Talent Attraction Strategy — Finding the Right Builders

This project does not need warm bodies. It needs the right people — builders who understand that knowledge transfer matters as much as technical skill.

The Talent We Need

Primary Profiles (On-Site Residencies)

Profile	Where to Find Them	What Will Attract Them
Renewable Energy Engineers	Solar industry, off-grid energy nonprofits, Engineers Without Borders alumni, Reddit r/solar, r/offgrid	Technical challenge of a pure renewable micro-grid, real-world impact, freedom to design
Mechanical / Hardware Engineers	Maker community, Hackaday, Precious Plastic community, local makerspaces	Opportunity to build from scratch with recycled materials, open-source hardware cred
3D Printing Specialists	RepRap community, Voron Discord, Prusa forums, r/3Dprinting	Living at a printer farm in the Himalayas, pushing recycled filament to its limits
Food Scientists / Food Technologists	University food science departments, craft beverage industry (cider, brewery), FAO networks	Building a commercial food hub from scratch, working with unique high-altitude products
Water & Sanitation Engineers	CAWST network, Water Mission, RWSN (Rural Water Supply Network), r/water	Decentralized off-grid systems, pure engineering challenge
Curriculum Designers	Open education (OER) community, EdTech, technical training programs	Building a training pipeline from zero, multilingual visual curriculum
Mesh / IoT Engineers	LibreMesh community, LoRa Alliance, The Things Network, r/meshnet	Deploying a real mesh network in difficult terrain, offline-first design
Natural Builders	Earthship, cob, timber frame communities, architecture schools with sustainable focus	Using local materials with 3D-printed connections, pioneering high-altitude natural building

Secondary Profiles (Remote Accelerator)

Profile	Where to Find Them	What Will Attract Them
CAD designers	GrabCAD, Onshape community, freelance platforms	Real-world designs that get printed and used
Technical writers	Write the Docs community, technical communication forums	Visual documentation for low-literacy users, meaningful context
Translators	Translators Without Borders, ProZ, university language departments	Critical access to knowledge for underserved communities
Data analysts	Kaggle, data for good communities, university statistics departments	Real sensor data, meaningful impact metrics
Brand / packaging designers	Dribbble, Behance, food packaging design forums	Building a brand from scratch for a Himalayan cooperative

Where to Promote

Platforms by Priority

Platform	Why	Content Strategy
GitHub	Primary home. Engineers find us here.	Clean README, good-first-issue labels, active issue tracker
Hacker News	Technical audience, early adopter mindset	Show, don’t tell. Post when we have something working. Technical writeups.
Product Hunt	Launch audience, media attention	Launch the blueprint + call for residents + GitHub org together
Reddit	Niche communities for each module	r/solar, r/3Dprinting, r/water, r/opensource, r/Nepal. Share specific module docs.
Hackaday	Hardware builder community	Feature the shredder/extruder build, micro-grid design
LinkedIn	Professional network, funders, partners	Project updates, team introductions, impact stories
Precious Plastic / Open Source Ecology	Already-aligned communities	Our waste-to-filament module is their exact mission. Cross-post.
University partnerships	Engineering, design, food science departments	Offer thesis projects, field data for research papers
Nepali tech/innovation community	Local talent that understands context first-hand	Nepali-language posts, local media outreach, campus talks

Messaging Framework

The Hook (for every platform)

“We are building an open-source operating system for remote regions. Five interconnected systems. One pilot in the Himalayas. Everything free for anyone to use. We need builders.”

For Engineers

“What if the part you designed today was printed from recycled plastic in a Himalayan village tomorrow?”

For Makers

“You have spent years perfecting your craft. Now apply it to a place where failure means no lights, no water, no food processing. The stakes make it matter more.”

For Educators

“Most development projects fail because knowledge leaves with the installer. Your curriculum could be the reason a community runs itself forever.”

For Remote Contributors

“Your CAD file. Your translation. Your data analysis. It goes to the field, not a drawer. You can help build this from your desk.”

For Funders

“A solar panel funded today becomes part of a system that powers water purification, food processing, and EV charging. Everything built is open source — your investment multiplies.”

The Pitch (Short Version — 60 Seconds)

“Remote regions have everything they need — sun, water, wind, soil, smart people. What they lack is integration. We designed five systems that connect what they have to what they need. Energy powers everything. Waste becomes manufacturing. Water gets cleaned. Food gets processed. EVs connect it all. A mesh network ties it together. And the residency program ensures local people learn to run it all. Everything is open source. Jumla is the pilot. We need builders. Come build with us.”

Application Funnel

                 AWARENESS
    Product Hunt · HN · Reddit · LinkedIn · University talks
                      │
                      ▼
                  INTEREST
          GitHub star · Newsletter signup · Discussion join
                      │
                      ▼
                 EVALUATION
        "Can I do this?" → Browse docs → Read FAQ
                      │
          ┌───────────┴───────────┐
          │                       │
          ▼                       ▼
    REMOTE PATHWAY           RESIDENCY PATHWAY
    Browse tasks              Read residency page
    Pick an issue             Draft application
    First PR                  Submit to residency@
          │                       │
          ▼                       ▼
    ★ CONTRIBUTOR ★         ★ RESIDENT ★

Reducing Friction at Each Stage

Stage	Friction to Remove
Awareness	Clear, single-sentence explanation of what this is
Interest	A one-click way to follow (GitHub star, email list)
Evaluation	FAQ that answers the real questions before they are asked
Remote pathway	”Good first issue” label, clear onboarding guide, responsive maintainers
Residency pathway	Simple application form, clear terms, quick response time

Community Building

What We Need to Maintain

Responsive issue triage — Every question answered within 48 hours
Regular updates — Monthly community update post (GitHub Discussions, blog)
Open planning — Roadmap visible, decisions made in public
Contribution celebration — Every merged PR acknowledged, every contributor credited
Zero gatekeeping — Newcomer-friendly, questions welcomed, patience expected

Communication Channels

Channel	Purpose
GitHub Issues	Task tracking, bug reports, feature requests
GitHub Discussions	Community conversation, Q&A, ideation
Monthly update post	Progress, calls for help, milestones reached
Quarterly community call	Video meetup, live demos, Q&A with residents

Measuring Success

Metric	Target (Year 1)
GitHub stars	500+
Active contributors (remote)	20+ (at least 1 PR merged)
Residency applications	30+
Residents on-site	4-6 (staggered across the year)
“Good first issue” → merged PR rate	30%
Time from first issue comment to first PR	< 30 days
Newsletter subscribers	500+
Communities actively adapting blueprint	2+

No-BS Principles

We do not inflate our numbers. Real contributors, real residents, real systems built.
We do not spam. Every outreach is targeted and respectful.
We do not overpromise. The blueprint is a starting point. Jumla is not a finished model yet. We are honest about what is built and what still needs work.
We credit everyone. Every contribution, no matter how small, is acknowledged publicly.
We respond. If someone takes the time to write to us, they get a real reply within 48 hours.

Part of Remote Valley OS — an open-source project by Mountaineer.fi