Community Involvement

Engaging with and giving back to the tech community

Community Involvement

Building stronger tech communities together

Our Community Philosophy

At chen.ist, we believe that thriving technology communities benefit everyone. We are committed to active participation in the tech ecosystem through knowledge sharing, open-source contributions, mentorship, and educational initiatives. Our community involvement goes beyond business networking—it’s about strengthening the foundations of the technology field and making it more accessible, diverse, and innovative.

Open Source Contributions

We actively contribute to the open-source community, both through our own projects and by supporting existing initiatives:

SecurityScan

Open Source Project

An automated security scanning tool for web applications that helps developers identify vulnerabilities during the development process.

  • Over 150,000 downloads
  • 500+ GitHub stars
  • 30+ contributors from the community
  • Used by organizations worldwide
View on GitHub

CloudCostMonitor

Open Source Project

A tool for monitoring and optimizing cloud spending across major cloud providers. Helps organizations identify waste and reduce unnecessary costs.

  • Used by 200+ organizations
  • 400+ GitHub stars
  • Comprehensive documentation and guides
  • Regular maintenance and updates
View on GitHub

DevSecurity Guide

Open Source Resource

A comprehensive guide to secure development practices, covering everything from code security to deployment safety.

  • Free, regularly updated resource
  • Translated into 5 languages
  • Used in university courses worldwide
  • Available in multiple formats (web, PDF, e-book)
View on GitHub

Core Library Contributions

Community Support

Our engineers regularly contribute to popular open-source projects used in our work:

  • Security patches for popular web frameworks
  • Performance improvements for database libraries
  • Documentation enhancements for cloud tooling
  • Bug fixes for widely-used development tools
View Our GitHub Profile

Events & Meetups

We organize and sponsor tech events to facilitate knowledge sharing and community building:

SecureDev Conference

Annual Event

Our flagship annual conference focused on secure development practices, bringing together experts from around the world to share knowledge and best practices.

  • 500+ attendees from 20+ countries
  • 30+ expert speakers
  • Workshops, presentations, and hands-on labs
  • Live streaming for global participation
  • Scholarship program for underrepresented groups
Learn More

Next Event

Date: October 15-16, 2025

Location: Bucharest & Online

Theme: Securing the Future: AI, Cloud, and Beyond

Register Interest

Cloud Optimization Meetup

Monthly

A monthly gathering of cloud practitioners focused on sharing strategies for optimizing cloud infrastructure for performance, cost, and security.

  • Hybrid format (in-person and online)
  • Practice-oriented with real-world examples
  • Community-driven topic selection
  • Recordings available for all sessions

Next meetup: July 20, 2025

View Schedule

Code & Coffee

Weekly

Informal weekly coding sessions where developers can work on personal projects, collaborate, or get help with technical challenges in a supportive environment.

  • Open to all skill levels
  • Expert mentors available for guidance
  • Focus on collaborative problem-solving
  • Special themed sessions for different technologies

Schedule: Every Saturday, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Learn More

Educational Initiatives

We believe in nurturing the next generation of technology professionals through various educational initiatives:

CodeStart Bootcamp

Biannual Program

A free 8-week coding bootcamp for young adults from underrepresented groups in technology, focusing on practical skills for employment.

  • 150+ graduates since inception
  • 85% job placement rate within 6 months
  • Mentorship from industry professionals
  • Partnerships with tech companies for internships

Next cohort: September 2025

Program Details

Computer Club

Year-round Program

A technology club for school-age children that introduces them to programming, robotics, and digital creativity in a fun, interactive environment.

  • Programs for different age groups (8-18)
  • Hands-on projects and challenges
  • Annual hackathon for participants
  • Parent-child coding sessions

Locations: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara

Learn More

Educator Resources

Free Materials

A collection of free, open-source teaching materials for computer science education, designed for educators at all levels.

  • Curriculum guides for K-12 and university levels
  • Interactive learning modules
  • Hands-on project ideas with instructions
  • Assessment tools and rubrics
Access Resources

University Partnerships

Academic Collaboration

We collaborate with universities to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry needs.

  • Guest lectures and workshops
  • Curriculum development assistance
  • Internship programs for students
  • Research collaborations in cybersecurity and cloud computing

Partner institutions: Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, University of Bucharest, Politehnica University of Timișoara

Learn More

Mentorship Programs

We believe in the power of mentorship to accelerate growth and development:

Tech Mentorship Program

Our structured mentorship program connects experienced professionals with early-career technologists for personalized guidance and career development.

  • 6-month mentorship cycles
  • Personalized development plans
  • Regular check-ins and progress tracking
  • Focus areas include technical skills, career development, and leadership

Next cohort starts: August 2025

Apply for Mentorship

Startup Guidance Program

Technical mentorship for technology startups, helping founders navigate technical challenges and make informed architecture decisions.

  • Architecture reviews and recommendations
  • Technology stack consultations
  • Security and scalability planning
  • Technical due diligence preparation

Format: Quarterly cohorts with monthly one-on-one sessions

Program Details

Industry Partnerships

We actively collaborate with other organizations to enhance the technology ecosystem:

Our Partners

Tech Association of Romania

Industry advocacy and standards development

Digital Skills Coalition

Digital literacy and workforce development

Cybersecurity Alliance

Security awareness and education

Cloud Native Foundation

Open-source cloud technologies

Get Involved

There are many ways to engage with our community initiatives:

Attend an Event

Join our conferences, meetups, workshops, and webinars to learn and connect with other professionals.

View Calendar

Contribute

Contribute to our open-source projects or partner on community initiatives that align with your interests.

GitHub Projects

Become a Mentor

Share your knowledge and experience by becoming a mentor in one of our mentorship programs.

Apply as Mentor

Let's build a stronger tech community together

Have ideas for community collaborations? We'd love to hear from you.

Contact Our Community Team