Living the Bali dream: ‘digital nomads’ find their nirvana
‘Disparate group of geniuses’ find Bali’s huge entrepreneurial community, exotic lifestyle and hospitality enhance the appeal of tropical island
When Canadian expatriate Steve Munroe co-founded a start-up business in Bali in 2013, he conceded that the infrastructure was a bit dodgy. Four years on, slow internet speeds and limited mobile phone coverage are a thing of the past.
He says that the growing tribe of “digital nomads” can run just about any kind of enterprise with confidence from Bali – and the success of his own venture, a co-working space called Hubud in Ubud, is testament to that. Hubud was the first of about eight co-working spaces now scattered around the island, says Munroe, its CEO, who came to Bali on a sabbatical, like so many in the burgeoning start-up scene: people from all corners of the globe, from all different backgrounds, who are dissatisfied with the status quo of their old work/life and want to take a breather.
Hubud’s three co-founders met through their children’s school and decided to create a hub for “this disparate group of geniuses”. Their 4,000 sq ft venue is an ethical workspace built of bamboo and recycled wood overlooking rice fields. It has three work zones – open-air or air conditioned – a conference room, booths for Skype cons, and a raw food/organic/vegan cafe.
Hubud at present has 250 members from 30 countries, working largely in e-commerce and creative streams – although in Bali, anything goes. Events “are the lifeblood” of the space, Munroe says. “We held 430 events last year, mostly learning events.” These include a brainstorming think-tank every Wednesday, where people present their business opportunity or challenge; a Bitcoin meet-up every week – Bali being something of a hot spot for the digital currency movement; interest group meet-ups; and start-up weekends.
Well before we ever got here, Bali is where people have gone to for inspiration for hundreds of years. It’s a place that feels like if you dream it, you can do it
“We also celebrate failure stories through our F**kUp nights, combating the myth that failure is a negative thing – rather, it is one of our greatest teachers,” he says.
