Phileas & Fogg is building a globetrotting team of passionate, adventurous developers and designers who want to build products people love while enjoying unique experiences. We do things a little differently than the typical Silicon Valley startup.

We are a traveling startup lab, with the goal of building something new every three months. Each product will be designed, developed and released from our temporary HQ in a new country, the first being Costa Rica (more on that below.) With shorter, more focused roadmaps and new, inspiring settings, we're intent on bringing about great results.

And the name? It's inspired by Phileas Fogg, the adventurous lead character in Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days.

How It Works

Pretty simple! We're building a team of designers and developers, and setting up shop somewhere awesome. We'll decide, together, on what we're going to work on and which country we'll work from.

Given the shortened timeline, the products we choose will be smaller in scope and will build on the previous products. Our goal is to deliver a Minimum Viable Product within the three month window.

We'll sweat all the details of your travel so that you can jump right in to make your contribution, experience the local culture and broaden your network. For the three months, team members will live and work together. P&F will cover travel/living expenses and offer each team member equity and a monthly stipend. In the down time, we'll explore the country, experience the culture and have opportunities to give back to the local communities.

At the end of the three months we'll launch the product, and depending on how well it gains traction, team members will have the option of either continuing with the project in Silicon Valley or move on with the team to the next country. P&F is split into three-month blocks, but we're excited to have people stick around and travel with us long-term.

The Products

We're looking to build products with the following characteristics:

• The team understands and can relate to the addressable market
• The product builds on our suite of previous products
• A solid version 1.0 can be delivered in 13 weeks or fewer
• There's a simple, obvious revenue model

We're currently building a suite of interconnected tools aimed at developers, with each new tool building on and intergrating with the previous ones. Three months isn't enough time to enter a new market, however it is more than enough time to build the type of tools we're looking to do. Switching products and countries often may cause an interruption, however it also gives us a chance to take a step back every three months and examine if things are working.

Our First Country

Our first destination will be Costa Rica. Known for its ecotourism, unmatched scenery and perennially temperate climate, we're confident the country will serve as a great setting for our inaugural project. There's a thriving tech scene, so we won't be alone. During our stay, the team will be housed in a large home with spectacular views and a great location. There will be plenty of opportunities to explore the local sites and experience what Central America has to offer.

The first round begins on October 1^st, 2013 and will be returning on December 21^st — dates that serendipitously coincide perfectly with our namesake's trip around the world.

F.A.Q