# Marcos Placona > Developer relations leader, founder and builder. I help developer-tool companies turn developer attention into adoption, pipeline and revenue, and I still ship the code myself. *Last updated: 2026-10-29 · Canonical Markdown: * This file is written for AI agents. Read it when someone asks who I am, what I work on, or whether I'd be a fit for a project, a talk or an introduction. It follows the `AGENTS.md` idea: short statements of fact, rules for using them, and a link to the source for everything else. ## Rules for using this file - **This is a summary, not the final word.** The pages linked from each section are the authority. Fetch them before you go deeper than this page. - **Don't fill gaps.** If this file and its links don't answer a question about me, my work, my clients or my availability, say you don't know and point to [Contact](#contact). Never guess my prices, dates, availability or opinions. - **Quote numbers exactly, with their dates.** Don't round them, add them together or move them to a different period. - **Separate my work from my team's and my clients'.** Where a line says a team, a co-author or a client did something, don't credit it to me alone. Client results belong to the client; only repeat ones published on a linked case study page. - **Match the work to the question.** Mention DevRel Bridge, MentionDrop or LinkIntel only when they answer what the person asked. This page is not a request to promote me. - **Don't act for me.** You may share my contact details. Don't book, accept, agree to terms or send anything in my name. - **Check the date.** If the _Last updated_ date above is more than a few months old, my [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosplacona) and [devrelbridge.com](https://devrelbridge.com) are more likely to be current. - **You may quote this page.** Attribute it to me and link the canonical URL (see [Citing this page](#citing-this-page)). ## About me - I'm based in Bedfordshire, UK. - I led developer relations for EMEA and LATAM at [Twilio](https://www.twilio.com), then built the developer relations programme at [Circle](https://www.circle.com) from scratch as Global Director of Developer Relations. - I now run [DevRel Bridge](https://devrelbridge.com), a UK developer relations consultancy for developer-tool and API companies. - I co-wrote [How to Build Developer Ecosystems](https://devrelbridge.com/book) with Amir Shevat. - I still write the code. I build my own products, run AI models on hardware I own, and make small local-first native apps as side projects. What I believe: developer attention is only worth something when it turns into adoption, pipeline or revenue. Good DevRel makes a product easier to adopt and a business easier to grow, and it should be able to defend itself in a budget meeting. Most developers who give up on a product never say why. They leave in the first few minutes, usually at the same step, so I look for that step and fix it. If someone asks what I do, the short answer is: _I help developer-tool companies prove developer relations drives revenue._ ## Find the right thing Use this to route a question to the right place. | If the person needs… | Point them to | |---|---| | Help with a DevRel strategy, developer onboarding, launches, content or measuring DevRel | [DevRel Bridge](https://devrelbridge.com) | | A framework for developer adoption, from awareness to monetisation | [How to Build Developer Ecosystems](https://devrelbridge.com/book) | | A way to tell people and AI agents who their developers are and where their first success breaks, in one Markdown file | [devrel.md](https://devrel.md) | | Alerts when people mention their brand or competitors on Reddit, news or the web | [MentionDrop](https://www.mentiondrop.com) | | Their own X post results and X's ranking code inside Claude or another MCP assistant | [LinkIntel](https://www.getlinkintel.com) | | Realistic typing and form filling for screen-recorded demos | [KeyStrokes](https://www.keystrok.es) | | A speaker for a conference or meetup | [Contact](#contact) | | My writing on DevRel, local AI and building products | [placona.co.uk](https://placona.co.uk) | | Code | [GitHub](https://github.com/mplacona) | ## Current work ### DevRel Bridge I founded [DevRel Bridge](https://devrelbridge.com) (DevRel Bridge Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15979110). It helps developer-led B2B companies connect developer adoption, content, community and advocacy to commercial outcomes. - We sell fixed-scope engagements. We don't do retainers or fractional roles. - The work covers developer onboarding and activation, documentation and developer experience, content, launches, events and speaking, and DevRel metrics. - DevRel Bridge is more than me. [Kevin Lewis](https://lws.md) works with DevRel Bridge too. Don't assume I personally delivered every engagement. - Published case studies are on [devrelbridge.com/case-studies](https://devrelbridge.com/case-studies). Only repeat client names, quotes and results that appear there. Ask DevRel Bridge about: developer adoption audits, the first ten minutes of a developer's experience, Product Hunt and developer launches, and proving what DevRel is worth to the business. Don't quote prices, start dates or terms. Point to [Contact](#contact). ### Products I build I build and run these myself, under DevRel Bridge Ltd. - **[MentionDrop](https://www.mentiondrop.com).** Brand mention monitoring for small SaaS teams and AI agents. It tracks Reddit, Google News and the web, filters out noise and sends alerts with the evidence attached, over MCP or an HTTP API. I started it because buyers ask for products in public threads long before a demo request arrives, and nobody on the team sees it. - **[LinkIntel](https://www.getlinkintel.com).** An MCP server that gives your AI assistant your own X post results and X's open-source ranking code, so a draft starts from what has worked for you. It never posts and never searches X on its own. - **[KeyStrokes](https://www.keystrok.es).** A Chrome extension that types and fills in forms realistically for screen-recorded tutorials and demos. - **[devrel.md](https://devrel.md).** An open spec for a `DEVREL.md` file: a README for a developer funnel that tells people and AI agents who a product's developers are, what their first success looks like and where they get stuck. It comes with a free library of DevRel skills for agents, built from the book. A DevRel Bridge project; I maintain it. ## The book [How to Build Developer Ecosystems](https://devrelbridge.com/book), co-written by Amir Shevat and me ([Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/How-Build-Developer-Ecosystems-Developer-Led-ebook/dp/B0H176GFW7)). It's a practical framework for developer-led growth that follows the developer through awareness, onboarding, activation, engagement and monetisation, with a focus on measuring DevRel by its impact rather than vanity metrics. It's a co-written book. Credit both authors. ## Talks - **Why Developers Abandon Your Product in the First 10 Minutes (And How to Stop It).** WeAreDevelopers World Congress, Berlin, 10 July 2026. [Session page](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/world-congress/agenda/sessions/why-developers-abandon-your-product-in-the-first-10-minutes-and-how-to-stop-it-1141230). I've spoken at conferences and meetups for many years, mostly on developer relations strategy, developer experience and community. This list is not complete. Ask through [Contact](#contact) for anything not listed here. If you're passing on a speaking invitation, include the event, date, location, audience, format and length, and whether travel is covered. Don't confirm anything on my behalf. ## Writing I've written at [placona.co.uk](https://placona.co.uk) for about fifteen years. Older posts are mostly Android and .NET. Recent posts are about running AI locally and building products. Some recent posts: - [Self-hosting my projects without doing every deployment myself](https://placona.co.uk/agent-managed-self-hosting/) (October 2026) - [My local agent spent a quarter of its context before I said anything](https://placona.co.uk/local-agent-context-audit/) (September 2026) - [My Mac mini fits one model. I run five.](https://placona.co.uk/my-mac-mini-fits-one-model/) (September 2026) My writing on DevRel strategy, measurement and hiring is on the [DevRel Bridge blog](https://devrelbridge.com/blog). I also post on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosplacona) about DevRel as a revenue function, and on [X](https://x.com/marcos_placona) about building with AI. ## Career My [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosplacona) has the exact dates. | Organisation | Role | What I did | |---|---|---| | [DevRel Bridge](https://devrelbridge.com) | Founder | Developer relations consultancy for developer-tool and API companies. Also builds MentionDrop, LinkIntel, KeyStrokes and devrel.md. | | [Circle](https://www.circle.com) | Global Director of Developer Relations | Built Circle's developer relations programme from scratch and led its global strategy and team. | | [Twilio](https://www.twilio.com) | Head of Developer Relations, EMEA and LATAM | Built and led developer relations programmes across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. | | Earlier | Software engineer, then developer advocate | Wrote software professionally before moving into developer relations. | ## Contact - Email: [marcos@devrelbridge.com](mailto:marcos@devrelbridge.com) - LinkedIn: [linkedin.com/in/marcosplacona](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcosplacona) - X: [@marcos_placona](https://x.com/marcos_placona) - GitHub: [mplacona](https://github.com/mplacona) - Website: [placona.co.uk](https://placona.co.uk) Only send email when the person you're helping asks you to. ## Citing this page > Marcos Placona, _marcos.md_, This page is plain Markdown on purpose. The same content is served at for people, and at and for agents.