ABOUT PROTOPIA
We didn't find this place.
We had to build it.
The way we work is changing. The old models needed innovation. So we went looking — two years, three continents, two vans — and when we couldn't find what we wanted, we built it ourselves.
OUR STORY
Protopia started as a question:
what if we actually tried?
Alban and Ken weren't looking to escape work — they liked what they were doing. They just couldn't stand where they were doing it. Cubicles, coworking chains, the café-with-a-laptop thing. They wanted nature, good people, real food, and the ability to focus. They searched the world for a few years. Made friends, saw what others were building, and realized nobody was quite doing it. So — two years, three continents, two vans later — they found a piece of jungle in Costa Rica, grabbed two chainsaws, and started building with no blueprints."
Now it's our office. The team runs projects in regenerative farming, social tech, cacao production, and community governance from right here. But it was never meant to be just ours. At any time, around 30 people are working from Protopia — digital nomads with their own startups, freelancers, artists, researchers, alongside our team.
Same jungle, same kitchen, same fire at night. You come with your project. We have ours. The environment is shared. Some people just work and enjoy the space. Some get curious — volunteer on the farm, build something, co-create a workshop. Some stick around and join the crew. We don't push. You decide how deep you go.
What began as 14 hectares of overgrown jungle in the mountains of Costa Rica became a regenerative farm, a co-living community, and a gathering place for people who want to live differently — not someday, but now.
OUR VISION
A world where every individual can live in dignity and exploration.
By dignity we mean well being, respect, freedom, material needs, belonging; and by exploration we mean curiosity, expression, play. We try to live this as much as we can in Protopia, and we put effort to try to make the world more this way.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Our values and worldviews
The principles that shape every decision we make.
Regeneration
Soil, water, forest, community — all of it responds to how you treat it. We farm and live by the same principle: take less than you give back, and the system gets stronger. It's not idealism, it's ecology.
Compassion
We assume people are doing their best with what they have. That assumption changes how we listen, how we disagree, and how we build together. We prioritize curiosity and connection over the need to be right.
Creativity
When we leave space for experimentation, mistakes, and perspective shifts, meaningful innovation can take place. We value creativity as a practice, not only through the arts, but in aspects of our community.
Humbleness
We are all a product of history and inter-generational historical-accumulation of knowledge and resources. In that sense no one should think that has any special foundational or privileged status or label in relation to others
Sincere Irony
No pretending. We're honest about what works, what doesn't, and what we're still figuring out. We don't impose structure unnecessarily — every process goes through an "is it really needed" test.
Horizontality
Focus on creating, developing and maintaining horizontal social structures that can enable a dynamic self-governance platform.
Magic Realism
We see the world for what it is — complex, messy, full of contradictions — and we still choose to find wonder in it. Not naive optimism. Not cynical detachment. Something in between: fully aware and still amazed. A jungle that's also an office. A farm that's also an experiment.
Participativism
In most places you're a guest and you take. At Protopia, you take and you give. The team facilitates, but everyone gets involved. We create a space where we learn and teach.
Recursive Reflexivity
We think about how we think. The systems we build, the decisions we make, the assumptions we carry — we keep turning them over. Not to get stuck in analysis, but to keep improving.
Playful Seriousness
We take the work seriously. We don't take ourselves seriously. Building an off-grid jungle compound is hard — and also kind of ridiculous. We hold both. The farm is real, the governance is real, the projects are real. But if we can't laugh while doing it, something's wrong.
Pragmatic Idealism
We believe in a better world and we build toward it — but with tools, budgets, and timelines, not manifestos. The ideals are real. So are the constraints. We hold the vision and do the math.
Cautious Optimism
Things can get better. Not guaranteed, not inevitable, but possible — if you do the work. We're hopeful without being delusional. Every small improvement counts, and we don't pretend the problems aren't there while we're solving them.
OUR JOURNEY
How we got here.
2018
Purchased the land
Found and purchased a 14 hectares property in the mountains of La Cabanga, Costa Rica. Primary forest connecting to a huge preserved area, and pasture land we could regenerate. Warm but not too hot, always green, tons of water. After two years, three continents, and two vans — this was it.
2019
Building began
Commitment made and the process begun. No more going back. Lot's of learning ahead. Lot's of challenges ahead. But good and hard working people around made the process very smooth and pleasant. e
2020
Moved in and Covid
We were lucky to rent two of the neighbors houses during the building process. A year into the building, the building structures were good enough to move in—not good, just good enough. Covid happened 3 months after. 10 people in seclusion for 8 months.
2021
Relax, more Building
Continued improving the infrastructure, much more was needed. All doors and windows were made in house with wood from the property. Additional living spaces constructed. Continues farm work. Water management and reforestation taking place.
2022-23
Retreats and collabs
Some events related to alternative economics and farming organized. A collab with Cohere Network begun. Continued development in infrastructure.
2024-25
Community and Events
Due to some personal projects, Alban, Ken and Diego went to Kosovo, and we invited JP and Jess to take care of the space, and generate some income from potential events. Jess left after some time, JP continued to steward the place with a lot of love.
2026
Ongoing Evolution
Alban, Vita and Diego are back, and will continue the project as planned. Currently improving the general infrastructure, building more private acomodations, and adding a more artistic touch in the interior design. Beyond the Protopia as a project, we’re starting two other projects: 1) social media built in activity pub, and 2) Chocolate producing and land reforestation project out of La Cabanga.
THE PEOPLE
The team behind Protopia.
Activists, artists, technologists, farmers, off-grid stewards, and friends from around the world.
Alban Geci
Community Member
Diego
Advisor
Marcos
Everything Fixer
Vita
Creative Director
Jean Ca
Farm Manager
Lynne&River
The Vibe
JP
Everything Fixer
Xenia
Problem solver
Marc
Kitchen Master