Developers have always been a focus of the Holochain Foundation, and with the release of beta 0.1.x and continued development of 0.2.x & 0.3.x it is time to more actively focus on supporting both new devs as well as more developers from a variety of backgrounds. As a step towards that goal, we are very pleased to welcome Mark Franks as the Head of Developer Relations.
Mark is a seasoned professional with a deep understanding of developer communities. His extensive experience combined with a passion for decentralized tech will make Mark an important addition to our organization as we continue to launch Holochain and provide the ground for a thriving developer ecosystem.
As the Head of Developer Relations, Mark will play a role in nurturing relationships with developers, facilitating their learning, ensuring their success in utilizing our framework, and driving the growth of our developer community. Collaborating closely with our team, he will provide guidance, support, and resources to empower developers in creating cutting-edge decentralized applications within the open-source ecosystem.
Prior to joining Holochain, Mark was a Senior Developer Relations Manager at Acumatica. He built their developer relations and community engagement to the highest levels across their executive management, education, marketing, and engineering teams. Before Acumatica, he evangelized various emerging technologies and supported Microsoft’s ISV partners.
What Folks are Saying
It’s right there in the name, building a community of developers is all about relationships. And Mark has already jumped into building those with several of the folks in our community. As you’ll read more below he joined the team at DWeb 2023, which was a perfect way to meet many team members and developers in our community. Here’s what some of them had to say about Mark joining the team.
“Developer relations is bridge building: connecting those who create tech, with people who experience it. We are so delighted to see Holochain make strides in this space!"
—Sid Sthalekar, Founder of Neighbourhoods and Sacred Capital
“We're so delighted to have Mark join the team and lead our Developer Relations efforts. This moment is important for the launch of our groundbreaking P2P open-source framework. We have an opportunity with Holochain to change the power dynamic between digital technology and people. Developer adoption is key to that work. Mark's love for devs and commitment to their experience of learning and growing in a context of community is a perfect fit for our culture and this moment of expansion and growth.”
—Mary Camacho, Executive Director of Holochain Foundation
“The news of Mark joining Holochain to spearhead Developer Relations has filled me with excitement. After our conversation at DWeb, his dedication to helping developers technically and professionally was clear. His work in drawing more developers to our ecosystem will help Holochain reach new heights, improving usability and widening its impact. I look forward to seeing our community grow!”
—Josh Parkin, Co-Founder of AD4M & Flux
“As a writer, I'm often the first person developers encounter when they start learning about Holochain. As a lead technical evangelist who helped bring Microsoft's .NET framework to the world and establish it as a force to be reckoned with, I've got great hope that he'll take what we've started and shape it into something powerful. He tells me that he feels most alive building trust in the day-to-day, taking care of individual people's needs, motivating them to grow, thrive, and excel. At its core, that's what Holochain is about — creating digital systems that support people as relational beings."
—Paul d'Aoust, Holochain Technical Community Mentor
What Mark is Saying
As mentioned, Mark attended DWeb shortly after joining the team. His timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Here are his short thoughts and observations after that experience with the team and the growing Holochain community.
“Attending DWeb Camp provided me with invaluable insights into the Holochain team, the vibrant community, and the broader peer-to-peer (P2P) space. The Holochain team's commitment to decentralized technology and their passion for empowering developers stood out during insightful presentations and engaging discussions. The sense of camaraderie within the community was inspiring, with diverse projects and initiatives driving the transformation of the P2P space. Witnessing the rapid advancements in peer-to-peer technology solidified my belief in the immense potential of decentralized applications. I am sincerely grateful and humbled for the opportunity to work with Holochain and contribute to this incredible community, as together, we strive to build a more decentralized, equitable, and resilient digital future."
—Mark Franks, Holochain Head of Developer Relations
We are thrilled to have Mark on board and eagerly anticipate the exciting initiatives and collaborations that will arise under his leadership. Together, we will continue to push boundaries, foster innovation, and build a robust ecosystem of decentralized applications.
