About Sandbox
What is Sandbox? Ask each of the more than 1000 members from more than 100 countries and they will give you a different answer. And that's the beauty of our community! It's organised in city-based hubs, but nomads represent its largest group. Its current-day organisational model was founded in 2014, but our history dates back to 2008. We define ourselves in a thousand ways but what we are is really quite simple - as you'll read ahead and hopefully come to experience in the future.
All-in-all, we are digitally connected but favour in-person interactions. We were a DAO before DAOs were cool and we try to leverage our collective resources to meet the greatest challenges of our generation. Our values of openness, authenticity, playfulness, audacity, and trust characterise every interaction in the community. Check our manifesto to learn more about us.
About the Porto Hub
In Porto, we're a group of (not so) young folks, all curious, kind, and (mildly) wild. During the day we work as entrepreneurs, journalists, politicians, artists, poets, and students. During the night we are - well - sandboxers! Which simply means we are people who share a common perspective of what the world should look like when we grow older. And we believe together we can better prepare for it.
We also aim to be demanding and prefer doing rather than saying, even if we say more than we do. We are caring and we don't feel we belong unless we give what we can. We are ambitious and fear becoming complacent. We are proactive and ready to challenge and be challenged. Are you willing to challenge us?
After all, the goal of Sandbox is to nurture a space for young pioneers from diverse backgrounds to develop meaningful relationships and discover resources. Why? Because we want to live fulfilling lives and lead positive change. And we offer a curated, but unstructured environment focused on learning and mutual support; not only in our city, but in more than 30 others around the world.
Recruitment & Open Events
We are now recruiting our 2022 batch and are looking forward to getting to know you.
The deadline to submit applications for the 2022 batch is Monday, the 4th of April, by 23:59. You can apply here if you feel like joining us! We will contact you shortly after to tell whether your application was successful and, if so, what are the next steps of the process.
In the meantime, what would you like to know about our group? What would you like to know about our members? What do you crave and what is inspiring or bothering you right now? This is what these open events are for, even if you can apply without participating in one. Still, it's always better to get to know each other in person and enjoy a nice conversation. No preparation needed, just register in advance so we can share their final location and other updates with you.
• Friday, March 25th - 18h30 - After-work meet-up - Porto downtown, location tbd.
• Saturday, April 2nd - 13h00 - Lunch meet-up - Greater Porto, location tbd.
Our Members
Hugo Volz Oliveira
Sandbox Porto Ambassador
Forever studying, currently doing a Master in Bullshit Administration. Loves puns. Lifted by gifs. Once his days had twenty-five hours. Ocean rider and light junkie in another life.
Sara Ramos
Amateur singer from her perspective, pro if you ask her audience. Passionate about learning and bringing out the best in people. Assured assurance is part of the past.
Joana Croft
Loves to cycle, adores dogs and cats in the same amount, and enjoys playing the ukulele. The last of the three talented co-founders of Oupas! Design studio.
João Monteiro
Civil engineer amazed by this world. Tackles his curiosity through travel, music, arts, common knowledge and gastronomy. Master cocktail mixer.
Francisca Camelo
Poet. People's person who enjoys everything related to stories. Voted the least likely person to have worked in a Berlin start-up as HR Manager. Not a psychology student.
Liliana Castro
Indie magazines lover, a podcasts listener, and an information junkie. But it’s not all leisure. Creative and entrepreneurial, has founded a PR agency and key cool projects.
Francisco Rebello de Andrade
Our wine and song cover expert. Defines himself as a gregarious and affable person who is always ready to help. But, more importantly than that, is knows how to help.
Felipe Ávila da Costa
A Sandboxer even before Sandbox existed. Likes to take ideas to action and get results from it. Team builder. Focused, yet balanced entrepreneur. Cco-founder of Infraspeak.
Inês Santos Silva
Cappuccino lover and people connector. Passionate about the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship and social good. Dedicated to gender equality and the future of work.
Henrique Cruz
Curious avid-reader and book reviewer. Industrial engineer who likes basketball, travelling to unconventional places, and learning about everything.
Tiago Ferreira
Entrepreneur focused on the impact economy. Created Amarante’s economic development agency. Passionate about social innovation and regional development.
Sofia Trigo
Graphic designer, co-founder of the famous Oupas! Design studio. Passionate about illustration, photography and cats. Loves to handmade personalized gifts.
André Magalhães
City councilman of Amarante, a small, but great city in the north of Portugal. Looking to infuse a breath of resh air in governments through innovative and collaborative projects.
Filipe Oliveira
Graduating in nursing lead him to become a social entrepreneur. Curious and studious, passionate about design thinking and innovative business models.
João Figueirinhas Costa
Met Sandbox while working in Beijing in 2011. Already different back then, that year changed his life. HR entrepreneur. Ocean diver and networking junkie in this life.
Cidália Abreu
Not just a simple girl, even if born in a village. Cares about nature and people. Co-founder of the famous Oupas! Design studio.
Luís Alberto Simões
Aims to inspire people to live meaningful lives through self-organization. Defines happiness and comfort as food, friends, and game nights.
Irma de Magalhães
Free human being who wants to work in prisions. Natural born geek and also a university debater, even if she prefers to judge than to feel the pressure of competition.
Rui Maciel
A student of economics and a debater. Writing(,) literature and economics are his parallel passions. Too young to understand the world.
Pedro Paixão
Violin player since he was 3 years old. Entrepreneur and mobile developer now living in London and working for the Big Brother while trying to build a better world.
Nuno Carneiro
Data scientist passionate about reading and travelling around the world. Also a book reviewer (when book author?) and an industrial engineer. Doesn’t like basketball.
Sofia Passos
A change-maker, striving to be a vegetarian and follow a healthy lifestyle, with a passion for marketing, communication, cooking and crafts.
Vitor Monteiro
Loves to build. Became an engineer to build bridges, but then discovered his passion to build products, businesses and organizations. Currently in Berlin.
Diogo Bhovan
Crazy enough that he believe he can change the world, through ideas that can push human race forward, startups, entrepreneurship and creativity.
Gil Quadros Flores
Driven by new experiences and learning. Defines success as the well being of one's entourage. Avid traveler, but never alone.
Robbie Hilado
Digital creative with an analogue soul. Loves trying new things and seeing how far he can go with it. Essentially a walking contradiction.
Lia Quadros Flores
When life is boring that's my fault. I'm currently colouring it with knowledge (PhD in behavioural economics), dance (lindy hop), sports (padel), music (CdM), crafts and design (and my plants!).
