Six twentysomethings in East London have built what they say is the anti-San Francisco hacker house. The goal is a “holistic improvement in life,” rather than “12 weeks, Demo Day is coming,” Rowan Aldean, 26, explained. 

Intrigued, I spent an afternoon visiting the house, meeting its residents, and doing a vibe check. I arrived after Aldean escorted me through the clean sidewalks of a new East London development to where the six-story building stood facing the water. 

The house is called the London Island Founder House — or “Lift House” — and Aldean and his wife, Zahraa, 22, an upcoming pharmaceutical research PhD candidate, have lived there since May, just a few months after it officially launched in March. Aldean sold his previous company last year for millions, he said, and now runs an “applied AI” startup that helps companies learn how to deploy agents. 

Like all hacker houses, Lift House is part startup workspace, part co-living space. The house is named after both its lift — that is, its elevator — and its mission to uplift tech founders, Aldean said. It’s one of the very few co-living hacker houses to exist in London (compared to San Francisco, where dozens — if not hundreds — are scattered around the city at any given time). 

Lift House is a bet that U.K. founders can build successful companies without mimicking the over-the-top hustle culture of Silicon Valley.  

Founders have described stories of San Francisco hacker houses illegally running in warehouses, throwing full-on galas, or setting up in a tent or espousing punishing, 72-hour sprints typical of the “996” work culture.  

“I don’t expect the performative and over-the-top events will be a thing here,” Aldean said, and pointed to one of London’s most successful AI companies, DeepMind. “They’ve won Nobel prizes and built frontier innovation without any song and dance.”  

Instead, Lift House is part of a trend called “Londonmaxxing,” in which founders attempt to optimize everything the London tech scene offers. The London ecosystem feels less showy and less startup bro-y than San Francisco, but its founders share similar ambitions: success, wealth, and market domination.  

London AI startups have raised $12 billion so far in 2026, out of $14.7 billion raised by all London startups, according to Dealroom. Six companies have raised more than $500 million: Wayve, Superintelligence, ElevenLabs, Recursive, Ineffable Intelligence, and Isomorphic Labs, the latter three of which were founded by DeepMind alumni. 
 
The excitement from AI has boosted the morale of the U.K. tech scene, inspiring a new generation of founders, like those in the Lift House, to take big swings. 

Journaling vs. demo day  

The timeline for living on Lift House is flexible — some people have stayed for a month; others intend to stay for at least six months. They buy their own groceries, Aldean said, although they often cook together and share ingredients. Cleaning is split among the group. Everyone declined to share information about the rent they pay. 

The residents of Lift House aim for a balanced approach toward ambition, each one of them tells me — an almost unheard-of idea by San Francisco startup standards.  

On Sundays, the group will journal together, a practice introduced by David Amor, 28, who runs a brain coaching and training company, helping founders and business leaders understand more about their brain and how it can help optimize business performance. The idea of journaling is to help everyone track how much time they spent in nature that week, how well they ate, and how much they moved their bodies.  

“I’m eating healthier, working out more, and sleeping more,” Luke, 27, who runs an AI-marketing company, said about living in the house. “I always make sure to have lunch now, which is something that is simple, but I wasn’t doing before I lived here.” (Luke asked that his last name be withheld.)  
 
Tuesdays evenings are for volleyball, where the founders play on the house team in a local league.  

After dinner on other evenings, Wan Ying L, 25, who just left an AI startup and is working on a new idea, might play the piano in the living room. Sometimes the group plays Catan or visits art exhibitions together.  

Presence Plumb, 25, is a tech strategist. She likes to host rooftop dinner parties, serving dishes that reflect the different nationalities in the house — from Iraqi to Spanish — while invited founders, researchers, investors, and operators chat about tech trends and investments. 

“It’s a bit calmer, balanced, authentic in a way,” she said of people in the London ecosystem. “They don’t want too much of that only startup tech bro vibe. They want a bit of balance.” 

Each founder follows their own schedules for a typical workday. Amor, for example, is up by 8 a.m. and gives himself exactly 30 seconds after waking up before jumping into his morning work. “I have a clear objective of ‘this is what I want to do in the first half of the day, when there’s no distractions.’” After his morning work routine, he takes a cold shower, “because it increases your dopamine by 250% and that gives me that motivation, that spark,” he said.  

Luke, meanwhile, is up at around 8:30. His co-founder, Varun, 27 (who asked that his last name be withheld), typically travels to the Lift House to co-work, and the duo starts work at around 9 a.m. with a team call.  

Aldean rarely wakes before 10 a.m. unless something big is happening, like a “crazy angel [investor] call,” he said.
 
When asked what makes this house uniquely British rather than a wellness-focused Silicon Valley founder house, Aldean joked: “Well, we drink tea together like Brits, and in SF folks just drink filtered coffee.” 
 
More seriously, he spoke of how British founders face a different kind of pressure than those in the U.S. They must navigate a cultural aversion to risk, an inclination toward humility, and a shame associated with failure. Instead of forgoing sleep for hustle and grind, they deal with what they call the “tall poppy syndrome,” when the media builds one up only to ruthlessly tear them down should they become too successful, investors and founders say. It makes some founders in the ecosystem wary of displaying too many wins.  

Still, Luke said London is a strong choice for an early-stage founder: There’s a good network, ample early capital opportunities, and an option for a life outside of tech. In many ways, it is much more like New York culturally for founders than in San Francisco.  

“London is so diverse that if you look properly enough, you’ll always find something fun to get involved with,” Amor added, “whether that’s a founder-run club, wellness events, [or going] to jazz nights.” 

Luke and Varun largely avoided venture capital funding by taking advantage of the U.K. government’s SEIS/EIS, which is supposed to help attract more angel investments into local startups. “There’s people who will pay basically the same rate of tax if they give us the money versus if they pay income tax,” Luke explained as another reason he liked starting out in London.  

Aldean also feels the London ecosystem is less cutthroat than the Valley. He recalls his days living in a hacker house in the Bay — everyone’s desk had to face the wall, and it was heads-down, product-building. He felt the ecosystem, at times, was too willing to gossip, which is apparently done quite differently in the U.K.  

“There’s nothing like ‘oh my god did you hear that the CTO just, like, did this,’” Aldean said. “It’s like you’re always worried,” he said, that someone would spread negative stories, especially if it benefited them.  

Aldean also thinks London startups, more than Silicon Valley ones, sell into slow-moving large corporations rather than to each other, meaning one could build without having to kiss up or posture to get their peers to like them.  

To the selling point, Varun and Luke mentioned another difference between the U.S. and U.K. ecosystem. “It’s a relatively fleeting market,” Varun said of the U.S. “You get quick wins. Here, it’s hard to close a customer, but if they close, they stay with you longer.” 

Coming to America

Eventually, though, the road for many U.K. startups goes straight to the U.S. 

In the U.K., founders have access to affordable top talent from universities like Oxbridge and a time zone that makes it easier to work with the rest of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and parts of North America. In the U.S., however, they have access to the world’s largest economy and, most importantly, a lot of investors willing to write large checks, from pre-seed to growth stages.  

“It’s almost like a factory line in a way,” Varun said. “You start here, and then you expand there or vice versa.”  

American investors are also playing a role in luring British talent away from the country. I told the Lift House residents about one startup founder who said a top investor wouldn’t even back the company unless she relocated to the U.S. She ended up doing so, though decided to keep her family based in the U.K. to raise her children.  

“We had an investor in Miami who said the same thing,” Luke said of an investor trying to get him and Varun to move to the U.S. “It’s quite a common practice.” He and Varun have already begun their U.S. expansion, and despite loving London, the duo hasn’t ruled out moving to the U.S. to be closer to their customers.  

That’s the tension bubbling beneath not just the U.K.’s tech ecosystem but most of Europe’s. “I work with a lot of people trying to support the European ecosystem more,” Plumb said. 

Yet, founders “talk about London; everyone is bullish on the country until they get the opportunity to leave,” Aldean added. 

The Lift House lease has about a year left, and there is sentiment in the house to keep it going for as long as they can. After all, there aren’t too many in London, though the city sees many short-term gatherings, like the Solana Hacker House meet-up series. Some of the more public co-living hacker houses are part of a global chain, like the San Francisco-based network The Residency, which expanded into London last year, and BaseJump, which is announcing a London version of its hacker house program soon. 

In 2024, two founders tried the opposite version of the Lift House called “The London Founder House,” which Sifted covered under the headline “The people here don’t want work-life balance.” That home is noted as London’s first-ever hacker house, and though it wound down last year, it left an influence through its concept, events, and connected players around the ecosystem. To even be considered for the London Founder House, one had to have raised at least half a million dollars.  

For Lift House, prospective residents need to show a hobby outside their companies and an interest in fitness. It’s the same pitch many in the Londonmaxxing ecosystem are using to keep people from leaving: That here one can have it all. 

“The culture is to build something that lasts,” Aldean said, “not necessarily burn out chasing a flash.” 

It’s summer. You are sweaty. There’s some unprecedented heat wave that’s even worse than the last unprecedented heat wave. You are uncomfortable. You’re getting sweatier by the second. What do you do?

This predicament — one that’s becoming more and more common — just flat out sucks. But if you have a handheld mini fan on you, the situation can change from “actively horrific” to “less than ideal.” In sweaty circumstances, that’s a miracle.

Over the last few summers, I’ve bought a handful of random mini fans on Amazon or TikTok Shop. While those $10 to $15 devices have become staples in my summer purse, I noticed that premium brands like Shark and Dyson were rolling out their own handheld fans at much higher price points ($100 to $150). As someone who suffers from the SSRI sweats — if you know, you know — I was curious whether these higher-end products are really that much better than the drop-shipped fans I’d bought in summers past.

The verdict is: they’re all pretty good in their own way! But the best one for you depends on your budget, the size of your go-to summer bag (or pockets), and your tolerance for drawing attention to yourself with a large device blowing air in your face.

Most powerful: Dyson HushJet ($99)

I wasn’t surprised to find that the Dyson HushJet is an exceptionally powerful mini fan — this company is best known for vacuums, air purifiers, and hair dryers. Dyson knows how to make stuff that blows air! But at about 7 inches tall, the HushJet is the tallest and heaviest device I tried. It will still fit in most purses, but it’s not pocketable.

The HushJet comes with a travel bag, a charging/desktop stand, a neck lanyard, and a USB-C charger (all of these fans charge via USB-C — woohoo!).

If my desk weren’t directly below an air vent, I could see myself using this while I work, since it functions so well on a desktop. The neck lanyard looks a little dorky, and I imagined myself wearing it while pushing a stroller at Disney World. This is an odd image, since I don’t have children, but maybe the reason I envisioned a hot day out with kids is because the lanyard frees up your hands? Or, maybe it’s because if I had to give one of these devices to a kid and bet they wouldn’t break it, I’d say the Dyson is the most kid-proof? Unfortunately, the lanyard doesn’t really help the fan blow air at you while you wear it — you still have to pick it up to direct it at your face.

The HushJet is more powerful than any other mini fan I tried, but that power comes with some noise. Luckily, it has five different power settings, and the lower ones are quieter.

Most versatile: Shark ChillPill ($149)

The Shark ChillPill is the most expensive fan of the bunch, but to be fair, it also does the most. The ChillPill comes with three attachments: a fan, a water mister, and a cooling plate that you touch to your wrist or temple to help you cool down. Like the Dyson HushJet, the ChillPill can sit up on its own for desktop use. It’s about 4 inches long and about double the width of the other options because of its dual-cylinder design.

I chose to bring the ChillPill with me to a softball tournament, since I knew I’d already be sweaty enough that a mister would benefit me without making me look unnecessarily damp (there is no universe in which I would not appear damp at an all-day outdoor event in the summer).

You just have to pour a tiny bit of water into the attachment and it works great. The cooling plate is interesting, but I personally found the fan more immediately effective — plus, it has ten speeds!

I might be more inspired to bring the ChillPill with me in my bag if it came with a case for all of its accessories — I wasn’t really sure what to do with the extra little components. I mostly used the ChillPill with its fan attachment, but I was impressed by the product design when it comes to changing out attachments. There’s a locking mechanism, which you toggle when you want to remove or add a new attachment. It feels secure enough that it would be pretty difficult for an attachment to accidentally fall off or something.

I understand why the ChillPill is as wide as it is — there’s probably a lot of technical components in there that make the 3-in-1 design possible. The design works for outdoor events like music festivals, sports games, or beach days, but I prefer smaller fans for other circumstances, like when you’re the only one at the bar who thinks it’s a little hot inside, and you feel weird about that.

Good enough: JISULIFE 3-in-1 Portable Fan ($13)

The JISULIFE 3-in-1 Portable Fan was the first mini fan I ever bought, and it’s served me well for the last three years — it still works just as good as new. I’ve taken it on vacations without AC and found it endlessly valuable. It has a flashlight, though not one that’s any better than your phone flashlight, and a USB plug-in to charge your phone. Of all the fans I tested, the JISULIFE is the weakest (though still decent), and it can be kind of annoying to flip open. Then again, it has little bear ears on it. Does Dyson randomly put little bear ears on its fans? I didn’t think so.

This product isn’t going to knock your socks off. The charging is slow, yet effective. The fan is fine. The light is kind of dim. But it gets the job done well enough that it’s accompanied me on a few “glamping” trips and a trip to Paris during a heat wave. Sure, those trips all took place before I had tried any of these other fans, but I wasn’t sitting around thinking, “Gee, I sure wish I had a better fan.” (Rather, I was reflecting on how the most American thing about me is that I love AC.)

The fan is about 4.5 inches when folded, and about 8 inches when using the fan.

Best overall: This random fan from Amazon ($15)

While over $250 worth of review unit mini fans sat at home, I couldn’t stop reaching for this random MACMORE fan from Amazon when I went out. It’s definitely some sort of sketchy drop-shipping situation — the images on the listing all look very obviously edited. The company, MACMORE, only lists two products (both mini fans) on Amazon. But what can I say? I love this little thing. I even bedazzled it. (Bedazzling kit sold separately, but highly recommended to maximize whimsy.)

At 4 inches tall, this fan is both the smallest and lightest one I tried. It’s not as strong as the Shark or Dyson fans, but it works well enough that I’m not wishing the fan were stronger. It comes with a removable clip, so you can attach it to your shirt or the strap of a crossbody bag to keep cool, hands-free. Like every other fan, it makes some sound, but it’s small and quiet enough that I don’t feel like I’m drawing attention to myself when I use it in public.

When it comes down to it, the size (and low price) is probably what makes me love this fan so much. It takes up less space in my purse than my keys, and it fits in a pocket too, so it’s become a staple. But really, this all comes down to personal preference. I’m optimizing for discretion, but maybe you’ll choose to optimize for a fan with the most features or that has little bear ears on it.

Doomscrolling can be addictive. It’s common to end up on the couch for hours, mindlessly scrolling through feeds, which inevitably messes up your posture and, in the end, just ends up making you feel bad about yourself. Your eyes definitely don’t like it, either.

Fortunately, there are several apps that encourage you to get up and move before you dive into social media. There’s even one that literally has you go outside and touch grass before you can scroll TikTok or Instagram.

So, if you’re looking to cut back on screen time and be a little more active, here’s a roundup of some apps that can help. 

Digital Carrot

Digital Carrot blocks distracting apps, websites and games until you meet your daily fitness, productivity or screen time goals.

It connects to wearables like the Apple Watch, and you can set personalized targets, say walking 6,000 steps a day. It also supports GPS- and time-based challenges, allowing users to block apps until they spend a certain amount of time at a specific location, such as completing a 60-minute workout at the gym.

The app’s available on iPhone, Android, as well as macOS, Windows, and Linux.

MeBeMe

MeBeMe is aimed at helping users cultivate better habits. Instead of blocking phone access, the app sends you notifications to achieve certain missions, such as doing burpees, connecting with people, or warming up for three minutes.

Though not solely focused on physical activity, its “Body” category includes challenges for athletes, dancers, cyclists, and runners.

The app is currently available for free for iOS devices.

StepBloc

StepBloc lets you lock access to apps until you walk a number of steps you can specify. In addition, you can also have link app access to completing specific workouts, such as push-ups, planks or squats for a specified amount of time.

Once the workout is completed, the user can access selected apps like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or games. This makes StepBloc particularly useful for people who want to offset their sedentary habits with short bursts of exercise. 

StepBloc is free on iOS devices, and requires a subscription for unlimited access.

Steppin

Created by the founder of Kayak, Steppin lets you trade physical movement for screen time. For example, it allows you to reward yourself with one minute of scrolling for every 100 steps you take.

You have the flexibility to set your own step goals for accessing social media, streaming services or mobile games. 

It’s available to download on iOS devices.

TouchGrass

TouchGrass brings a unique twist to preventing doomscrolling habits by requiring you to step outside and take a photo of grass to unlock distracting apps.

The app uses computer vision models to scan photos, and it will only accept images of grass (not trees or other plants).

The freemium version allows you to lock two apps, and you can pay $5.99 per month or $49.99 per year to be able to lock more apps.

TouchGrass is available for iOS devices. 

WalkLock

This iOS app integrates with Apple Health to limit access to designated apps until you meet your daily step goal.

The app automatically tracks steps using health data collected by the iPhone or Apple Watch. It offers a lockscreen widget, too, which displays progress throughout the day, making it easy to monitor how close you are to unlocking apps.

Walkly

Walkly is an Android app that provides a similar experience as WalkLock.

It locks selected social media, gaming, and other distracting apps until users walk a predetermined number of steps. The app continuously monitors physical activity and automatically unlocks apps when the walking goal has been achieved.

WeWard

WeWard initially launched as an app that incentivized walking by awarding users “Wards,” an in-app currency that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards or donations. It recently introduced “Walking Mode,” which allows users to restrict app access until they meet specific step counts. Both the step goals and locked apps are customizable. 

It’s available for iOS and Android.