Nerdearla was present at T3chFest 2026, the technology festival organized by students at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). Jassu and Edu, two of Nerdearla's organizers, took the Communities Track stage to present "Amigos de Grandes".
Nerdearla + T3chFest: two communities, one spirit
T3chFest is one of the most important technology festivals in Spain. Created by UC3M students and organized by Mario Montes for over 10 years, it opens the doors of a public university and says: "come, learn, share". Two days, four simultaneous tracks, and the UC3M vice-rector welcoming the event with full institutional protocol.
For us, being at T3chFest carries special meaning. Nerdearla started with exactly the same spirit: a group of people passionate about technology who said "let's do something." In 2014, it was 60 participants in a basement in Buenos Aires. In 2025, 11,500 in-person attendees, 45,000 online, over 300 speakers from 25 countries, with editions in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Spain.
The talk: "Amigos de Grandes"
Jassu and Edu talked about Sysarmy, the community born in 2012 β two years before Nerdearla β as a group of people sharing on the internet that became something bigger than all of them. Without Sysarmy, Nerdearla wouldn't exist.
We don't build community
One of the central ideas: we don't build community. We build containers where communities have the opportunity to emerge. There's a huge difference.
These containers have a lifecycle:
- Seed: the impulse to gather, sense of belonging emerges.
- Growth: active participation, new norms, expansion.
- Maturity: full expression, firmly established attributes.
- Pollination: replication of experiences, sub-groups, new chapters, new communities.
Nerdearla started as a seed in 2014. In 2026, it's already in the pollination stage: Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Mexico City, Madrid.
Belonging
Belonging to a community is measured in:
- A support network.
- Purpose beyond work.
- Learnings not found in any course.
- Doors that open without having sought them.
- Real friends who are there in good times and especially in bad ones.
Leaving the cave
Sound familiar? It's the place where you don't ask for help because "I can do it alone." Where you don't share what you know for fear of being surpassed. Where your idea is always better than someone else's.
Ego is the main barrier to building community and to belonging to one. To be part of something bigger than yourself, you first have to accept that you're not the center.
The "go for it" in the tech community
Studies show that acting more extroverted tends to make people feel better, but it's not one-size-fits-all.
The keys? Clear objectives. For example: - Make two new contacts - Purpose β remember why you're there - Presence β if you leave early, connections don't happen - Consistency β the community will know what to expect from you
5 takeaways from the talk
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Surround yourself with people better than you. To have references, to learn, to share β not to compete. The community gives you access to those people.
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Give more than you receive. At first, nobody knows you. Your only strategy is to give. Share what you know. Help without expecting anything. Over time, it comes back multiplied.
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Consistency > skill. The communities that survive are the ones that don't stop.
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"I enjoy it" > "it's convenient." If what you do is fun, nobody can catch you. Don't look for the community that's "convenient." Find the one that makes you happy.
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The Sysarmy mantra. Have clear priorities in the work-community-life balance.
Nerdearla in Spain
Nerdearla has a growing presence in the Spanish tech scene. Beyond speaking at T3chFest 2026, Nerdearla organized its first edition in Madrid in 2025 and is preparing its second for 2027.
The relationship between tech communities in Spain and Latin America is growing stronger. Events like T3chFest, JSConf Spain, and Nerdearla share audiences, speakers, and communities β together strengthening the Spanish-speaking tech ecosystem on both sides of the Atlantic.
Upcoming Nerdearla events
- π¨π± Nerdearla Chile 2026 β April 16-18, Centro GAM, Santiago. Free registration
- π¦π· Nerdearla Argentina 2026 β September 22-26, Buenos Aires
- π²π½ Nerdearla Mexico 2026 β November 18-20, Mexico City
- πͺπΈ Nerdearla Spain 2027 β Date TBD, Madrid
All events are 100% free, with a hybrid format (in-person + global streaming).
Want to know more about Nerdearla? Visit nerdearla.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.