Futurice

In the area of London where Futurice is located you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a software developer. (Purely figuratively of course, we haven't tried yet.)

Any given Friday as you go out for an after-work pint, you're bound to hear their stories. Often you get manically pitched by a startup "product guy" who's hustling for his life to keep afloat. Other times you meet corporate or big-agency devs venting their frustrations about working in a culture that squashes their passions and ambitions.

The Unicorn Zone (not to be confused with The Realm Of The Chilicorn) is what I call the place with a perfect balance of having the support of an established company with a mature culture, but still enjoying the benefits of getting to hack and really make your mark in a team that has everything to prove.

In this spirit, we wanted to distill a few of the dichotomies that makes the Unicorn Zone what it is. Here they are, in living colour.