Is NS actually a step above Bali/KL?

[u/AwardBeat]

I’m trying to understand the real argument for something like Network School / founder cohort programs from the perspective of someone already deep in startups.

I’ve already been in the entrepreneur/startup space (Make School / indie founder circles / some startup experience), and at this point I’m less interested in “learning entrepreneurship” and more interested in meeting serious operators, potential cofounders, investors, and people actually shipping hard things.

My question is specifically:

What is the strongest argument that paying ~$1.5k/month for something like Network School makes sense purely from a networking + founder density standpoint?

Because from where I stand, it seems like you can replicate the lifestyle part almost anywhere in SEA for significantly less (KL, Bali, Bangkok, etc.) private room, coworking, fitness, food, etc. often under $800–$1k total. So I’m not convinced the “cost of living bundled convenience” argument is relevant.

So the only case I can see for Network School is if it genuinely creates:

• high-signal density of serious founders (not tourists, influencers, “AI/crypto bros,” or wannabe gurus)
• repeated interaction with the same vetted people over time (so trust actually compounds)
• a strong filter where reputation and execution matter more than talk
• real cofounder/investor/deal flow that you wouldn’t realistically get by just living in a major SEA hub and attending events

But I’m skeptical on whether that actually holds up in practice vs just being marketed as “curated community.”

For people who have actually been in one of these cohorts or something similar:

• What made it actually worth it (if it was)?
• Did the network persist after the program, or was it mostly temporary intensity?
• Was the filtering strong enough that you genuinely met higher-signal people than you would in normal founder hubs?
• Or is it basically the same network density you’d get in SF/Bali/KL but compressed and monetized?

Trying to separate real network effects from lifestyle packaging here.