Mark Birch, Community Builder
@markbirch.bsky.social
Startup founder; startup ecosystem expert; Author of Community-in-a-Box; need help with your #community? Dm me 😊
Whenever I get stuck on something, I find a whiteboard ⬜
Sometimes I have a lot of conflicting ideas in my mind, and a whiteboard helps to get them out of my head.
After an hour or two of furiously scribbling words, shapes & arrows, I can step back and begin to visualize the idea more clearly.
Sometimes I have a lot of conflicting ideas in my mind, and a whiteboard helps to get them out of my head.
After an hour or two of furiously scribbling words, shapes & arrows, I can step back and begin to visualize the idea more clearly.
October 15, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Whenever I get stuck on something, I find a whiteboard ⬜
Sometimes I have a lot of conflicting ideas in my mind, and a whiteboard helps to get them out of my head.
After an hour or two of furiously scribbling words, shapes & arrows, I can step back and begin to visualize the idea more clearly.
Sometimes I have a lot of conflicting ideas in my mind, and a whiteboard helps to get them out of my head.
After an hour or two of furiously scribbling words, shapes & arrows, I can step back and begin to visualize the idea more clearly.
One of the highlights of teaching at NCCU was visiting startups on campus💡
I met a drone entrepreneur, a student startup launching scooters, and an artist doing building cool stuff with paper.
It's an entrepreneurial environment for builders to launch startups🚀
I met a drone entrepreneur, a student startup launching scooters, and an artist doing building cool stuff with paper.
It's an entrepreneurial environment for builders to launch startups🚀
October 14, 2025 at 1:20 AM
One of the highlights of teaching at NCCU was visiting startups on campus💡
I met a drone entrepreneur, a student startup launching scooters, and an artist doing building cool stuff with paper.
It's an entrepreneurial environment for builders to launch startups🚀
I met a drone entrepreneur, a student startup launching scooters, and an artist doing building cool stuff with paper.
It's an entrepreneurial environment for builders to launch startups🚀
What better way to spend the weekend than checking out startup pitches 😂
I shared some thoughts on the need for community for Taiwanese startups to accelerate their GTM during their final session of an entrepreneurship course.
Thanks for having me, it was a blast meeting the startups!
I shared some thoughts on the need for community for Taiwanese startups to accelerate their GTM during their final session of an entrepreneurship course.
Thanks for having me, it was a blast meeting the startups!
October 13, 2025 at 1:20 AM
What better way to spend the weekend than checking out startup pitches 😂
I shared some thoughts on the need for community for Taiwanese startups to accelerate their GTM during their final session of an entrepreneurship course.
Thanks for having me, it was a blast meeting the startups!
I shared some thoughts on the need for community for Taiwanese startups to accelerate their GTM during their final session of an entrepreneurship course.
Thanks for having me, it was a blast meeting the startups!
🦁 I'm super excited to be back in Cape Town this week 👋
I will be hosting a masterclass on community growth strategies. Then I speak at AWS Community Day South Africa on the topic of "Community as Code"😉
If you have any recs on places to visit or eat, LMK😁
See you soon Cape Town!
I will be hosting a masterclass on community growth strategies. Then I speak at AWS Community Day South Africa on the topic of "Community as Code"😉
If you have any recs on places to visit or eat, LMK😁
See you soon Cape Town!
September 15, 2025 at 6:34 PM
🦁 I'm super excited to be back in Cape Town this week 👋
I will be hosting a masterclass on community growth strategies. Then I speak at AWS Community Day South Africa on the topic of "Community as Code"😉
If you have any recs on places to visit or eat, LMK😁
See you soon Cape Town!
I will be hosting a masterclass on community growth strategies. Then I speak at AWS Community Day South Africa on the topic of "Community as Code"😉
If you have any recs on places to visit or eat, LMK😁
See you soon Cape Town!
Spent some time tonight at the 9/11 memorial.
People say never forget. I say learn from this moment so we can have a more hopeful and caring future.
People say never forget. I say learn from this moment so we can have a more hopeful and caring future.
September 12, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Spent some time tonight at the 9/11 memorial.
People say never forget. I say learn from this moment so we can have a more hopeful and caring future.
People say never forget. I say learn from this moment so we can have a more hopeful and caring future.
⏰ 3:59AM wakeup. Cold shower. Espresso IPO (3 cups). 1,000 pushups. Meditate on valuation multiples. Sprint plan in Notion w/ my Japanese fountain pen. Founder mode!!!
LOL, forget the hustle theater—let’s build things that last 💪
LOL, forget the hustle theater—let’s build things that last 💪
September 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
⏰ 3:59AM wakeup. Cold shower. Espresso IPO (3 cups). 1,000 pushups. Meditate on valuation multiples. Sprint plan in Notion w/ my Japanese fountain pen. Founder mode!!!
LOL, forget the hustle theater—let’s build things that last 💪
LOL, forget the hustle theater—let’s build things that last 💪
Was at Innovation City Cape Town last November for an event.
It was a business matching session.
I was in town to give a talk, and the team invited me to join.
Ended up manning the AWS table, even though I just left AWS 😅
It was all good, made some good connections 😁
It was a business matching session.
I was in town to give a talk, and the team invited me to join.
Ended up manning the AWS table, even though I just left AWS 😅
It was all good, made some good connections 😁
September 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Was at Innovation City Cape Town last November for an event.
It was a business matching session.
I was in town to give a talk, and the team invited me to join.
Ended up manning the AWS table, even though I just left AWS 😅
It was all good, made some good connections 😁
It was a business matching session.
I was in town to give a talk, and the team invited me to join.
Ended up manning the AWS table, even though I just left AWS 😅
It was all good, made some good connections 😁
Stop burning cash on stale growth tactics👎
🔥 Build communities that sell for you instead
I grew a community from zero to 30K members across 24 cities with major impact!
I'm in Cape Town Sept 18th to share my playbook of Community Flywheel + 11 step process + real metrics💡
trib.co/innocitytalk
🔥 Build communities that sell for you instead
I grew a community from zero to 30K members across 24 cities with major impact!
I'm in Cape Town Sept 18th to share my playbook of Community Flywheel + 11 step process + real metrics💡
trib.co/innocitytalk
September 10, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Stop burning cash on stale growth tactics👎
🔥 Build communities that sell for you instead
I grew a community from zero to 30K members across 24 cities with major impact!
I'm in Cape Town Sept 18th to share my playbook of Community Flywheel + 11 step process + real metrics💡
trib.co/innocitytalk
🔥 Build communities that sell for you instead
I grew a community from zero to 30K members across 24 cities with major impact!
I'm in Cape Town Sept 18th to share my playbook of Community Flywheel + 11 step process + real metrics💡
trib.co/innocitytalk
This is the real startup mantra
Courtesy of Charles Bukowski
Courtesy of Charles Bukowski
September 9, 2025 at 6:36 PM
This is the real startup mantra
Courtesy of Charles Bukowski
Courtesy of Charles Bukowski
Sometimes you just need to take a break to recharge 🔋
I get reenergized in the mountains ⛰️ - hiking, fresh air, clearing my mind.
Tired of hustle culture telling us to work 15-hour days. That's just performative burnout waiting to happen.
Work hard, yes. But rest so you can scale new heights 🏔️
I get reenergized in the mountains ⛰️ - hiking, fresh air, clearing my mind.
Tired of hustle culture telling us to work 15-hour days. That's just performative burnout waiting to happen.
Work hard, yes. But rest so you can scale new heights 🏔️
September 2, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Sometimes you just need to take a break to recharge 🔋
I get reenergized in the mountains ⛰️ - hiking, fresh air, clearing my mind.
Tired of hustle culture telling us to work 15-hour days. That's just performative burnout waiting to happen.
Work hard, yes. But rest so you can scale new heights 🏔️
I get reenergized in the mountains ⛰️ - hiking, fresh air, clearing my mind.
Tired of hustle culture telling us to work 15-hour days. That's just performative burnout waiting to happen.
Work hard, yes. But rest so you can scale new heights 🏔️
Winged my demo last week. It worked but was forgettable🤦♂️
Fixing bugs an hour before stage, no prep, pure improv in front of 100 people.
Delivered "meh" when i could've been memorable.
Talent saves you from disaster but only prep creates WOW moments.
What's your worst "winging it" story?
Fixing bugs an hour before stage, no prep, pure improv in front of 100 people.
Delivered "meh" when i could've been memorable.
Talent saves you from disaster but only prep creates WOW moments.
What's your worst "winging it" story?
August 18, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Winged my demo last week. It worked but was forgettable🤦♂️
Fixing bugs an hour before stage, no prep, pure improv in front of 100 people.
Delivered "meh" when i could've been memorable.
Talent saves you from disaster but only prep creates WOW moments.
What's your worst "winging it" story?
Fixing bugs an hour before stage, no prep, pure improv in front of 100 people.
Delivered "meh" when i could've been memorable.
Talent saves you from disaster but only prep creates WOW moments.
What's your worst "winging it" story?
👨🏻💻So I demoed last night at the PicCollage AI Demo Night, showed off tools I built to help me scale as a solo founder.
Shout as well to my Taiwan Gold Card friends at our monthly happy hour my good buddy Anuraag from NYC to talk about AI adoption in the enterprise!
Shout as well to my Taiwan Gold Card friends at our monthly happy hour my good buddy Anuraag from NYC to talk about AI adoption in the enterprise!
August 15, 2025 at 12:39 AM
👨🏻💻So I demoed last night at the PicCollage AI Demo Night, showed off tools I built to help me scale as a solo founder.
Shout as well to my Taiwan Gold Card friends at our monthly happy hour my good buddy Anuraag from NYC to talk about AI adoption in the enterprise!
Shout as well to my Taiwan Gold Card friends at our monthly happy hour my good buddy Anuraag from NYC to talk about AI adoption in the enterprise!
Great food discovery at a local weekend fair, a NJ shop that does a solid Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich 🙌
August 12, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Great food discovery at a local weekend fair, a NJ shop that does a solid Nashville Hot Chicken sandwich 🙌
Looking back to my first visit to Finland with 42Geeks, what an awesome experience and so much amazing tech being built there!
August 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Looking back to my first visit to Finland with 42Geeks, what an awesome experience and so much amazing tech being built there!
😴 "Slept like baby. Woke every 2hrs and cried." Ben Horowitz.
Work-life balance is not thing in early-stage startups.
3 factors that matter: fast decisions, passion through difficulties, luck on timing.
www.foundersinthecloud.com/p/hard-thing...
Work-life balance is not thing in early-stage startups.
3 factors that matter: fast decisions, passion through difficulties, luck on timing.
www.foundersinthecloud.com/p/hard-thing...
August 1, 2025 at 1:20 AM
😴 "Slept like baby. Woke every 2hrs and cried." Ben Horowitz.
Work-life balance is not thing in early-stage startups.
3 factors that matter: fast decisions, passion through difficulties, luck on timing.
www.foundersinthecloud.com/p/hard-thing...
Work-life balance is not thing in early-stage startups.
3 factors that matter: fast decisions, passion through difficulties, luck on timing.
www.foundersinthecloud.com/p/hard-thing...
Remembering that time I went to a dinner and the slices of cake were bigger than my head 🤣
July 31, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Remembering that time I went to a dinner and the slices of cake were bigger than my head 🤣
So awesome catching up with folks this week in Taipei😊
Hit the AWS Summit Taipei 2025✌
Mingled with friends at the 11Fleet event 🤝
Spoke at the Light Dao event on community building🎤
The warmth, welcome & collaborative spirit of Taiwan is real ❤️
Hit the AWS Summit Taipei 2025✌
Mingled with friends at the 11Fleet event 🤝
Spoke at the Light Dao event on community building🎤
The warmth, welcome & collaborative spirit of Taiwan is real ❤️
July 31, 2025 at 1:20 AM
So awesome catching up with folks this week in Taipei😊
Hit the AWS Summit Taipei 2025✌
Mingled with friends at the 11Fleet event 🤝
Spoke at the Light Dao event on community building🎤
The warmth, welcome & collaborative spirit of Taiwan is real ❤️
Hit the AWS Summit Taipei 2025✌
Mingled with friends at the 11Fleet event 🤝
Spoke at the Light Dao event on community building🎤
The warmth, welcome & collaborative spirit of Taiwan is real ❤️
你好 from AWS Summit Taipei ✌️
Let me know if you're here 😀
Let me know if you're here 😀
July 29, 2025 at 1:45 AM
你好 from AWS Summit Taipei ✌️
Let me know if you're here 😀
Let me know if you're here 😀
🤔Is your talent program just a pipeline or a community?
When I go to Taiwan Gold Card events, I feel I am part of a community that cares🤗
The Gold Card not only attracts highly talented professionals, but also helps them get settled and thrive in a community!
When I go to Taiwan Gold Card events, I feel I am part of a community that cares🤗
The Gold Card not only attracts highly talented professionals, but also helps them get settled and thrive in a community!
July 21, 2025 at 1:20 AM
🤔Is your talent program just a pipeline or a community?
When I go to Taiwan Gold Card events, I feel I am part of a community that cares🤗
The Gold Card not only attracts highly talented professionals, but also helps them get settled and thrive in a community!
When I go to Taiwan Gold Card events, I feel I am part of a community that cares🤗
The Gold Card not only attracts highly talented professionals, but also helps them get settled and thrive in a community!
💻 "The challenge with startup CTO? The role changes as you scale."
As someone who has lived the role, Peter Bell shared 4 stages of the startup CTO’s.
Peter's CTO playbook: foundersinthecloud.com/p/startup-ct...
If you are a startup CTO, what has been the hardest stage for you?
As someone who has lived the role, Peter Bell shared 4 stages of the startup CTO’s.
Peter's CTO playbook: foundersinthecloud.com/p/startup-ct...
If you are a startup CTO, what has been the hardest stage for you?
July 15, 2025 at 1:20 AM
💻 "The challenge with startup CTO? The role changes as you scale."
As someone who has lived the role, Peter Bell shared 4 stages of the startup CTO’s.
Peter's CTO playbook: foundersinthecloud.com/p/startup-ct...
If you are a startup CTO, what has been the hardest stage for you?
As someone who has lived the role, Peter Bell shared 4 stages of the startup CTO’s.
Peter's CTO playbook: foundersinthecloud.com/p/startup-ct...
If you are a startup CTO, what has been the hardest stage for you?
Some exploration of Hualien, super chill town, lots of low-key interesting and beautiful sights. The mountain backdrop is stunning 😍
June 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Some exploration of Hualien, super chill town, lots of low-key interesting and beautiful sights. The mountain backdrop is stunning 😍
Tried pizza in Taipei at two different places, pretty decent!
First photo is Gira Pizza and the second is Casanova Osteria. Both tend to get busy, so book ahead of time.
First photo is Gira Pizza and the second is Casanova Osteria. Both tend to get busy, so book ahead of time.
June 2, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Tried pizza in Taipei at two different places, pretty decent!
First photo is Gira Pizza and the second is Casanova Osteria. Both tend to get busy, so book ahead of time.
First photo is Gira Pizza and the second is Casanova Osteria. Both tend to get busy, so book ahead of time.
Reminders of how close Kyiv came to falling in the early day of the Russian invasion, and the trail and death and destruction they have caused.
May 25, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Reminders of how close Kyiv came to falling in the early day of the Russian invasion, and the trail and death and destruction they have caused.
Hung out at the seat of government of Estonia and met the finance advisor for the Prime Minister.
Super interesting to hear from a government official on the Estonian economic miracle.
Super interesting to hear from a government official on the Estonian economic miracle.
May 24, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Hung out at the seat of government of Estonia and met the finance advisor for the Prime Minister.
Super interesting to hear from a government official on the Estonian economic miracle.
Super interesting to hear from a government official on the Estonian economic miracle.
Excellent Ukranian meal at SHO, a moden and sleek restaurant. Enjoyed everything, especially the borscht.
May 22, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Excellent Ukranian meal at SHO, a moden and sleek restaurant. Enjoyed everything, especially the borscht.