Simulate a Startup Team with Luciano and Maya

Get to Know This Group

About This Group

What this group is

This is an in-person Build and Brew group in Austin, one of the groups NextWork runs to help learners build AI projects together instead of alone. It meets weekly.

Every Build and Brew group has two key roles.

• The Build Master brings the project and leads the build.
• The Brew Master keeps the vibe and makes sure people actually want to come back.

You show up, you build something real, and you leave with something you made. Not a lecture. Not a networking event. A build session.

What is a Build and Brew group?

Every Build and Brew has two roles: the Build Master is the quest-giver who brings the project ready to go, and the Brew Master is the keeper of the vibe who brings the brews and sets the ambiance.

The format is designed so that building and socializing happen at the same time. You're never just listening, and you're never building alone.

The rules of the table

This group expects consistency. Consistency is the thing that makes it work.

The same people show up week after week. You learn each other's strengths and build on what you shipped last time.

Over time, you stop being strangers and start being a team. Showing up is how you actually get better.

Why does consistency matter so much?

Build and Brew groups are designed for people who want accountability. The group holds you to showing up because the projects build on each other, and your teammates count on you being there.

If you're looking for something you attend when you feel like it, this group will feel like a mismatch. If you want a group that helps you actually ship, this is the one.

Your first session: logistics and what to bring

Here's when and where the group meets.

Your first session follows the standard format: meet the group, build alongside them, and share what you made at the end. Here's what to bring.

• Your laptop and charger.
• A friendly attitude and whatever you want to drink.

Luciano brings the project

You do not need to prepare a project or come with an idea. Your Build Master, Luciano, brings the project each week. You bring the laptop.

Meet Your Build Masters

Now you know about the group, it's time to meet the fantastic Build & Brew Masters that will be taking care of you!

Meet Luciano Aldana, your Build Master

Luciano is a senior software engineer with over 15 years of experience, and is currently the Vice President Sr Lead Software Engineer at J.P. Morgan. Outside of that, he's building Octonions, his own multi-agent AI system!

Luciano's focus topics include harness engineering and using AI in unorthodox ways. You bet that he loves bringing these ideas to his Build & Brew group, alongside real production engineering experience.

Fun fact: Luciano also brings a working obsession with how humans and AI agents actually collaborate. That obsession is where his Build & Brew group idea comes from. Luciano's plan for the group is a multiplayer, collaborative build where each member plays a role: designer, developer, PM, and more.

The goal is to simulate what it's actually like to ship something at a startup.

Meet Maya Menon, your Brew Master

Maya is a founding member the NextWork team and runs our community. There is truly no one better than her to talk about NextWork, the people in it, and how you can get started.

Fun fact: Maya has a background in academia!

Maya holds a Ph.D. in engineering education, completed a postdoc, and has published research on how people learn. She joined NextWork to build what the research had been pointing to for 40 years: learning that's hands-on, project-based, and done alongside other people.

We couldn't be luckier to have Maya build NextWork's community pillar that's solving the problem of learning alone.

Maya champions that a great learning experience is one where everyone feels included, supported and welcome. Outside of building AI projects and running the NextWork community, you'll catch her enjoying Bollywood music, karaoke, and yoga!

Secret mission

Pick Your Role

Luciano's multiplayer build assigns each member a role: designer, developer, PM, or something else that fits the team. Picking yours before your first session means you show up ready to contribute, not spectate.

Nice Work!

Nice Work!

You're all set to walk into your first Austin Build and Brew session knowing the group, the leaders, and the expectations. No awkward orientation needed.