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Cover Letter: Developer Relations Engineer

Thursday, October 30th, 2025

Dear ElevenLabs Team,

I'm applying for the Developer Relations Engineer role because I've been using ElevenLabs extensively this year and I'm genuinely impressed by what you've built.

I've integrated ElevenLabs into multiple apps I’ve built. The quality of the voice models, the execution speed, and the many use cases for audio AI - this is technology that makes developers want to build.

I spent four years as a software engineer at Google Cloud.  I stopped coding full time to explore entrepreneurship, community building, developer relations, and helping startups tell their stories.

But since last year, I've been deep into building rapidly with AI tools. And I recently graduated top of my class at Gauntlet AI, an AI-first coding bootcamp.

I think I could add a lot of value to ElevenLabs as someone who is passionate about your product in particular and excited about the many possibilities of audio AI.

Why I'm a Fit​

While I haven't held an official "Developer Relations Engineer" title before, I have a proven track record of identifying transformative projects early and building genuine excitement around them. I've consistently turned niche concepts into thriving communities across diverse domains:

I'm a Proven Community Builder​

  • Pop-up cities: Contributed to Zuzalu and launched Edge City Denver 2024—a seven-day developer event with 3,000+ attendees and 4.6/5 average satisfaction. I designed the programming, recruited speakers, and built the buzz that brought developers together.
  • Airchat: Brought in hundreds of early users into Naval Ravikant's voice-first social network (that has since shut down)
  • Web3 ecosystem: Secured support from Ethereum Foundation and Celo to train youth in web3, grew Gitcoin Passport user base substantially through ecosystem marketing (200,000 to 1M users)
  • AI and education: Orchestrated complex stakeholder events building excitement in Austin's tech scene
  • Tropical house music: Built a popular brand on SoundCloud (110,000 subscribers) and booked breakthrough artists like Dom Dolla for his first US show
  • Democracy reform: Built a youth nonprofit that trained thousands globally (years before Andrew Yang made democracy reform his focus)
  • Police brutality awareness: Grew one of the largest Facebook pages to 800,000 followers

The pattern is clear: I identify transformative projects early and know how to build genuine excitement that drives adoption. I can do it again with ElevenLabs.

I Bring Technical Fluency + Content Creation​

I write code. I have a strong full-stack engineering skillset with an eye for design, and I leverage AI coding tools extensively.

I've created demos, tutorials, and technical content. I understand how to identify where users are getting stuck and ship what they need to succeed.

I take a product-minded approach to content. I understand metrics, speak to users, decide what to build based on needs, and double down on what works.

I'm passionate about writing engaging technical content that helps developers understand complex topics and build great products.

I'm Energized by In-Person Community Building​

I love attending, organizing, and speaking at developer events. I'm energized by connecting with developers face-to-face and tailoring messaging for different audiences - whether that's developers, startup accelerators, or VCs.

I'm well connected in developer communities and know how to build strong networks. I've worked with developers, startups, and ecosystem partners across crypto, AI, and education technology.

The Ask​

I care about the opportunity to work on something meaningful, learn fast, and help make ElevenLabs the obvious choice for developers building with audio AI.

I'm confident I can deliver meaningful impact quickly. I understand developers, I know how to create compelling technical content, and I'm energized by the face-to-face community building that drives adoption.

I appreciate your consideration and the opportunity to share why I believe I'd be a great addition to the ElevenLabs team.

Gary Sheng