Nottingham has been my home from the time I picked it, while sitting nearly ~5000 km (~3000 miles) away, from a list of UK universities that provided (small) scholarships to international students. Since graduating in 2020 and working remotely for a SF startup, it leaves me dumbfounded that I will have lived in Nottingham for 10(!) years. Yes, time really flies.
When I look back, I can trace so much of what I have achieved so far tied to the environment I found in the shape of the Nottingham tech scene. For those unfamiliar, I’m referring to the period of 2017-2020 where there were multiple community events (Tech Nottingham; Design Exchange; Women In Tech, Nottingham; Tech on Toast etc.) related to all facets of technology, as well as, conferences (most notably: New Adventures) and an annual, large-scale (I’m talking held at Council House level) Hackathon happening in the city. I still recall, hurriedly, creating my first-ever Twitter account so I could participate in (and inevitably..win) the prize giveaway that were a Tech Nottingham staple. Through a series of online and IRL interactions, I was able to organically meet and befriend folks old and new to the tech industry.
I'm loving @rizbizkits onion theory through a story of progression: Tinder as a collective, lending books, being there for people and making yourself available for their creative process @WiT_Notts
Love @rizbizkits and her pumpkin too 😍 amazing poem to think about through the day #NAConf
I also experienced what it felt like to hold a microphone to share your thoughts in a room (or even auditorium full) of people looking back at you. Then, I went from being regular meetup attendee to a meetup organizer through co-founding ProjectFunction with Daryl where we experienced so many moments of joy and growth.
On the side, I also started #Rizamblings (my podcast), recording 13 episodes with wonderful guests; most of whom I had met through the local tech community. During the bus ride home, scrolling my feed brimming with tweets related to each event, I was energized no matter the day’s long hours. The impact didn’t need to be measured; it was felt.
for folks who successfully dodged my"talk" yesterday at @WiT_Notts last night, this is an unoriginal & simple announcement: clears throat I HAVE A PODCAST NOW 🐧
it's called RIZAMBLINGS (#rizamblings) & the 1st 3ish mins long episode is up explaining why that's the name.. 👀
Now, a lot has happened and changed around us: COVID, Twitter losing its soul, overhiring, ZIRP-era ending, layoffs, budget cuts, artificial intelligence. Surviving through “unprecedented times” is a full-time chore that—I know from first-hand experience—expedites how quickly organizers are left feeling burnout. Understandably, meetups were paused, scaled-down, or left on brink of returning “some day”.
My intention for writing this letter is to prevent losing to memory or scattered social posts what Nottingham once possessed and start a public dialogue. I’ve had multiple interactions where folks who experienced this age also reminisce just how special the community was and how it shaped their lives, too. The ecosystem is no longer the same and present day tech events (I can speak from first-hand experience, again, running Batch Bunch) do not attract the same number of attendees. If you have noticed the same or have thoughts on how to improve this, let’s talk.
Because reading all the tweets this week celebrating the phenomenon that is #Londonmaxxing, it heartens me to know that the upsides of tech and community are not limited to the outlines of SF. Call me naive, I still choose to believe that someone new arriving to my city will be writing how Nottingham changed their life 10 years from now.
“..what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?”
All it takes is each other.
Until next time,
Riz