In Korea, more and more entrepreneurs are blending their work and life. Blockchain in Korea hit was at a fever pitch in 2017 and while it has gone down, it is still going strong in 2023. Some of Korea’s major conglomerates are looking into Blockchain technologies. Therefore, there is a high demand for talented Blockchain entrepreneurs and Blockchain startups. Conglomerates want to develop enterprise Blockchain solutions that can easily integrate with their current ecosystem. The demand for Blockchain talent has grown along with the rise of co-working spaces in Seoul. One of the more interesting spaces is nonce a Blockchain co-working/co-living space in Seoul. It is located near Gangnam/Yeoksam. There you will find some of the best talents in the Blockchain space from Blockchain developers to community builders.

nonce – Blockchain Community in Seoul

nonce originally started with a YouTube channel called Studio DeCentral (formerly The Blockchainers). They were two guys who were crazy about blockchain. This was one of the first Blockchain communities in Seoul and the first Blockchain co-living space. In September 2017, they moved to a small 3-bedroom space where Blockchain enthusiasts ate together and studied Blockchain. As the price of Bitcoin started to rise, more and more people started to visit. It got to the point where over 20 members were sleeping on the floor. They continued to expand their space as more and more Blockchain enthusiasts joined.

“We wanted to collect as many crazy crypto people as possible. We just wanted a lot of people who are crazy enough to do this thing full time, part-time, half-time, whatever. And we’re just collecting them, curating them one by one,” said Co-Founder of nonce, Jon Ha.

Since nonce has a curation process, they are very selective in who is able to join their space. If you apply for a space at nonce, there will be an interview as well as in-depth due diligence on you. The aim is to find out what kind of person you are and if you will fit into their community. This process has been crucial in making sure there are no Blockchain and crypto scammers coming into their community. Therefore rest assured, the community within nonce keeps each other accountable and makes sure each is bringing something positive into the community.

nonce 3.0 in Yeoksam

nonce formed a partnership with Common Town to move nonce to accommodate the growing members. Now nonce has 70 members and 70 beds, communal kitchens, bathrooms, laundry machines, and refrigerators. It is the perfect place to live and work while at the same time being in the center of Gangnam.

Half of the 70 members are engineers and there are 10 female residents. The members are curated by nonce and they look for teams that create decentralized products that people at nonce can leverage.

The Best Blockchain Parties and Events in Seoul

nonce holds some of the coolest and wildest parties. They also hold seminars and workshops dealing with the latest core Blockchain technologies and laws regarding Blockchain regulation in Korea. Think of nonce as a constant hackathon with passionate like-minded Blockchain enthusiasts. Therefore, Blockchain companies looking to hold an event in Seoul, make sure to reach out to the nonce community.

Every Monday nonce holds VCVA where they study Austrian Economics.

Every Sunday nonce holds Crypto Turtles where they focus on the latest Blockchain trends.

They also hold workshops for high school students interested in coding.

Co-living spaces like nonce give Korean Blockchain entrepreneurs the opportunity to form a family-like community. Some of the benefits of joining the nonce community include:

• No Commute:  Seoul can get quite hectic, Gangnam especially. Therefore you won’t need to wake up early in the morning and cram into Seoul buses and subways. The ability to work from where you live can save you a lot of money and time.
• Save Money on Housing: Gangnam is very expensive. Most one-room apartments need a large initial deposit. Co-Living arrangements are much cheaper compared to having to rent a place to live. Also, there is no need for a large deposit.
• Open 24 hours:  Most shared offices in Seoul are not open 24 hours a day. For Blockchain engineers, developers, and entrepreneurs, the best ideas tend to come up during odd hours of the night.
• Expand your Network:  Korean Blockchain entrepreneurs will be able to meet other like-minded Blockchain entrepreneurs which can increase your work productivity and network. For Koreans that are shy, a co-living space can encourage them to connect and share with the community.

Jon Ha, gave Seoulz a tour of nonce as well as spoke about some of the interesting stories to come out of nonce. He spoke about an email he got at 7 am in the morning a year and a half ago from a college student. His story embodies what nonce is all about.

Story of Jake

At our old house, I got an email from Jake who lived in Daejeon but loved Blockchain and our YouTube Channel. After responding to his email he was at hour door 6 hours later for our open house session. He had a military scholarship but was really passionate about Blockchain. After telling him to do what he loved and was passionate about, he quit school 2 weeks later. Now he is working for one of the top consulting firms. Said Jon HA, Co-Founder at nonce

This is just one story but you will find many like it at nonce. These are passionate entrepreneurs in Seoul that are following their dreams and not living by societal standards. nonce is about changing lives and living in the moment because you never know what the future holds. Their focus for 2022 will be to build out their Korean crypto retail investor community. Then match them with global projects and projects that are locally incubated out of nonce.

nonce Pricing

Single room

750,000 ~ 990,000 won/month (tax not included)

2/3 person room

790,000 won / month (tax excluded)

4-9 people person room

390,000 ~ 490,000 won / month (tax excluded)

Hot desk

350,000 won / month (tax excluded)

Reserved seat

450,000 won / month (tax excluded)