Kalu Yala is a program offering students the ability to study, work, and live in a sustainable town. The town is located in the Tres Brazos Valley, 50 minutes from Panama City and about 35 minutes from Panama's International Airport by car. The building site is a midterm project, and an "incubator" for the creation of "environmentally and socially responsible communities". Jimmy Stice is the creator and CEO of Kalu Yala. Though not yetunder construction, much of the town has been designed by Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists based in Pasadena, CA. These architects are part of the New Urbanism project. Stice had originally planned flip the site for traditional development before the Great Recession. Since Summer 2010, The Kalu Yala Institute has offered students from around the world the opportunity to conduct research projects on "best practices in sustainable living". Kalu Yala Institute classes include agriculture, biology, business, education and community development, design thinking, farm-to-table culinary arts, health and wellness, and outdoor recreation. As of Fall 2015, The Institute has had people from 48 states, 25 countries and 150 colleges. Tailored programs allow participants to set their own class project and research agendas for their contributions to the sustainable community. In Fall 2017, Kalu Yala was the subject of a Vicelandreality television series entitled "Jungletown." The show depicts a nascent settlement in the jungle where students study, live, and assist in the project development of Kalu Yala. Throughout the show, a number of the interns leave Kalu Yala prematurely citing a range of reasons, including the difficult jungle environment, mental illness and concerns that the organizers were disorganized and possibly mislead prospective interns. Despite Kalu Yala's stated altruistic, sustainability and educational goals, the venture is profit seeking and solicited a $12 million Series A venture capital round with the intent to a achieve a $100 million valuation in five years.
