An ambitious start-up is targeting 2020 for the launch of a floating city off French Polynesia, where it hopes to use a 鈥渟tart-up鈥� ethos to eventually create a climate-friendly, small-government alternative to land-based nations.

The non-profit think-tank hopes to secure approval for its Floating City Project from the French Polynesian government next year, at which point it will begin construction on the first of an anticipated 15 floating platforms. The domed, greenery-filled platforms will each be roughly the size of a baseball diamond, and can be rearranged to connect to different points on the floating city鈥檚 framework.

The first 鈥渃ity鈥� is expected to house approximately 300 people, but the ultimate goal is to bring in people from various countries to found new, ocean-based nations.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start very small and non-threatening,鈥� Joe Quirk, president of the Seasteading Institute, told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Thursday. He said his aim is to 鈥渃reate completely independent floating nations,鈥� where new forms of governance can leave behind some of the issues people face in land-based countries.

鈥淪easteading solves two of the biggest challenges in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ne is sea level rise and the other is the lack of startup innovation in governance.鈥�

The first floating city will be built in a lagoon, where it will be protected from the potentially violent conditions of the open ocean.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start in a very placid, peaceful, easy place to float,鈥� Quirk said.

The project is Quirk鈥檚 brainchild, but it鈥檚 moving forward in large part thanks to the financial and political support of venture capitalist Peter Thiel. Thiel, who has been outspoken about his Libertarian views, in 2009 as a potential 鈥渆scape from politics in all its forms.鈥� Several other major Silicon Valley investors have also backed the project.

In addition to founding a new form of society, the proposed city might also become an attractive tourist destination, with underwater restaurants and homes offering unprecedented views of the ocean life.

鈥淵ou will be looking through your glass walls in your aquarium bedroom,鈥� Quirk said.

He added that the city is expected to attract and support aquatic life, so that it will be a net benefit to the environment.

鈥淚magine if the more cities you built, the more sea life you could create,鈥� he said.