CHALLENGE
Actian needed a partner who could:
- Establish developer marketing as a new function around VectorAI DB.
- Position the product for developers in a crowded AI infrastructure market.
- Build the acquisition and distribution channels needed to reach developers at scale.
- Create the content, programs, and experiences needed to move developers from discovery to adoption.
- Bring developer feedback into product, documentation, and onboarding decisions.
- Build the foundations for a scalable PLG motion alongside the internal team.
We looked at building out the developer relations function, but we knew that DevRel often focused more on serving existing developer needs and being completely separate from the marketing funnel. Instead, we decided to move forward with the developer marketing function, because we needed the developer expertise of DevRel combined with the content creation and funnel-building know-how of marketing. That's why we hired Hackmamba. - Jennifer Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer, Actian
SOLUTION
Hackmamba built the developer go-to-market motion around VectorAI DB across six areas:
Technical Content & Distribution
- Built implementation guides, tutorials, comparison articles, benchmarks, and thought leadership around vector databases, RAG, embeddings, and AI infrastructure.
- Distributed content through Reddit, developer communities, newsletters, and other technical channels.
- Made technical content the foundation for both developer education and acquisition.
Search & Paid Acquisition
- Built Google Ads campaigns around high-intent searches for vector databases, RAG, embeddings, and AI infrastructure.
- Ran Reddit Ads across AI, machine learning, and vector database communities.
- Retargeted visitors through LinkedIn with technical content, product updates, and documentation.
Creator & Newsletter Partnerships
- Partnered with developer creators and technical newsletters to reach established developer audiences.
Video
- Produced walkthroughs, tutorials, and implementation videos to show developers how VectorAI DB worked in practice.
Universities & Hackathons
- Ran university workshops and hackathons where developers built real projects with VectorAI DB.
- Used these programs to identify onboarding, documentation, and SDK gaps and feed developer feedback back into the product.
Developer Experience & PLG
- Worked with product, engineering, and marketing on positioning, onboarding, documentation, activation, community, and launch planning.
- Helped establish PLG foundations across licensing, developer touchpoints, and developer events.
- Helped Actian adapt pricing and messaging based on developer behavior and market changes.
Hackmamba's biggest impact came in four areas. Building trust with our leadership team to help us push for the needs of modern developers. Creating developer content that resonated because it was deeply researched and never felt AI generated. Building relationships with universities so students could try out VectorAI DB and give us early feedback on the product before launch. Helping advise on creating the foundations for our PLG motion, whether it was licensing, developer touchpoints, or the developer events that supported our launch. - Jennifer Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer, Actian
RESULTS
- Reached 300K+ developers by launch and 1M+ developers overall.
- Established search and paid acquisition as the largest source of developer acquisition.
- Built technical content into the second-largest developer acquisition channel.
- Created a developer acquisition engine spanning search, content, paid media, communities, creators, newsletters, video, universities, and hackathons.
- Turned university programs and hackathons into a continuous source of developer feedback for product and onboarding improvements.
- Established the foundations for a PLG motion, including licensing, developer touchpoints, and launch programs.
- Helped Actian transition from an external developer marketing function to an internal team, including hiring its first Head of Developer Marketing.
Hackmamba helped us successfully launch VectorAI DB. They brought three critical things we needed to bolster: deep developer marketing expertise that informed our strategy and positioning, the ability to produce high-quality technical content and videos at scale, and the relationships to activate developers through hackathons and university partnerships. Hackmamba didn't just execute a plan. They helped us build the right plan. They became an extension of our team and accelerated our entry into the developer market. - Jennifer Jackson, Chief Marketing Officer, Actian
Hackmamba helped Actian take VectorAI DB to market with a full-funnel developer marketing strategy, building awareness, capturing high-intent demand, and driving adoption through content, search, and developer-led distribution. The program reached 300K+ developers by launch and 1M+ overall.
GET DETAILS ON WHAT WE'VE DONE
