Brothers Rusty And River Fields Launch The First Black Residency Hacker House In Their Hometown

At only ages 23 and 20, the two brothers recognized the need for combating racial barriers in tech and took action.

Described as a dynamic community for Black engineers, founders and creators, and their allies, the house “brings tech enthusiasts together to live and work alongside each other for four weeks as they build their own Web-3.0 startups.”

“Black builders, they face unique challenges when they go to launch companies,” said Rusty, according to the outlet. “They also bring unique cultural experiences to companies that they launch. We really wanted to create the space and experience for them to build deep and authentic relationships for them to work together and really leverage the power of collaboration and community.”

He added: “Web3 is this new innovation on the internet that’s really this ethos around, ‘How can you build networks where the community owns those networks?'”

The group of Black technologists in the Brooklyn brownstone includes 13 people between the ages of 18 and 31 from across the nation and globally, such as England. 

To spark building community in the house, the first and second floors are designed for co-working spaces, as well as for hosting speakers and events.

Following its recent launch, R-House is hosting its first pilot program, which ends next week. Additionally, the pitch competition is set to award three winners with a $25,000 investment for their startups. 

Rusty and River aim to begin the second cohort in September or October of this year.

Rusty graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a neuroscience degree.

River is currently a sophomore at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania studying finance with a minor in computer science and cryptography. He’s also in the Joseph Wharton Scholars program.