Here's the story of how I built Tech Connect Donostia, the only English-speaking tech community in the Basque Country at the time. It holds the recipe I discovered through experience to build a vibrant community.
Here’s what it grew into:
- Became the #1 tech community on Meetup.com in the city, with over 300 members
- 35 events in just two years
- Countless workshops and conversations on topics like AI, Product Market Fit, design thinking, vibe coding, game design, and user research...
- A space that blended locals and international tech professionals in a city where nothing like this had existed before
Ingredient 1: Fill a real gap in the ecosystem
One of the reasons this community worked is that it filled a real gap in the local tech scene. There were people working in tech all around Donostia, but there was no general, open, welcoming space where they could connect. And certainly not in English.
A lot of remote workers living in the region felt lonely and disconnected, like outsiders in a tightly-knit Basque context. Local tech workers had solid social lives within their companies, but very few ways to meet people from other firms, other backgrounds, or other disciplines. I was worried the group would turn into a little bubble of digital nomads and expats, but it ended up being surprisingly attractive to locals too, especially for the networking aspect and cultural exchange.
That diversity became the richness of the community. We had developers, designers, scientists, PMs, CEOs, CTOs, and engineers from all kinds of industries: SaaS, automotive, rail, nanoscience, quantum computing, design agencies, marketing firms. It was open and tech-centered, but broad enough to be relevant for anyone working at the intersection of science, business, and technology.
Ingredient 2: Build the right infrastructure
At first, I considered a bunch of different platforms for organizing things, but I quickly realized that in northern Spain, and especially in the Basque Country, WhatsApp is the main channel. People don’t use Facebook Messenger. They barely use Meetup. Instagram isn’t built for community interaction. So all the real action had to happen on WhatsApp.
I still created a group on Meetup.com, and that’s where I captured a lot of the foreigners in town who were used to that platform. But locals didn’t use it at all. To make the community truly inclusive, I had to be present in local group chats and slowly grow a community presence there.
I also put together a name, a very simple logo, and a short description. Having a brand gave the group more legitimacy and made it easier to promote.
Originally, I wanted this to be a designer-only community, I craved conversations about design problems and how others were solving them. But I quickly realized there were almost no other product designers in Donosti. So I expanded the scope to include anyone working in or around tech.
Ingredient 3: Communicate for the most anxious person in the room
I didn’t overthink the frequency of events, but I made sure there was something happening at least every month or two. That created rhythm. Some events were roundtables or workshops. Others were just a casual bar meetup. People loved those too. They didn’t require structure, and attendees could just be themselves. Alternating between structured and chill formats also made it more sustainable for me. I didn’t burn out.
Every event I organized came with thoughtful communication. I always put myself in the shoes of the attendee: What do they need to know to not feel anxious about showing up?
That meant providing clear, specific info: how to get there, where to find us, how to recognize us, what time things started, how the event would unfold, and who would be there. I made it clear that people could leave early, take a break, go grab a drink, that openness lightened the mood.
I encouraged participation, even before the event began. I used polls to get a quick sense of interest, asked yes/no questions for easy engagement, and used emoji reactions to take the pulse of the group. At one point I had multiple chat threads for different topics, kind of like Slack. But I found that it diluted the conversation. So I simplified: one chat for general discussion, one for announcements. It worked better that way.
I also adopted a clear communication cadence. I’d announce an event early, then ramp up again a week before, then three days before, and send one last reminder the day of. It gave people time to plan and kept the energy alive.
Ingredient 4: Facilitate with care
One of the things I loved most was workshop facilitation. And one of the most valuable things I did was coach speakers to do the same. I helped them think through how to create interactive sessions, how to engage participants early, and how to avoid becoming lecturers.
A typical format I encouraged was this:
- Start with 15 minutes for people to arrive, get a drink, settle in. That buffer helps everyone relax. Then, set the tone early. Let people know they’re free to move, leave early, take breaks. That simple openness helps a lot of attendees feel more at ease.
- I’d always recommend that speakers ask a question within the first five minutes. Something simple, like “Who’s experienced this?” or “Can anyone share an example?” That early participation unlocks the rest of the talk. People start talking, and the group energy rises.
- One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a work partner, Thomas Solignac: don’t sit there wondering what your audience thinks about your talk. Just ask them. Their questions and reactions become your content. That mindset shift helped so much.
- I told speakers: plan for a 10–30 minute talk, max. Because if you follow the structure I’ve described, you’ll naturally double or triple your time with discussion. You don’t need to script a 60-minute lecture. That just bores people. Let the conversations happen. They’re more valuable than whatever you were going to say next.
- We kept Q&A short, 2 or 3 questions at most. Then we’d move into casual chats. Long public Q&As create weird vibes. When they drag on, people disengage. I’d just say, “That’s all the time we have for questions, but feel free to talk to the speaker after.” People loved that.
One of the best presentations I ever saw was from Nicholas, who presented an AI solution he’d built for a dental service. He didn’t use slides. He just built the problem with us live. It was so engaging.
Finally, after every event, I’d share a handful of photos that same night, usually 4 to 10 great shots. It anchored the event in people’s memories. It made them feel part of something. And people love seeing good pictures of themselves. Partnering with a good photographer helped a lot. Diego captured the spark.
Ingredient 5: Partner for mutual benefit
As the community grew, I started building partnerships with local institutions. These weren’t just sponsorships. They were mutually beneficial relationships that helped us both grow.
At The Social Hub, we had a deal: I could use their meeting rooms at a discounted rate and they provided drinks, while they got visibility and recognition within the tech crowd for their co-working and hotel offerings.
At ieTeams, a global consultancy, we co-hosted a roundtable on the experience of immigrating to the Basque Country and integrating into the local workforce. They gained insight into how to better support international hires, and we got access to an amazing venue and a meaningful topic to explore together.
We also partnered with Ekinn, a public incubator funded by Fomento San Sebastián. They let us use their new building, and in return they got to present their offerings to the exact type of people they were hoping to attract: entrepreneurial, tech-savvy, community-oriented.
And sometimes it was as simple as hosting a gathering at our local pub, which was usually quiet on Wednesday nights. We brought in regular foot traffic, and they gave us a cozy, informal space for people to connect.
Ingredient 6: Know what you're getting out of it
This type of community work takes a lot of energy. It’s important to be clear on what you’re getting out of it. What are you being paid in?
For me, it was social connection, recognition in my community, professional development, and a network of loose connections I knew I could one day leverage for career opportunities.
I didn’t crack the code of monetizing my efforts while keeping that laid-back, community-driven vibe. But maybe I’ll figure that out for the next community I build.
Events list
Here’s a selection of some conferences and events that took place in the community over the course of two years:
- Learnings on consumer apps - how to research, find fit and scale ops & product
- Sustainable VC Models
- The Intersections of BioTech: applying engineering towards biological problems
- The Power of Play: How Video Games Boost Social Emotional Growth
- Exploring Modern Finance Theory: An Introduction & FinTech Brainstorm
- Data Scientists tools and skills: a practical example working in the Spanish energy market
- Case Study: Decoupling a monolith product with microservices
- Introduction to Engineering Management
- Industrial revolutions, industry 4.0 and digital transformation
- Living and working in Donosti, expectations versus reality
- Predicting the dental work you'll need with AI (and friends)
- Quantum computers. What they are, why the hype and why most of it is bs
- That's not something girls do
- Why do you need a mentor
