Francesca Krihely (Snyk & MongoDB): Developers, Developers, Developers…and Marketing

DESCRIPTION

Francesca Krihely knows developers. Many VCs and startup pundits suggest that the key to success is simply winning the “hearts and minds” of developers in the community. One problem: developers are notoriously allergic to traditional marketing. So, what’s the secret? Francesca wrote the developer experience playbook at companies like MongoDB and Snyk, and now she is sharing her best practices with the BUILD community.

Key Takeaways:

[1:20] What did MongoDB look like when Francesca joined it in 2011?

[3:28] What did “community” mean for Francesca and MDB back in 2011-2014? And what was the playbook that worked back then?

[7:20] A new way of thinking about data models.

[10:09] When did Francesca realize that “community” was going to be an important strategy for MDB? What signals or dynamics did Francesca see in the community that made her think it was time to double down?

[12:18] Does the same playbook still work in 2020 or have they evolved in the past decade?

[16:03] For companies looking to start their first efforts here, where should they start?

[18:53] Francesca talks about the benefits of having amazing documentation.

[20:35] Lots of companies start their community efforts with Slack or Discord. Is that the best way to build a community? What other options should companies consider, if any?

[22:16] Francesca shares what Snyk is, the reasons why she joined this company and describes her role at Snyk today.

[25:01] Snyk is taking a PLG approach to security. Francesca explains the meaning of this decision and why it is so unique in security.

[30:18] Developer experience and relation, product-led growth, and different marketing tactics, what do all these look like in real life? Francesca shares examples of how Snyk integrates all these different parts.

[37:10] Francesca gives suggestions for first-time entrepreneurs.