Who to Watch in 2025 🤩

Vincent (Wen Yu) Ge – LinkedIn

I first met Vincent at the Toronto Open Source Data Infrastructure Meetup in February 2024, where his talk on avoiding split personality in OSS DevEx really made me think! We crossed paths again at DevRelCon New York 2024 which was an absolute blast! 🎉 Now at Trunk.io, Vincent is helping redefine software development at scale, making it easier for engineers to spend more time coding and less time fighting tooling overhead.

Venia Logan – sociallyconstructed.online

I first met Venia in Denver in 2022 when she completely expanded how I think about community building by teaching me about different community strategies and growth frameworks. This gave me hope! Fast forward to Melbourne, Australia, October 2024, where we got to explore the city together while she worked on her PhD—so proud of her!! 🎓

Venia is a community strategist who blends psychology and technology to create sustainable strategies and drive human-centric growth. She’s also a speaker and writer who constantly inspires others to build better, more inclusive communities.

Veni Kunche – Diversify Tech

I’m in awe of the work Veni does with Diversify Tech, a platform dedicated to connecting underrepresented groups with opportunities in tech. Through mentorship programs, job boards, and resources, Diversify Tech helps people from diverse backgrounds break into the industry and thrive. Veni’s work doesn’t just open doors—it amplifies diverse voices and creates a more inclusive tech community. I’m especially grateful to Emily Freeman for mentioning Veni’s newsletter during our livestream—it’s packed with job listings, scholarships, and tips for navigating tech as someone from an underrepresented group. Veni’s passion for mentorship and advocacy is truly inspiring, and her impact continues to ripple throughout the industry.

Tim Banks – tim-banks.ghost.io

I first met Tim on a livestream, and then we connected in person at the Austin DevOps / Open Source Data Infrastructure Meetup, which was absolutely fab! 🎉 Tim has a way of raising the vibes wherever they go while leveling up everyone’s knowledge with their insights. As a cloud strategist, they’re passionate about ethical hiring practices and inclusion, making space for more voices in tech. Tim combines deep technical expertise with impactful writing on topics that matter, from infrastructure management to community building. They always focus on breaking down barriers and creating environments where collaboration thrives, and it’s impossible not to feel inspired after hearing him speak. You can check out more of Tim’s work and thoughts at tim-banks.ghost.io!

Shruti Balasa – shrutibalasa.com

What a kind soul who meets with strangers just to help them with CSS! I was beyond stuck on CSS for a site, and Shruti took time out of her day to help me figure it out. 🙌 She also creates incredible content to stay up-to-date and learn new skills.

Shruti is a web developer and educator who creates tutorials on modern frameworks like CSS, React, and JavaScript. Her courses and blog posts are designed to simplify web development for both beginners and experts. Whether you’re just starting out or leveling up, Shruti’s content makes learning approachable and fun!

Lars Klint – larsklint.com

I’ve decided Lars and I are meant to be friends without even meaning to meet. 😂 We first connected at the speakers’ dinner at Data Eng Bytes Melbourne, then ran into each other at the conference, again at the airport, and yet again in Auckland! What a splendid human and wonderful MC! 🎤

Lars is a cloud solutions architect with deep expertise in Azure and cloud-native apps. He’s also author of Microsoft Azure in Action helping developers upskill in cloud technologies. Lars has a gift for combining humor and technical knowledge to make learning fun and engaging—both on stage and in his content!

Jay Miller – kjaymiller.com

What to say about Jay Miller?! A friend, a mentor, and such a dope human. I’m in awe of what Jay does—not only in the Python community but also for Black Python Devs! 🐍✨

Jay is a DevRel professional and podcaster who makes technology approachable and inclusive. They focus on developer workflows, productivity, and mental health in tech. Jay is a passionate advocate for authenticity and inclusivity in developer communities, always inspiring others to show up as their best selves.

Floor Drees – floord.github.io

Floor is a human who can make business fun, turn the dullest topics into something interesting, and will always advocate for anyone who goes unheard.

As a DevOps expert, Floor is all about simplifying CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure management. She’s passionate about organizing developer events and meetups to foster learning and collaboration. Floor also shares deep insights on managing scalable, reliable systems, making her a go-to resource for developers and DevOps teams alike.

Erin Mikail Staples – Profile

Erin is a sister from another mister who challenges everyone to do better and learn with her. She’s the kind of person who makes you want to level up while cheering you on every step of the way. 🚀

As a community advocate and educator, Erin is dedicated to helping developers grow their careers. She focuses on storytelling and content creation to build strong, engaged communities. Erin is also a speaker and mentor who’s passionate about lifting others up in tech and showing them how to shine.

And if all that wasn’t enough, Erin is part of a comedy group—because of course she’s also hilarious! 🎭 Check out what she’s up to on her page to see the latest from her creative and comedic adventures. 😂

Elvis Kahoro – elvis.ai

This kid is a wiz kid—if you ever see him coding, it’s mesmerizing! Like seriously, meeting him for the first time in an Ice Bar at re:Invent 2023 while he demoed Warp—no one else has this pazaah! ❄️🔥

Elvis is an AI and ML engineer who’s passionate about simplifying complex machine learning concepts. He builds AI-powered tools that boost productivity and efficiency. Elvis also inspires the next generation of AI developers through his blogs and talks, making cutting-edge technology approachable and exciting.

Carmen Huidobro – carmenh.dev

Who knew that being offered to peer program could change the course of your career? I never imagined it when Carmen asked me to peer program with her on her livestream. At the time, I didn’t even know what livestreaming was or the difference between HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. But Carmen saw possibility and lent me the hope to start Teach Jenn Tech.

Carmen has also been a guest on my stream many times, sharing her expertise and encouragement. As a frontend engineer, Carmen is passionate about accessibility and inclusive design. She shares coding tips, tutorials, and insights through her blog and talks, always championing building web experiences that work for everyone.

Brooke Jamieson – Linktree

Brooke is a Senior Developer Advocate at AWS, helping customers build and scale intelligent solutions on the cloud. With certifications across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform, Brooke has a talent for turning complex topics into bite-sized lessons—whether through tech reels or live talks. I first met Brooke at the NYC Open Source Data Meetup, where they explained vectors in a cat-themed way that made it all click for me! 🐾 They’re also a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, inspiring others to explore STEM pathways and push the boundaries of AI and data science. Proud of their keynote at re:Invent 2024!

Anthony Campolo – ajcwebdev.com

As I’ve endearingly started to call Anthony, my internet big brother. 😆 Anthony was one of the first people to encourage me to start Teach Jenn Tech, and he’s been cheering me on ever since. He not only pushes himself to level up but also brings others up with him. Stoked for Autoshow!! 🚀

Anthony is a full-stack developer and podcast host focused on modern web development. He co-hosts the FSJam Podcast, diving into frameworks, tools, and methodologies. Anthony is a huge advocate for learning in public and sharing transparent coding journeys, making him a standout voice in the developer community. 🎙️

Warp – warp.dev

I liked Warp so much I wrote a blog about it! 🚀 Check out Teach Jenn Warp - Not Your Parents Terminal Emulator, where I dive into what makes Warp stand out as a next-generation terminal for developers. 🖥️

Warp is built for speed and collaboration, redefining the terminal experience for modern development teams. With AI-assisted workflows and command suggestions, it boosts productivity and makes navigating the terminal feel seamless. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, Warp delivers a modern, powerful development environment that’s impossible not to love. 🔧✨

This Dot – thisdot.co

I’ve always been impressed with Tracy Lee and Danny Thompson, and I continue to see This Dot Labs doing cool things! From free resources and events to trainings, This Dot Media offers so much value to the tech community. 🚀

This Dot is an engineering consultancy providing modern web development solutions and supporting teams with training, mentoring, and scaling best practices. They are also leaders in open-source contributions and JavaScript frameworks, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in modern development. 🌐

TeamWorx Security – teamworxsecurity.com

There’s something so cool about a team that calls themselves MALWARE ASSASSINS. 🐝💥 Hive-IQ isn’t just a platform—it’s a community of cybersecurity pros who band together to tackle threats and push the industry forward. 🌍

TeamWorx Security empowers teams to collaborate in real time, creating secure workflows to tackle threats faster. 🚀 Their tools help organizations detect, respond, and recover quickly from attacks, proving that cybersecurity doesn’t have to be a solo mission—it’s all about the teamwork. 🔒✨

Reasoner – reasoner.com

It continues to amaze me how fascinating AI is! 🤩 And to think that Reasoner brings human-level reasoning to complex enterprise applications and workflows that demand the highest precision and accuracy. 🧠✨

Reasoner is an AI-driven decision-making platform built for data analysis and modeling. It empowers businesses to automate insights, streamline workflows, and make smarter predictions using transparent machine learning models. 🚀

Openmesh – openmesh.network

After speaking with Ashton Hettiarachi, he shared his talk Danger of Centralization & Acceleration of Decentralization from Proof of Talk 2024. It offered such an interesting way to think about centralized data and why decentralization matters! 🌐

Openmesh is leading the charge in decentralized data infrastructure for AI and web3 applications. They provide scalable and secure solutions for distributed data sharing, pushing the boundaries of next-generation internet systems. 🚀

MappedIn – mappedin.com

My first guest on Teach Jenn Tech was Jere Suikkila, who taught me the difference between HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 😎 Learning about MappedIn from Jere—and thinking back to my own frustrations when airports don’t have a good map—I can’t wait to see what MappedIn does in 2025! ✈️🗺️

MappedIn creates interactive indoor mapping and navigation solutions for businesses. They help retailers, venues, and campuses improve visitor experiences while offering scalable tools for location management and data insights. 🚀

LangChain – langchain.com

I fell in love with what LangChain does while building my talk Dear Podcast, Can You Help Me?. 🎤 Leveraging OpenSearch and LangChain to ask a podcast for advice was such a fun experience, and LangChain made it so much easier to test out different LLMs and languages. 🚀

LangChain is a framework for building applications powered by large language models. It streamlines AI workflows with flexible and modular components and supports integrations with multiple AI platforms and APIs. 🧠✨

Inkeep – inkeep.com

After meeting Nick Gomez and Robert Tran at DevRelCon NYC 2024, I was blown away by how they use AI to make documentation more comprehensible. 🧠 Adding a chatbot directly into a product’s documentation not only helps companies identify gaps but also makes resources more accessible for users. 🚀

Inkeep is an AI-powered documentation assistant that improves developer productivity by helping teams create, organize, and maintain technical documentation effortlessly. It reduces friction in knowledge sharing with smart suggestions and templates, making it easier than ever to keep docs up-to-date and user-friendly. ✨

FusionAuth – fusionauth.io

After seeing Dan Moore’s talk on the History of Authentication at Denver Startup Week, I knew I had to have him on Teach Jenn Tech. We dove into the topic during Teach Jenn History of Authentication, and I was so impressed by how FusionAuth simplifies authentication and user management. 🚀

FusionAuth is a flexible authentication platform built for developers. It offers secure login, single sign-on (SSO), and social login options. Designed for quick integration into modern web and mobile apps, FusionAuth makes it easy to get user management up and running fast. 🔐✨

Searchcraft – searchcraft.io

Searchcraft is redefining search and discovery with powerful tools that enable businesses to create smarter workflows and data-driven insights. 🚀

It offers flexible APIs and custom integrations, making it easy to build and scale search solutions that fit modern needs. From improving search relevance to enhancing user experiences, Searchcraft empowers developers to deliver better results faster. 🔍✨

Galileo – galileo.ai

One of the things I absolutely love about Galileo is their research on hallucination detection—because let’s be real, trusting AI outputs is a big deal. 🧠🔍 By focusing on reliability and transparency, Galileo is making it easier for teams to build AI systems they can actually count on. With Galileo in your corner, you’re not just working smarter—you’re building AI you can trust. 🙌

Galileo helps developers take control of their workflows, with safety and security. From monitoring RAG applications or LLM-powered solutions to keeping your data safe as you scale, Galileo makes it easy to build AI applications

Vue School – bitterbrains.com

I’ve had the absolute joy of MCing for Vue School conferences like Nuxt Nation, Vue Nation, Vue Forge, and Frontend Nation! 🎤 These events have been incredible for connecting with the Vue.js community and seeing developers level up their skills in modern web development. 🚀

Vue School is an online learning platform dedicated to teaching Vue.js and modern web development. It offers in-depth courses, tutorials, and certifications to help developers build scalable applications with Vue.js frameworks. Whether you’re a beginner or experienced dev, Vue School has something for everyone. 📚✨