Startup Castle — The Most Ridiculous Set Of Roommate Requirements, Ever

Build with us. Your legacy awaits. Those are the words that greet potential people interested in leasing a room on the front page of the Startup Castle webpage. Startup Castle is a large estate that for lack of a better term looks like a castle that sits in the middle of Silicon Valley. It boasts numerous amenities that most would love to have an opportunity to enjoy.

“One of the largest estates in Silicon Valley with everything you need to live and launch your greatest ambitions. Huge spaces for living, working, and entertaining. Includes a ballroom, 100-seat theater, bar and lounge for entertaining, full gym with professional equipment, co-working offices, and conference rooms.”

You could imagine certain expectations would come in the world Startup Castle exists in. A large share of the inhabitants are Stanford tech-workers and researchers. Therefore, it is easy to understand it would take a special person to try to keep up with their neighbors. However, considering the goal of the Castle, “being your best self, living with joy, and saving the world,” who wouldn’t want to at least give it a try?

Just in case you’re ready to make the plunge, there are a few requirements that you must first meet if you expect to be the next occupant in the Startup Castle. The list is not for the faint of heart. In fact, one San Francisco-area website went as far as to call it sexist.

• Have a top-class degree or job with a strong math/science requirement
• Exercise at least 15 hours in a normal week
• Commute by car less than 20% of the time (Bicycle commuter!)
• Prefer organized systems and common rules
• Like petting dogs

I know those are not overly outrageous. Some of the Castle requirements seem almost silly, but they soon veer off towards ridiculous. Here are the things that you cannot do if you want to live at the Startup Castle.

• Watch more than 4 hours of TV/movie/game entertainment per week
• Have more than 1 tattoo
• Have ever attended more than 1 protest
• Make more than three posts a week to social media
• Listen to songs with explicit lyrics more than once a day
• Wear make-up more than twice a week
• Own any clothing, shoes, watches, or handbags costing over $500
• Have bills that get paid by somebody else
• Drive a vehicle that was given to you by your parents
• Get regular spending money or gifts from your parents
• Have more than one internet app date per week
• Have a complex diet that requires lots of refrigerator space
• Drink alcohol more than 3 drinks per week
• Use marijuana more than twice a year
• Have been prescribed anything by a psychiatrist more than once
• Use any other drug more than twice in your entire life

Quite the list, as you can see. Now, one can only assume there is a rigorous interview process that goes well beyond any background check.

Fusion interviewed a resident of the Startup Castle about all of the rules. Despite the list above, he didn’t feel they were discriminatory at all.

“(We were) trying to get away from people who were obsessed with themselves. We could just say that we want smart, nice low-maintenance people … but I think everyone would say that. We had to be a lot more specific.”

What do you think? Are these just a bunch of people who are very specific about who they want to share their lives with, or are the residents of Startup Castle a bunch of stuck up snobs? Feel free to leave a comment.

[Photo by StartupCastle.org]