# Startup States Society

> The Startup States Society is a Geneva-based institute, constituted as an association under articles 60 ff of the Swiss Civil Code (UID CHE-418.101.559), that studies the peaceful and lawful creation of new states under public international law. Its Founding Director is Julien Andrew Starr.

The Society takes no position on the status of any entity discussed in its works. All monographs are open access under CC BY 4.0.

## Monographs

- [Startup States: Where Countries Are Built Like Startups, and Startups Become Countries](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18671043): Julien Andrew Starr, Third Edition, 2026. ISBN 978-1-291-80104-0. The foundational monograph on treaty-based country formation. Also on [SSRN](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6254379) and [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/179285917/Startup_States).
- [How to Build New Countries: The Lawful De Novo Establishment of States on Dry Land Through Long-Term Leasehold and Condominium Arrangements in Public International Law](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19115519): Julien Andrew Starr, Second Edition, 2026. ISBN 978-1-291-75753-8. Concludes with a Model Founding Treaty. Also on [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/179285836/How_to_Build_New_Countries).
- [No Treaty, No Country: The Creation of States by Agreement and the Case for Private Initiative](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23065378): Julien Andrew Starr, Second Edition, October 2026. Also on [SSRN](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7545179) and [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/179285708/No_Treaty_No_Country).
- [The Compendium of Unrecognised States: A Taxonomy of Attempted and Contested Self-Governance, 1492 to the Present](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23482753): Julien Andrew Starr, First Edition, October 2026. A reference work of 628 entries, with a closing comparative part on recognition and the passage to statehood. Also on [SSRN](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7637118) and [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/179285425/Compendium_of_Unrecognised_States).
- [Recognition at the Margins: States with Limited Recognition, Diplomatic Reversal and the Practice of International Recognition, 1945–2026](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23483004): Julien Andrew Starr, First Edition, October 2026. Recognition by the 193 members of the United Nations of Palestine, Kosovo, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, the Republic of China (Taiwan), Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Somaliland and Northern Cyprus, from a dataset of more than five hundred dated acts. Also on [SSRN](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=7637159) and [Academia](https://www.academia.edu/179285542/Recognition_at_the_Margins).

## Atlases

- [Atlas of Unrecognised States](https://startupstates.swiss/unrecognised/): an interactive map of the 628 entries in The Compendium of Unrecognised States, with data in [CSV](https://startupstates.swiss/unrecognised/atlas-data.csv) and [GeoJSON](https://startupstates.swiss/unrecognised/atlas-data.geojson).
- [Atlas of Recognition](https://startupstates.swiss/recognition/): which members of the United Nations recognise, or once recognised, 25 entities outside it, with dates from 1948 to 10 October 2026; a component of Recognition at the Margins.

## The Society

- [Home](https://startupstates.swiss/): mission, definition of Startup States, research, team and advisory council, governance and FAQ.
- [How to Start a New Country](https://howtostartanewcountry.com): the Society's educational resource.
- Contact: [Telegram](https://t.me/startupstates) and [X](https://x.com/startup_states).