Programmer Needed

Seeking Fellow Programmer to Help Build the Google Maps of History

I am looking for a programmer to be co-founder/employee#1 at a SLC-based startup called
Atlastory. My old partner (back-end dev) left to pursue other interests recently while we were in the
middle of building “version 2.0” of the site (1.0 was the proof of concept up at atlastory.com). Here
are some good reasons why you should join Atlastory:

• PROBLEM: How to render a large number of compute-intensive map images on the server
and deliver them all asynchronously to the user (x1000 users at a time).
• PROBLEM: How to design a git-like system for collaboratively editing data that spans the
history of the world.
• PROBLEM: How to organize a huge amount of GIS data (potentially many TBs worth) so
that it can be easily accessed, fed into the image renderer, backed-up, etc.

What is Atlastory? Atlastory visualizes history on a map, allowing users to explore the world through
space and time. It’s like Google Maps with the ability to look 10, 50, or 1,000 years in the past. This
is an application that has the potential to change the way people around the world learn history and
interact with the past. (There are also scientific implications, like mapping species, languages,
environmental factors, continental drift, etc.)

Requirements: This specific role will involve developing most of the back-end to enable map
rendering, data organization, and system buildout. This is no weekend MVP project. Need a
generalist hacker -- not someone specialized in a certain function or language. Our current stack is:
HTML5/JS, Backbone.js, RoR, + Python for map rendering libraries. All hosted on mix of AWS &
Heroku. You should be well versed in:
• Ruby/Rails
• Python
• DevOps/AWS products (EC2, S3, RDS, ELB, etc.)
• Database design (MapReduce/Hadoop/other)
• HTML5/JS/front-end a plus
• But most of all this set of problems requires someone who can learn as they go & figure
things out that haven’t been done before.

We currently have $55k in seed funding and are ready to get started immediately. Atlastory will be
applying to the Winter YC & ImagineK12 programs, so willingness to move to Palo Alto for ~3
months at the chance we get in is a plus. Compensation details will be discussed in person -- mostly
equity with adequate salary/benefits. If this opportunity interests you, email me at
max@atlastory.com with qualifications, why you’re interested, some sort of resume, GitHub,
etc.

About me: My name is Max Olson, I am 26. I do front-end development (+RoR) & design, plus have
experience in finance & raising money. I have run many businesses, and started 3 -- a tech news
site (~2001), a coffee shop (2006), and a hedge fund (2008). I still run the hedge fund on the side of
Atlastory and other freelance programming. (Personal / Blog / GitHub)