launch startups.

    The experiment was a nod to old-school Silicon Valley hacker houses - communal living spaces occupied by groups of aspiring entrepreneurs.

    "The goal was to recreate Silicon Valley magic," Houck told CoinDesk, who noted that Web 2 unicorns such as Airbnb and Snapchat were both launched via hacker houses. "Pretty soon, people were hitting us up to join."

    But instead of a startup, Houck and co-founder Brett Goldstein realized they would build a startup for startups: Launch House.

    Launch House is a revamped version of the hacker house. Aspiring entrepreneurs apply to one of several month-long "residency programs" with themes including "Web 3," "metavase" or "female founders."

    Upon acceptance, applicants are invited to live in often-swanky digs, located in either New York City or Los Angeles. Launch House also supports virtual cohorts that take place via Gather, an interactive virtual space.

    "The definition of Silicon Valley is changing," Goldstein told CoinDesk via a video call. "All that kind of 'that’s what silicon valley is' has basically died after COVID. We think the new Silicon Valley is distributed."

    If the Launch House ethos seems like a familiar theme, it’s because it is merging the community-driven nature of DAOs like Friends With Benefits with the entrepreneurial focus of accelerators like Y Combinator.

    "Critics of DAOs say they’re extremely disorganized and over indexed on Web 3 primitives," said Goldstein. "We believe in a decentralized future for Launch House. But instead of Greek city states, we’re trying to build UC Berkeley."

    "Outside of a16z, we wanted to index crypto media," Goldstein said of Launch House's investors. "One big initiative is a media operation that is Web 3 forward, but more rationally optimistic."

    So far, the most successful startup to come out of Launch House is Showtime, a non-fungible token (NFT) platform that allows users to display their NFT collection - it’s like Instagram, but for NFTs.

    In a world that is increasingly moving towards remote work and virtual metaverses, Launch House is also a bet on the benefits of in-person collaboration.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Tracy Wang

    Tracy was the deputy managing editor at CoinDesk. She owns BTC, ETH, MINA, ENS and some NFTs.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.