A tech and entrepreneurial-minded ‘hacker house’ near Temple will soon welcome students

Real estate fintech startup NYCE is in the early stages of moving tech and entrepreneurial-minded students and creators into a building meant for mixed-use living, coworking and creative space just north of Temple University‘s main campus.

The building, called TEMPLE I: The Tech Mansion, plays off the idea of the popular Silicon Valley “hacker house,” where young entrepreneurs live and work together in the early stages of a startup. Think: the five-bedroom house Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rented in Palo Alto, California, in the summer of 2004, in the early days of Facebook.

NYCE cofounders Martin Braithwaite, a soccer player for FC Barcelona, and Philip Michael, author of “Real Estate Wealth Hacking: How To 10X Your Net Worth In 18 Months,” spearheaded NYCE. The company has plans for further development in San Antonio, Texas, New York City and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The Temple I building, adjacent to the university’s athletic practice fields at 11th and Susquehanna Streets in North Philadelphia, is envisioned as a space where students who are interested in tech and entrepreneurship can live, get work done, take meetings, record podcasts and attend events. But it’s not specifically exclusive to Temple students.

Michael said the space is for “someone who’s interested in entrepreneurship, startup life, who wants to come up with a business idea, or call a mentor.” He described the space as “essentially WeWork meets coliving.”

Michael told Technical.ly they’ve been in touch with Temple’s Fox School of Business about the school’s programming and accelerator programs, and NYCE plans to have its own programming for the building’s members. Through the startup’s investing arm, members will also have access to capital, mentorship, events and a demo day where founders pitch to the community.

Outside folks will be able to attend events or access mentorship. But if you’re looking to live in the building’s studio-like units, “you’re signing up for the whole experience,” Michael said. The first cohort of students are expected for Temple’s upcoming fall semester, and will house 17 students. Temple I will consist of four bi-level coliving apartments, with bed prices around $875 monthly.

This building is only the first part of the project. An 80-bed, multi-unit project called Temple II, following in the same vein, is expected later next year.