The Pirate Mansion is taking coworking to a whole new level. The project started earlier this year announced its first group of entrepreneurs last week, and is the first space in Tucson where entrepreneurs both live and work.

The shared living and working space provides a home and center for collaboration geared towards entrepreneurs who are starting or recently started a business, organization, or movement. The Tucson-based cohort is the first in the Pirate Mansion, a coworking and living space home to eight entrepreneurs.

Pirate Mansion founder Nate Lipton decided to create the unique coworking and living space after spending some time as a member of Gangplank Tucson.

“I love the environments of co-working spaces where attitudes are positive and productive,” Lipton said. “I didn’t understand why I could only surround myself with the sort of people at co-working spaces at events within the general startup and tech community, and I wanted to constantly be around those types of people.”

Eight other entrepreneurs share Lipton’s passion for technology and collaboration. The residents include Elliot Ledley, who is also involved in Gangplank Tucson and Startup Tucson; Stephen Ost and Davis Bauer with their startup Ufree, a top five finalist in Entrepeneur Magazine’s National College Entrepreneur of the year; Oscar Gomez, a web developer and programmer with Trendap; Mayank Mishra with Televeda, a healthcare startup; Taylor Digilio, cofounder of Flicksea; Nate Kadziauskas; and Nate Lipton himself who created the e-commerce site GrowersHouse.

The group was discovered through networking in the Tucson startup community and an application process on the Pirate Mansion’s website; they received more applications than spaces available. Applications are still being accepted on an ongoing basis and the next residents will move in August 1, 2014, when the mansion will have room for 17 entrepreneurs.

“Being around people who are going through the same excitement, trials, tribulations, and experiences is beneficial to all involved,” Lipton said. “Plus having a house of consultants with strong skills in related fields really helps tasks get done, ideas get formulated, and problems get solved.”

The Pirate Mansion does not have any funding, but has received donations from community members who support their ideas. The mansion is located in Downtown Tucson, less than a block away from the University of Arizona, and very close to Gangplank Tucson.

For more information on the Pirate Mansion, visit their website http://piratemansion.com/.