A casual tweet from Marc Lou just turned into a 100-person indie hacker meetup in
Paris
Indie hackers across Europe joined the event, including a founder who made $3.4M in 2024 with zero marketing.
What started as a casual “Hey, let’s meet up” tweet turned into a full-on indie hacker hangout at Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris on January 5th 2025.
The original hope was that 10 or so people might show up. Nope. Try 100+! Some of them even hopped on planes to be there.
The vibe? People swapping their indie hacking stories and hacks, taking selfies, and just soaking in the energy of people who probably "get you" more than your closest friends (at least when it comes to career path).
Oh, and Marc even shared some stats from the meetup:
A notable success story
A few attendees at the meetup shared their success stories. Here's my favorite:
Erikas Mališauskas, who went from freelancing on Shopify in 2016 to pulling $3.4M in 2024. No marketing, just killer Shopify apps.
The apps were so good Shopify recommended them to its customers. Free traffic, no hassle.
Takeaways from an attendee
One of the meetup attendees was Lionel Kubwimana, a French founder who builds apps and infoproducts for families from East Africa.
Here are the 10 lessons Lionel shared from the meetup:
Quality > Quantity.
Go out and meet people.
Imposter syndrome is real.
2025 goal: Build a personal brand.
Keep shipping; luck comes with action.
You'll always be ahead of or behind someone. Learn from both.
Many people earn online alongside their 9-5. It's inspiring.
Don't wait for a billion-dollar idea to launch on Product Hunt. Others do, and it's fine.
Joined @Pauline_Cx's IndieDrink Paris community on WhatsApp for even more IRL indie hacker meetups.
Without even talking much to Marc, just seeing him IRL reminded me he's a 'normal' guy who made it happen, and that's VERY motivating.
And as a bonus lesson, Lionel advised people not to mess with the security guys at Jardin du Luxembourg.
These meetups are happening all over
It's not just Paris.
Last month, over in Kerala, India, serial founder Ayush Chaturvedi got 28 indie hackers from all across India to join him for a three-day hangout!
Indie hacking is lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.
Founders advertise their meetups all the time right here on Indie Hackers (indiehackers.com/meetups). If you don't see one near your city, you can always host your own!
Have a story, tip, or trend worth covering? Tell us at [email protected].
That is why this meetup is such a great example of how online contacts can be transformed into live motivation! It’s awesome to think that more than a hundred indie hackers, telling stories and exchanging lessons. Erikas’ journey is a testimony that great products do not need an endorsement and Lionel’s takeaways are priceless. More real life enchantments in 2025, please!
Excellent coverage of life lessons
It looks good to have a great time with same likes!
This is a great example of how one small action, like a tweet, can spark something amazing.
So inspiring. And yes I do agree on two important lessons learnt: Quality > Quantity and Meet people!
Love how a casual meetup turned into an inspiring indie hacker gathering!
This is incredibly inspiring. It’s amazing how a simple tweet turned into such a vibrant meetup with indie hackers from across Europe. The supportive energy at these meetups must be unmatched. Indie hackers truly understand the grind and celebrate each other's wins. Definitely motivates me to step out, network, and keep building. Looking forward to more events like this.
To that end this meetup is a particularly incredible illustration of how online contacts can be changed into live inspiration! Believing that in excess of 100 non mainstream programmers, recounting stories and trading lessons is magnificent. Excellent coverage of life lessons. I am to learn daily from others experiences.
I've heard recently about Marc Lou and his serial entrepreneurship. Now he's gathering 100+ creators just with a single tweet. Wow! Would be great to join if I learned about it earlier...
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