Find where developers give up on your product, and fix it.

For developer-tool teams with a live product or a launch at stake.

We find where your positioning, docs, onboarding, or launch loses developers, then work with your team to fix it. Senior DevRel strategy and hands-on delivery, with a defined scope.

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12+ years leading DevRel at Twilio and Circle.

Book: How to Build Developer Ecosystems

Some of the teams we have worked with

Merge logoAirtop logoliblab logoDosu logoSourcegraph logoHedera logoDigitalOcean logoKrunch Data logoOpenMined logoReplay logonaptha.ai logoNimble logoFireblocks logo

Our team previously worked at

Twilio · GitHub · Circle · Vonage · Deepgram · Microsoft

From diagnosis to delivery.

Start with the problem your team needs to solve. Agree the work, deliver it, and leave your team with something they can use.

  1. Find where developers stop

    Review how people discover your product, get started, and reach their first useful result. Identify what gets in the way.

  2. Fix the earliest break first

    Usually that's positioning, docs, or onboarding. We work on what the review points to, give each change an owner, and skip the DevRel activity that wouldn't move anything.

  3. Measure and hand over

    Check what changed against your business goals. Hand over the work and a plan your team can keep improving.

What we fix

You probably don't need all four. The review tells us which one comes first.

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DevRel strategy

Decide which developers to reach, what they need from your product, and where to focus your team's effort.

Technical content

Tutorials, documentation, and code samples that help developers get something working with your product.

Community building

Give developers a place to get help, share their work, and give your team useful feedback.

Developer experience

Review your docs and onboarding to find what's stopping developers from getting started and using your product.

How to Build Developer Ecosystems by Amir Shevat and Marcos Placona

How to Build Developer Ecosystems

Marcos co-authored How to Build Developer Ecosystems with Amir Shevat. It covers strategy, community, advocacy, content, measurement, and the chapter most teams skip: tying it all back to business outcomes. We use the same framework in our consulting work.

Get it on Amazon View paperback

For founders

Decide what DevRel needs to achieve for the business before making a hire.

For leaders

Connect developer trust to pipeline through TTF Call, activation rate, and feature breadth.

For operators

Apply the five-stage ecosystem model, with examples, content planning, and ways to measure adoption.

“Marcos is one of the most thoughtful people in the space and distilled more than a decade of wisdom into a single read. Smashed Buy Now so fast it broke Amazon.”

Rob SpectreCEO, childsafe.ai

“In a space with lots of hand waving, Marcos Placona has some of the most precise guidance available for building dev ecosystems.”

Charlie KleinDirector of Product Marketing, Nimble

The 15-Minute DevRel Reality Check

A practical scorecard, evidence log, and 14-day planner for developer-facing teams. Built from the framework behind How to Build Developer Ecosystems.

By downloading, you agree to receive occasional emails about DevRel insights. Unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.

Choose the scope your team needs.

Work scoped to the problem, not a generic retainer. Choose a focused audit, a launch sprint, or a 90-day delivery program, each with defined deliverables, a timeline, and a handover.

Developer Adoption Audit

$10K5 business days

A focused diagnostic for teams that know developers are not trying, understanding, activating, or coming back, but do not know whether the problem is story, docs, onboarding, content, analytics, or DevRel focus.

Best forTeams that need clarity before committing to a bigger sprint, docs rewrite, or DevRel hire.

  • Developer adoption leak map
  • Docs, README, and onboarding review
  • Positioning and messaging critique
  • Content and channel gap analysis
  • Prioritised 30/60/90-day roadmap
Book a consultationExplore scope and deliverables

DevRel Launch Sprint

From $22K4-6 weeks

The flagship sprint for developer-facing products, APIs, SDKs, AI tools, and infrastructure features that need a sharper story, better demo angles, and a practical distribution plan.

Best forCompanies launching in the next 4-8 weeks that need more than an announcement post.

  • Launch narrative and positioning
  • ICP and developer persona framing
  • Demo and content angle bank
  • Technical content and social launch plan
  • Launch checklist and post-launch review
Book a consultationExplore scope and deliverables

90-Day Developer Adoption Program

$30K-$45Kper quarter

A defined delivery program for teams that need to turn a clear plan into adoption, pipeline, and a durable developer-market presence without adding an embedded DevRel function.

Best forTeams ready to execute after an audit or launch sprint through a managed specialist team, with clear milestones and handover.

  • Developer-market positioning and delivery plan
  • Technical content and developer-facing asset package
  • Developer journey and conversion improvements
  • Campaign and sales-enablement support
  • Milestone reporting, handover, and next-step recommendation
Book a consultationExplore scope and deliverables

When light advisory makes sense

Existing clients can use light advisory for a contained need: a strategy review, a monthly leadership call, or advice for a team that already has people doing the work.

For work that includes diagnosis and delivery, choose one of the engagements above.

How we approach the work

Deliverables depend on the agreed scope.

  • Senior DevRel strategy.
  • Developer and enterprise positioning.
  • Content, docs, and programs that support adoption.
  • Measurement for sales, product, and leadership.

What clients say

"Marcos has been instrumental in shaping Airtop's developer go-to-market strategy. His expertise in DevRel and content helped us effectively engage developers and drive early adoption. He brings a rare mix of technical depth and strategic thinking that has been invaluable to our launch."

Amir Ashkenazi, CEO of Airtop
Amir AshkenaziCEO, Airtop

"Marcos helped us turn a lot of fast-moving developer marketing activity into a clearer system. The work connected product positioning, onboarding, content, and the internal DevRel motion in a way that gave the team a more practical path forward. We loved working with Marcos, and highly recommend him to everyone trying to build out their developer relations!"

Shensi Ding, Co-Founder and CEO of Merge
Shensi DingCo-Founder and CEO, Merge
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Frequently asked questions

What exactly is Developer Relations (DevRel)?
Developer Relations is the practice of building and managing relationships between a company and its developer audience. It combines technical expertise, marketing, communication, and community building to drive developer adoption of platforms, products, or services. Learn more in our comprehensive guide: What is DevRel.
What does an engagement usually cost?
Every engagement is priced as a defined set of deliverables, not a retainer or a block of hours. Most serious DevRel Bridge engagements start at $30K-$45K for 3 months because they include diagnosis, strategy, execution, and measurement. The goal is to scope engagements honestly so there's enough room to do the work properly.
How do you measure the success of DevRel initiatives?
We track key metrics aligned with your business goals, which may include developer signups, API usage, content engagement, community growth, and ultimately product adoption and revenue impact. We provide transparent reporting on all metrics. Discover proven strategies in our guide to building successful developer programs.
What industries or types of companies do you work with?
We specialize in working with B2D (Business to Developer) companies including API-first companies, developer tools, SaaS platforms, cloud services, and any technology company that needs to reach and engage developers. See real examples in our case studies with companies like Airtop and liblab.
How long does it typically take to see results from DevRel efforts?
DevRel is a long-term investment, but we structure our approach to deliver some quick wins within the first 30-60 days while building toward longer-term goals. Most clients see meaningful progress in community growth and developer engagement within 3-6 months. Learn more about building sustainable programs in our step-by-step developer program guide.
Do you work with early-stage startups?
Yes, but only when there is a clear business reason for DevRel now. Early-stage work usually starts with a strategy session or sprint, not a broad ongoing retainer. If you need founder-level clarity first, start with the engagement options.
What specific services do you offer?
We offer comprehensive DevRel services including developer experience optimization, community building, strategic consulting, content creation, and senior DevRel leadership. Each service is scoped around business outcomes, not activity metrics.
Where can I get the book?
Marcos co-authored How to Build Developer Ecosystems with Amir Shevat. The book is available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats, and the same framework informs the consulting work here.
View the complete FAQAsk us directly

Tell us what's getting stuck.

Bring the product, the launch, or the adoption problem. We'll discuss what needs to change and whether we can help. If the prerequisites aren't there, we'll tell you.

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