Plan the evolution from a temporary gathering to a permanent community using the Zuzalu model. Use when someone says 'how do I turn my event into a community,' 'popup city planning,' 'Zuzalu model,' 'temporary to permanent community,' 'internet community meetup,' 'how to go from online to offline,' or 'plan a popup.' Maps the progression from one-time event to recurring popup to permanent settlement.
Given an internet community that wants to materialize physically, plan the evolution from a one-time popup gathering to a recurring event to a permanent settlement. Use the Zuzalu model and Balaji's "popups are the new startups" framework.
Balaji argues that the 2020s equivalent of founding a startup is founding a popup: an internet community that temporarily meets in the physical world.
"An internet community that temporarily meets up in the physical world, and terraforms it in some fashion." -- Balaji Srinivasan, "Popups are the New Startups" (Oct 2025)
The progression: internet companies proved that online communities could create economic value. Internet currencies proved that online communities could create financial systems. Internet communities materializing physically (popups) prove they can create places.
"Begin with a popup, and get your online friends in the same place at the same time." -- Balaji Srinivasan, "Popups are the New Startups" (Oct 2025)
The 2025 Network State Conference demonstrated the scale: crypto executives (Vitalik Buterin, Brian Armstrong), government representatives (Singapore, El Salvador, UAE), and venture capitalists gathering to discuss startup societies and charter cities. This is no longer theoretical.
Ask these questions:
Not all popups are the same. Identify which type fits:
| Type | Duration | Scale | Infrastructure | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup | Hours | 10-50 | Rented venue | Monthly community dinner |
| Popup Weekend | 2-3 days | 50-200 | Hotel/retreat center | Weekend retreat or hackathon |
| Popup Week | 5-10 days | 100-500 | Rented campus or hotel block | Conference + co-living |
| Popup Month | 30-90 days | 200-2,000 | Village or town rental | Zuzalu (2 months, Montenegro) |
| Popup Season | 3-6 months | 500-5,000 | Semi-permanent campus | Network School fellowship |
The right type depends on community size, budget, and how much "terraforming" is desired. Start smaller than you think you should. A great popup weekend beats a mediocre popup month.
Location Selection Criteria:
Programming Design: The popup should NOT feel like a conference. It should feel like living in a community. Key ratio:
"1000+ friendly internet communities around the world that anyone can choose from." -- Balaji Srinivasan, "Popups are the New Startups" (Oct 2025)
Application Process: Select attendees like you'd select early employees, not conference attendees. Balaji's Network School model: Form -> Zoom -> Room -> Boom (application, interview, acceptance, arrival). 4,000 applications for 128 slots at Network School demonstrates that selectivity creates value.
Each successful popup should create the conditions for the next, larger iteration. Map the 5-step progression:
Step A: First Popup (Proof of Concept)
Step B: Recurring Popup (Habit Formation)
Step C: Multi-Site Popups (Network Effect)
Step D: Semi-Permanent Presence (Infrastructure)
Step E: Permanent Settlement (Network Archipelago)
Popups need sustainable economics to become permanent:
Popup Funding Models:
Progression to Permanent Economics:
| Failure Mode | Description | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Conference trap | It feels like a conference, not a community | 40% unstructured time, co-living over hotel rooms |
| Tourist trap | People come once for novelty, never return | Selectivity in admission, projects that continue after the popup |
| Founder dependency | Nothing happens without the founder present | Empower regional leaders by Step C |
| Scale too fast | Jump from 50 to 5,000 without intermediate steps | Each popup should be 2-3x the previous, not 10x |
| No digital bridge | The physical event doesn't strengthen the online community | Document everything, create shared digital artifacts, maintain communication channels |
| Financial unsustainability | Each popup loses money | Design economics before scale; if the first popup can't break even, the tenth won't either |
Deliver a structured Popup-to-Permanent Plan:
# Popup-to-Permanent Plan: [Community Name]
## Community Profile
- Online community: [Platform, size, activity level]
- Shared identity: [One commandment or mission]
- Geographic distribution: [Where members are]
- Previous physical gatherings: [History]
## First Popup Design
- **Type:** [Meetup / Weekend / Week / Month / Season]
- **Location:** [City, venue type]
- **Scale:** [Number of attendees]
- **Duration:** [Days]
- **Budget:** [Estimate]
- **Application process:** [How to select attendees]
- **Programming ratio:** [Structured / Semi-structured / Unstructured]
## 5-Step Progression
| Step | Timeline | Scale | Key Milestone | Budget |
|------|----------|-------|---------------|--------|
| A: First Popup | [Date] | [N] | [Metric] | [$$] |
| B: Recurring | [Date] | [N] | [Metric] | [$$] |
| C: Multi-Site | [Date] | [N] | [Metric] | [$$] |
| D: Semi-Permanent | [Date] | [N] | [Metric] | [$$] |
| E: Permanent | [Date] | [N] | [Metric] | [$$] |
## Economics
- Popup funding model: [Model]
- Break-even point: [When]
- Path to sustainable economics: [Plan]
## Failure Mode Prevention
[Top 3 risks for this specific community and mitigations]
## Comparable Popups
- [Relevant precedent and what to learn from it]
references/frameworks/zuzalu-and-popups.mdreferences/frameworks/startup-to-state-staging.mdThis is a planning framework based on Balaji Srinivasan's published thinking and the Zuzalu precedent. Event planning and community building involve financial, legal, and logistical risks. Property acquisition involves additional legal complexity, especially across jurisdictions. This framework does not constitute legal, financial, or event planning advice.