Patch My PC started as a fully remote company in 2011, long before remote work became mainstream. As we grew, we knew that building and fostering connections across time zones and continents would require more than just good tools; it would require intention.
This need for intention is no surprise: people build trust more easily and organically in person. While remote work has many perks, it also challenges the way humans form connections and relationships. That’s why, even as a fully remote company, we deliberately make space for in-person connection.
In-person interactions fuel empathy, build rapport faster, boost team performance, and strengthen collaboration. As McKinsey & Company puts it:
“Organizations that invest in in-person connection – even in a hybrid world – outperform peers in culture strength, innovation, and team resilience.”
So what’s a fully remote company, with 130 full-time team members spread across 13 countries, to do?
Enter: The Patch My PC 2025 Summit!
Being fully remote is a superpower – it allows us to build a team of people with unique backgrounds and perspectives from around the globe. It also makes the moments we do gather in person even more significant.
Our first all-company retreat took place in early 2023 when we had 62 team members. That gathering proved so valuable, we brought everyone together again the following year.
In 2023, we focused on our origin story; a vital piece of understanding the “why” behind what we do today. Most importantly, we introduced our purpose – Improving Lives, Through Customer-Obsessed Innovation; the driving force behind everything we do at Patch My PC. In 2024, our focus shifted to the future: our product roadmap, innovation goals, and the introduction of our Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) – the north star guiding our growth.
When planning the 2025 retreat, we intentionally shifted our content strategy to reflect where we are as a company and where we are going, with our BHAG and core values as the anchor.
One team member shared a bold idea: instead of calling our meet-up a “retreat,” why not call it a “summit”
“We don’t “Retreat” – we Advance. With humility…We take the high ground, We win the lawsuit, We outthink, outbuild, We overcome challenges, We strive forward, We climb. We Summit.” – Trevor Thompson
We loved it. This mindset captured exactly what this moment in our company’s journey calls for. Thus, the Patch My PC Retreat officially became the Patch My PC Summit.
Designing the 2025 Summit
As we planned, our leadership team reflected deeply on the value of genuine, face-to-face connections. What kind of experiences did we want to create? What does the team need right now to keep advancing? What messages need to be communicated company-wide for the vision and purpose to continue to thrive? Patch My PC is rapidly growing, and we wanted to prepare our team for the changes and adaptations we need to make as a company to propel us forward.
Change is something to be excited about, but only when the why is clear. We knew that we needed to provide our team with the context, tools, and connections necessary to embrace and drive that change.
We shaped the week around five core themes:
- Celebration – honoring our team’s hard work and wins from 2024
- Creativity – building innovative products and features
- Change – growing through adaptation
- Cultivation – sharpening skills and building capabilities through focused learning
- Culture – staying rooted in our core values while evolving how we work together
We structured the week to be valuable not just for setting our yearly vision, but also for providing our team with numerous opportunities to connect, both within functional areas and across them.
This included a dedicated functional team day, where teams came together in person to collaborate and plan for the year ahead.
A highlight of our Cultivation focus was our Patch Academy. We dedicated two full days to learning, with team member-led sessions across three track levels. Courses focused on everything from diving into technical product knowledge, market insights, and future-facing development themes.
We also made time for fun, relationship-building moments across the company:
- Raft-building race
- Lego team challenge
- Functional and company-wide dinners
- Morning workouts on the beach
- The now-legendary Patch My PC karaoke party
- Excursions in the style of “pick-your-own-adventure” to explore Costa Rica in your own way
Giving Back
Staying true to our values, we also wanted to give back to the local community. We partnered with a nearby school to assemble and donate backpacks filled with essential school supplies for children in need. Our team collected school supplies donated personally and through their local communities with team member led drives. In total we were able to donate 150 filled backpacks!
The Power of In-Person
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said it well:
“Innovation isn’t always a planned activity. It happens when people run into each other, look each other in the eye, and have the courage to challenge and inspire.”
And as one of our own team members shared in our post-summit survey:
“We came up with lots of ideas/tasks/innovations that could cater to our Q2 goals and beyond. This was especially valuable as team members were able to explain why something mattered to them and how it could have a positive effect on PMPC.”
Across all industries and leadership philosophies, one message is clear: in-person connection builds the foundation for faster trust, deeper creativity, and stronger culture.
At Patch My PC, our values – delivering excellence, showing empathy, creating experiences, serving others, avoiding shenanigans, being humble, and thinking big – thrive when we come together.
Our Summit isn’t just an event. It’s an investment in our people, our culture, and our future. Because no matter how great our remote tools are, human connection will always be our most powerful tool.
We are growing our team! Check out all our open roles here: https://patchmypc.com/careers