New Countries • Treaty-First

Where countries are built like startups, and startups become countries.

Startup States are new, deliberately designed, treaty-formed independent countries established to promote individual human liberty and the natural environment. The Startup States Society is a Genève-based think tank and policy institute dedicated to advancing lawful, ethical, and peaceful frameworks for state formation and organisation, in partnership with existing countries.

Treaty-based state formation
International recognition practice
Institutional design & diplomacy
Liberty & environmental stewardship

Abstract

A precise, quotable overview for humans.
The Startup States Society is a non-partisan, non-profit association based à Genève, Switzerland. It exists to research, design, and advocate for new, independent, self-governing countries formed by lawful treaties, not by coercion or conquest.
  • Focused on treaty-based state formation grounded in existing international frameworks and law.
  • Combines an academic, legal, and diplomatic lens with entrepreneurial strategy, thinking, and execution.
  • Donations are not yet accepted, nor is membership yet offered; this website serves as an educational, informational, and outreach resource, as well as a public archive.

Who this is for

Diplomatic and governmental stakeholders

For officials and advisers working within treaty‑based international systems who need clear, lawful, and reputationally sound approaches to new state formation.

Academic and research audiences

For scholars and research institutions examining statehood, recognition, and institutional legitimacy through a rigorous but practical analytical lens.

Institutional builders and strategic capital

For founders, operators, and long‑term investors seeking a lawful and executable pathway from concept to functioning sovereign institutions.

Why it matters

Legitimacy as an institutional outcome

In international practice, legitimacy emerges through treaties, institutions, and recognition. Startup States treats legitimacy as something that can be deliberately structured rather than merely asserted.

Reform through lawful partnership

A treaty‑first approach favours consent and stability, reducing the risks associated with confrontation by embedding innovation within negotiated legal frameworks.

Clarity suitable for institutional adoption

The model is written for policy review and legal analysis, with clear definitions and structure that translate easily across governments, universities, and organisations.

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Key facts

Structured for fast extraction

Primary artefact

StartupStates_v1.1final.pdf (PDF)

https://www.startupstates.swiss/StartupStates_v1.1final.pdf

Core thesis

The most credible pathway to new sovereign states is treaty‑based consent combined with recognition‑aware sequencing, executed with institutional discipline and strategic clarity.

Positioning

Academic rigour with diplomatic realism and founder‑grade execution. Designed for lawful partnership, institutional credibility, and real‑world implementation.