Originating transformative projects at the intersection of land, energy, governance, and economic development in emerging markets.
Art discusses the League of Free Cities model, the origination of Gelephu Mindfulness City, and why legislatively sound zones of local governance are the key to unlocking human flourishing in the 21st century.
Watch on YouTubeArt Finch is an entrepreneur focused on large-scale land, energy, and infrastructure development. He originates projects that operate at the intersection of economic policy, governance innovation, and natural resource management.
He is the founder of the League of Free Cities, a venture studio and consultancy working with entrepreneurs, investors, and governments globally to unlock legislatively sound zones of local governance. The League is positioning to incubate and fund 50+ new Free City projects across multiple continents.
Art is currently developing large-scale infrastructure and land projects in Latin America, working with institutional investors, development partners, and local operators across energy, agriculture, mining, and urban development.
Art is the original visionary behind what became the Gelephu Mindfulness City in Bhutan — a 60,000-acre Special Administrative Region with complete autonomy to craft its own laws, now the world's largest sovereign-backed charter city initiative with a reported $100 billion development programme.
Working through Yung Drung Inc., Art secured $1 million in investment in a round led by Pronomos Capital (whose LPs include Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Joe Lonsdale) and assembled letters of intent from 19 companies representing over $2 billion in capital investment commitments. The project was registered as an FDI company in 2021 and licensed by the Bhutanese government in 2022 as an advanced special economic zone.
In April 2023, the Government of Bhutan issued a public statement disclaiming association with Yung Drung Inc. Forbes subsequently conducted an independent investigation and published a detailed article confirming Art's origination role and the circumstances of the project's adoption at sovereign level.
Art no longer works with Bhutan.
Independent investigation by Sarah Emerson and Iain Martin confirming Art's origination of the Gelephu project and the circumstances of its adoption at sovereign level.
Read the full article →Free City venture studio, fund, and consultancy. Working with charter and free city founders, investors, and zone tenant companies globally to realise 50+ new self-regulating, locally governed spaces.
Special purpose vehicle for the Gelephu Mindfulness City project. Pronomos Capital portfolio company.
E-commerce vendor to Walmart, Kmart, and other major retail chains with millions in online sales revenue.
University of South Carolina Honors College — custom curriculum in hard sciences with specialisation in Biomedical Engineering and minor in Cultural Anthropology. Dean's and President's List. Eight years of credit completed across three universities. Attended Royal Thimphu College in Bhutan to study the local environment and economics.