They trust other developers. They trust documentation that works, APIs that don't break, and communities that don't feel like a sales funnel. Most developer marketing fails because it's still marketing — just aimed at developers.
02
Trust is the only moat.
A developer who trusts your product will advocate for it in rooms you'll never enter. They'll write the blog post, answer the Stack Overflow question, and defend your architecture in a Reddit thread. You can't buy that. You build it.
03
DevEx exists to build it.
We embed inside technical companies as the team that earns developer trust — through content that respects the reader, communities that respect the member, and programs that respect the developer's time. Not campaigns. Ecosystems.
What We Do
Five ways we build developer ecosystems.
Not a menu of services. A focused set of engagements, each designed to compound into the next. Pick the entry point — the rest follows.
01 — Engagement
Fractional DevRel Leadership
The strategic operator who builds and runs your developer growth function. We embed into your leadership team, design the strategy, hire the team, and execute the first 90 days — then hand over a function that runs itself.
Who this is for
Seed–Series C companies that need senior DevRel leadership but aren't ready to commit to a $250K+ full-time hire. You get the leader, the strategy, and the execution — fractional.
What's included
DevRel strategy & roadmap
Team building & hiring
Cross-functional alignment
Developer GTM execution
Stakeholder reporting
First-hire readiness
Outcomes you can expect
A documented developer growth strategy your team can execute
A hiring plan and interview process for your first DevRel leader
Cross-functional alignment between engineering, product, and GTM
90 days of executed work — not slides, not plans, shipped work
We design, launch, and grow the community that becomes your moat — Discord, forum, or your own platform. Built on trust and consistency, not giveaways and swag. The kind of community that defends you in rooms you'll never enter.
Who this is for
Companies launching a developer community for the first time, restarting one that stalled, or ready to turn a scattered audience into a real ecosystem with ambassador programs and partner networks.
What's included
Community architecture & design
Launch campaign & onboarding
Ambassador & champion programs
Partner ecosystem building
Moderation & governance
Retention mechanics
Outcomes you can expect
A community architecture designed for your specific developer audience
Your first 1,000–10,000 members who actually participate
Ambassador and champion programs that turn users into advocates
A governance model that scales without losing trust
The focused, intensive engagement for launching an API, SDK, or platform. We handle positioning, content, community, and launch execution end-to-end — including the hackathon that proves developers can actually build on your product.
Who this is for
Companies launching an API, SDK, developer platform, or open source project who need real developer adoption — not just awareness — on a deadline.
What's included
Positioning & messaging
Launch content engine
Community activation
Hackathon design & execution
Adoption campaign management
Launch metrics & reporting
Outcomes you can expect
Developer positioning that earns trust instead of triggering skepticism
A content engine producing tutorials, deep dives, and thought leadership
A launch hackathon with real projects shipped on your product
Adoption metrics that map to revenue — not vanity reach
The content engine and technical influence program. Documentation, tutorials, deep dives, and thought leadership — plus the social strategy on Reddit, X, Hacker News, and GitHub that earns developer attention instead of buying it.
Who this is for
Companies whose developer audience ignores traditional marketing channels and whose content needs to be read by engineers, not just shared by marketers.
What's included
Content strategy & editorial calendar
Tutorials, guides & deep dives
Thought leadership & technical essays
Social media strategy (Reddit, X, HN, GitHub)
Documentation review & rewrite
Influence & advocacy programs
Outcomes you can expect
A content library that compounds — every piece still earns traffic in a year
Technical social presence on the platforms developers actually use
Thought leadership that positions your team as the credible voice
Documentation that developers bookmark instead of bounce from
We help you launch, grow, and govern open source projects — from initial strategy and community design to maintainer programs and sustainable governance. The difference between a project with stars and a project with a movement behind it.
Who this is for
Companies launching or scaling an open source project as part of their go-to-market — infrastructure, databases, frameworks, developer tools, AI, and Web3 protocols.
What's included
OSS launch strategy
Community & contributor design
Governance models
Maintainer programs
Developer advocacy
Ecosystem & partner programs
Outcomes you can expect
An open source launch strategy that earns contributors, not just stars
A contributor pipeline that sustains the project without burning out maintainers
A governance model that scales with the community
Developer advocacy that represents the community back to your product team
Not sure which one fits?That's what the strategy call is for.
Why DevEx
The difference is who's doing the work.
You can hire an agency, a freelancer, an internal lead, or a marketing firm. One of those options builds ecosystems. The rest build deliverables.
01
Embedded, not outsourced.
We sit in your Slack, join your engineering standups, and understand your product like a team member — not a vendor who needs a brief for every task.
02
Done the work. Not just talked about it.
Every engagement is run by someone who has built developer communities from zero, launched APIs to skeptical audiences, and grown open source projects into movements.
03
We measure adoption, not vanity.
Stars, followers, and impressions are noise. We track developer adoption, retention, and the trust that turns into advocacy — because that compounds into revenue.
What you usually get
A vendor who needs a brief for every task.
Generic campaigns recycled from B2C playbooks.
Community management as a support ticket.
Monthly reports instead of real progress.
An agency that exits when the contract ends.
What DevEx delivers
An embedded operator in your Slack from day one.
Developer-first strategy built on technical credibility.
A community architect who designs for scale.
Adoption metrics that map directly to pipeline.
A function you fully own when we are done.
Hiring your first DevRel leader?
A fractional leader costs less, ships faster, and builds the function you'll eventually hire for.
Manish is a skilled community manager whose strength is in building and nurturing technical communities. In addition to engaging online, he is adept at organizing in-person events like hackathons and meetups. His technical knowledge and problem-solving abilities, combined with his close relationship with the development team, enables him to quickly solve user issues. He has creative ideas that drive community growth, and is willing to take on additional tasks and responsibilities to support team initiatives.
J
Jason EgnalCMO, you.com
Verified
"We went viral on X yesterday. Manish made it happen."
H
Head of Developer RelationsAI Infrastructure Co.
"Our social presence has measurably improved since Manish joined. Developers are noticing — and so is our pipeline."
S
Sales DirectorAI Productivity Platform
"Shoutout to Manish for absolutely crushing it on our X channel. He understands the ins and outs of the platform and creates content that generates real buzz and engagement. Can't wait to see what he spins up next."
The best developer communities aren't built through giveaways. They're built through trust, consistency, and people who genuinely care about the product. That's the work. That's always been the work.
Beginnings
Started in open source.
Before DevRel was a job title, it was a practice — contributing to open source projects, answering questions, and earning trust in communities where no one asked for your title.
Building
Built communities from zero.
Took what worked in open source and applied it to companies. Grew developer communities from nothing to tens of thousands — not with giveaways, but with trust and consistency.
AI & Beyond
Worked across AI companies.
Embedded with AI startups during the boom — building developer ecosystems for products that didn't have a playbook yet. Learned that trust matters most when the technology is new.
Today
Bridges engineering and GTM.
The product of that journey — a partner that speaks both languages and can translate between the engineering team and the go-to-market team without losing either.
