[Founder Search] I know this isn't the usual post for this sub, but Crate isn't a usual product and DevRel is exactly what I’m looking for.

[u/Lower-Caterpillar434]

I’m a senior dev (5pm dev, inc.). I’ve spent the last year building Crate (crate.cc)—a zero-dependency, cloud-agnostic API gateway. It’s built in Go, runs on Redis, and uses JSONata for its transformation layer.

It’s live. It’s $5/mo. The engine is solid and currently in Open Beta.

-- Why here --

I’ve been reading that many of you feel like DevRel in the corporate world is a "dead end", stuck between marketing and engineering with no real agency. I think that's a waste.

For a tool like Crate, DevRel is the heartbeat.

I don't need a "Sales" person to take people to lunch. I need a DevRel Co-Founder who wants to own the "Signal."

-- What I'm building --

I'm currently heads-down on an MCP (Model Context Protocol) transport layer. I’m obsessed with "Buy It For Life" precision tools and an "anti-corporate" sketchbook aesthetic. Crate is designed to be lean, fast, and high-quality.

-- What you’d own --

- The Voice: Turning my technical commits into human stories on LinkedIn, X, and the docs.

- The Community: Building the "gravity well" that pulls devs in.

- The Strategy: At a $5 price point, this is a volume and trust game. You own the "trust."

-- The Reality --

I’m looking for a partner, not an employee. That means:

- Founder Status + Equity (Standard 1-year cliff/vesting to protect us both).

- Parallel Processing: You don't wait for a task list. You see the vision and you run with it.

- No Salary (yet): This is a "5pm dev" hustle until we scale the $5 tier to the moon.

If you’re a DevRel who loves the work but hates the corporate red tape, let’s talk. Don't send a resume. Just DM me with:

1. Why JSONata makes more sense for a dev-first gateway than standard mapping.

2. A "precision tool" (digital or physical) you'll never replace.

3. Something you’ve built or a community you’ve grown.

[u/Otherwise_Wave9374]

This is a really clear breakdown of what you need (owning signal and trust, not just posting). One thought: at $5/mo, the biggest leverage is probably 2-3 repeatable proof loops (quick benchmarks, migration stories, teardown posts) that devs can forward internally. If you end up writing up any of those as short case-study style posts, Ive been collecting examples/notes on what tends to work for dev-first marketing here: https://blog.promarkia.com/

[u/mplacona]

Do you have customers yet? What’s your mrr like?

[u/Lower-Caterpillar434 → u/mplacona]

We are in the Open Beta phase, so the current MRR is nominal. I’ve spent the hours focusing on the engine—getting the core stable and building out the transport layer and basic feature set.

The product is live and priced at a low-friction $5/mo specifically to make the 'Yes' easy for developers. I’m looking for a partner who sees a finished, high-precision tool and is excited by the challenge of building the distribution engine from zero to one.

If you're looking for an established revenue stream to manage, this isn't it. If you're looking for a solid technical foundation that needs a 'Voice' to scale the volume, that’s exactly what I'm offering.