Ep 380 - The Hustle Behind Developer Camp
EPISODE INTRODUCTION
This week on Hustleshare, host Ron Baetiong sits down with Dom Sagolla and Anna Spisak, the minds behind Developer Camp, an 18-year-old global hackathon movement that began in Silicon Valley and is now coming to Manila. From the early days of Twitter and the first iPhone Dev Camps to building inclusive tech communities worldwide, they share how cooperation, mentorship, and community-first innovation can shape founders, families, and entire generations of builders.
Hello, World!
Ep Timeline:
00:03:03 – Dom and Anna’s hustle: Building community through Developer Camp
00:04:30 – What Developer Camp really is: A hackathon built on cooperation
00:07:52 – Origin story: Twitter, Odeo, and the birth of hackathons in Silicon Valley
00:09:48 – The first iPhone Dev Camp: 450 developers and the web in your pocket
00:13:06 – Diversity in tech: From “mostly dudes” to inclusive communities
00:18:18 – Anna’s journey: From social impact startups to Developer Camp
00:23:44 – How Developer Camp built its core team and mentor network
00:25:13 – All-women team and a Filipina-led board: Redefining leadership
00:31:48 – The “room of requirement”: Shaping events around community needs
00:34:41 – Parenting, legacy, and watching kids grow up in Developer Camp
00:39:09 – Why Manila: Dom’s first trip to the Philippines and finding home
00:42:35 – The four focus tracks: Future of work, climate, health, and prosperity
00:44:30 – What to expect at Developer Camp Manila (March 6–8, Makati)
00:46:43 – Who’s coming: Founders, mentors, VCs, and global collaborators
00:51:02 – Why makers build better companies: Empathy, weirdness, and impact
00:52:29 – How to join: developer.camp and the call to the next generation of builders
“This developer community. Whenever we have a product, we share it with our friends. We know we can trust their opinion and they'll use it and tell us what they think, right? And, or they'll share it with their friends. I think that's the most important thing over the years that has kept it going”. - Dom Sangolla
“If you are aspiring to be a video game designer or uh a software developer or a product manager, but you don't see anybody who looks or seems like you in those types of roles, you might not even know that's possible or know how to inhabit that space to be able to be the leader that you could or want to be.” - Anna Spisak
Resources:
LinkedIn (Dom Sagolla): https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagolla/
X/Twitter (Dom Sagolla): https://x.com/dom
LinkedIn (Anna Spisak): https://www.linkedin.com/in/annaspisak/
Website (Developer Camp): https://developer.camp/
LinkedIn (Developer Camp): https://www.linkedin.com/company/developercamp/
Links/Sponsors:
OneCFO: https://www.onecfoph.co/
PLDT Enterprise: https://pldtenterprise.com
- MSME Fiberbiz - https://bit.ly/pldtenterprise-ROId-nbsi-fiberbiz
- 5G SIM Only - https://bit.ly/pldtenterprise-ROId-nbsi-smart-postpaid
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