For years, developers have been using the platform, experimenting with it, deploying real projects, and then sharing their experience — through conference talks, blog posts, demos, meetups, and countless informal discussions. The Clever Cloud Ambassadors program is our way of recognizing and supporting this existing dynamic, while creating a clearer and more durable connection between the community and our teams.

This program is not about creating advocates from scratch. It is about supporting people who already care.

Why an Ambassadors Program?

Many developers already talk about Clever Cloud in their own words, in their own contexts:
presenting real-world use cases, building demos for meetups, writing articles or documentation, helping others get started.

Until now, these relationships existed informally. The Ambassadors program is a way to formalize this collaboration without changing its nature: no scripts, no obligations, no marketing pressure.

Our goal is simple: strengthen the link between Clever Cloud and its community, make it easier for developers to share their work, and ensure feedback flows both ways.

What Is the Clever Cloud Ambassadors Program?

The Clever Cloud Ambassadors program brings together developers who:

• actively use Clever Cloud,
• enjoy sharing technical knowledge,
• and contribute to developer communities.

The program is inspired by initiatives like Google Developer Experts, Microsoft MVPs, or GitLab Heroes — but adapted to Clever Cloud’s culture: small, technical, and human-sized.

Ambassadors benefit from:

• direct exchanges with Clever Cloud’s tech, product, and DevRel teams,
• platform credits to build demos and experiment freely,
• free access to Clever Cloud certifications,
• swag and community recognition,
• and support when speaking at conferences or meetups.

In return, we simply ask ambassadors to keep doing what they already do: build, share, and give honest feedback.

How the Program Works

The program is organized in annual cohorts.

Participation is voluntary and non-contractual. There are no quotas, no KPIs, and no required messaging. Ambassadors contribute in ways that fit their interests and availability: talks, articles, demos, workshops, or community support.

Just as important, the program is a two-way street: ambassadors help spread real-world knowledge of Clever Cloud, Clever Cloud listens, learns, and improves based on their feedback.

Authenticity matters more than reach.

Introducing the First Cohort

We deliberately chose to start small.

For this first iteration, we invited a limited number of community members to form a pilot cohort. Some immediately accepted, some declined out of humility (“I love Clever Cloud, but I don’t use it enough”), and others are still considering.

This response already reflects the kind of culture we want to build: honest, thoughtful, and grounded in real usage.

This first cohort will help us validate the format, refine the program, and shape how it evolves over time.

Meet the Clever Cloud Ambassadors

We are proud to introduce the first Clever Cloud Ambassadors.

Each of them brings a different background, set of skills, and perspective — from backend and frontend development to DevOps, cloud-native architectures, and community building.

Mathieu Ancelin

David Caussinus

Ludovic Piot

Sébastien Prunier

Mathieu Santostefano

Matthieu Vincent

Over the coming weeks, we will publish a short interview with each ambassador. These posts will give them the opportunity to share their background, how they use Clever Cloud, what they like to build, and why community involvement matters to them.

A Program Designed to Evolve

This program is intentionally iterative.

Over the coming months, we will experiment with formats and rhythms, listen closely to ambassador feedback, adjust benefits and interactions, and improve how the program supports both ambassadors and the broader community.

We prefer doing this right rather than doing it big.

Opening the program more widely may come later, but only once we are confident that it remains meaningful and authentic.

Want to Get Involved?

At this stage, the Clever Cloud Ambassadors program is invite-only.

That said, the best way to become an ambassador has always been the same: build things with Clever Cloud, share your experience, participate in the community, and engage with others.

We are always paying attention.

If you are curious, want to follow the program, or simply want to share what you are building, feel free to reach out or join our community spaces.

What is DevRel?

Developer Relations (DevRel) is about building bridges between tech companies and developers. The goal is to help developers better understand, use, and get the most out of the tools available to them, while also ensuring that companies improve their products through real user feedback.

DevRel typically involves several key activities:

• Content creation – blog posts, documentation, tutorials, and technical guides.
• Community engagement – participating in events, meetups, forums, and online discussions.
• Developer support – answering questions, providing guidance, and sharing best practices.
• Product feedback – relaying insights from developers to internal teams for continuous improvement.

At Clever Cloud, we take a different approach to DevRel: instead of making it the responsibility of just one team, we believe it should be a company-wide effort.

DevRel and Clever Cloud

Developer Relations (DevRel) is more than a role or department at Clever Cloud—it’s a philosophy embedded in how we engage with developers. We believe that helping developers is the best way to improve the ecosystem, and we take a unique approach: DevRel is not the responsibility of a single team, but rather a shared effort across the company.

In this post, we’ll explore why DevRel matters to us, our guiding philosophy, why we support developer communities, and how every Clever Cloud employee is encouraged to contribute to DevRel in their own way.

Why DevRel Matters to Clever Cloud

Clever Cloud exists to help developers deploy and run their applications without friction. But great technology alone isn’t enough—we need to ensure that developers can understand, adopt, and make the most of what we build. That’s where DevRel comes in.

DevRel helps us:

• Bridge the gap between engineering and developers: We turn technical expertise into accessible knowledge.
• Improve our platform: Direct interactions with developers provide valuable feedback.
• Strengthen our ecosystem: Engaging with communities helps build long-term trust and advocacy.
• Ensure developers succeed: Their success is our success, and DevRel helps them navigate the challenges they face.

Our DevRel Philosophy

At Clever Cloud, our approach to DevRel is shaped by a few core principles:

1. Honest, Useful Content

We don’t do marketing-driven, hype-filled DevRel. Instead, we focus on useful, technical content that genuinely helps developers—whether or not they use our platform.

2. Helping First, Selling Later

Our goal is to support developers without pushing our product. We write blog posts, contribute to open-source projects, and share knowledge because we believe in giving back to the community. The more we help, the more developers trust us, and some will naturally become Clever Cloud users.

3. Community-Driven, Not Self-Centered

We don’t try to own the conversation. Instead, we engage where developers already are—meetups, conferences, online forums—and participate as peers, not promoters.

4. Learning and Teaching

DevRel isn’t just about broadcasting knowledge; it’s also about listening and learning. Engaging with developers helps us improve our platform and understand real-world challenges better.

Why We Support Developer Communities

We believe that strong developer communities make the entire industry better. By sharing knowledge, supporting events, and contributing to open source, we help create an environment where developers thrive.

Here’s why it matters:

• Developers need spaces to learn and grow: Community-driven learning is powerful.
• Open knowledge benefits everyone: The more we share, the better tools and best practices become.
• Long-term trust beats short-term gains: By supporting developers, we build lasting relationships rather than chasing quick wins.

DevRel as a Shared Responsibility

At Clever Cloud, DevRel isn’t just for the DevRel team—it’s something every employee can (and should) be part of, regardless of their main role. We encourage and support everyone to contribute in ways that fit their expertise and comfort level.

How Non-DevRel Roles Contribute:

• Engineers write technical blog posts about the challenges they solve.
• Support and sales teams share insights from customer interactions.
• Product teams participate in community discussions and gather feedback.
• Everyone engages with developers on social media, conferences, and forums.

By distributing DevRel across the company, we get more diverse voices, authentic perspectives, and deeper technical expertise in our developer engagement.

How We Make It Work

To encourage company-wide DevRel participation, we:

• Support employees in writing and speaking by providing guidance and mentoring.
• Make time for contributions so DevRel isn’t just “extra work.”
• Provide internal platforms for knowledge-sharing (like internal tech talks and documentation improvements).
• Encourage open-source contributions as a way of engaging with developers.

Conclusion

At Clever Cloud, Developer Relations is more than a job title—it’s a shared effort to help developers succeed. By making DevRel a company-wide initiative, we amplify our impact, ensure authenticity, and build stronger connections with the developer community.

We’d love to hear from you! Whether it’s through blog posts, meetups, conferences, or open-source discussions, let’s keep the conversation going. Follow our blog, join us at events, and connect with us online.