Introduction
After nine months of meticulous planning, two days of exhilarating execution, and four months of comprehensive documentation, I’m honored to reflect on UbuCon Asia 2025—a watershed moment for open-source communities across South Asia.
This post isn’t just a report. It’s a human story of how volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and community members came together to create something extraordinary in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Pre-Event Reflections
Why This Event Mattered
When Nepal submitted its bid to host UbuCon Asia in October 2024, I remember the skepticism. People asked: “Nepal? Really?” As someone deeply invested in Nepal’s tech ecosystem, those questions stung a little. But they also fueled our determination.
For the local open-source community, hosting UbuCon Asia wasn’t just about organizing a conference. It was about validation. Nepal’s tech ecosystem is vibrant, innovative, and growing rapidly—but we’re often invisible on the global stage. Winning this bid meant the world was finally looking at us. It meant Nepal was being recognized as a peer in international FOSS conversations, not as a charity case or afterthought.
This event represented something deeper: proof that community transcends geography and resources. We didn’t have Seoul’s infrastructure or Jakarta’s established networks, but we had something equally powerful—passion, dedication, and an unwavering belief that Nepal belongs in global open-source conversations. Hosting UbuCon Asia gave us the platform to amplify stories of grassroots open-source movements from underrepresented regions. It gave 300+ students and professionals in Nepal an unprecedented opportunity to connect with international experts, see their potential, and believe they could contribute meaningfully to global projects.
My Role & Personal Expectations
As Co-lead, I accepted three interconnected responsibilities that would shape the entire event. First, financial stewardship—every single rupee had to be tracked, every sponsor relationship nurtured, every vendor negotiation won. Money was never just about logistics; it was about trust. Our sponsors were betting on Nepal’s ability to deliver, and I couldn’t let them down. Second, operational excellence—I had to build systems that would allow an 11-person core team to coordinate effectively, train 16 volunteers, and conduct rigorous daily sync meetings. Without structure, chaos would consume us. Third, cultural bridge—I needed to ensure that Nepal’s warmth, hospitality, and tech talent shone through every session, booth, and meal. The goal wasn’t just to host a conference; it was to give Nepal a voice.
Honest reflection requires admitting my fears. Lying awake at night, I asked myself brutal questions: Will 450 people actually show up, or will we have half-empty halls? Can our small, passionate team handle the complexity of international logistics—visa support, equipment imports, currency conversions? What happens if a major sponsor backs out weeks before the event? Can we maintain professional standards and quality benchmarks while keeping the community-first spirit that defines Ubuntu? These weren’t hypothetical worries. They were real, gnawing concerns that kept me awake as we approached August.
But alongside the fears was an unwavering hope. I hoped that people would leave UbuCon Asia not just educated, but transformed. That Nepali developers would see themselves as equal contributors to global projects. That international attendees would see Nepal as a peer, a partner, a place where innovation happens. That the 465 people who walked through St. Xavier’s College would carry forward the relationships, knowledge, and inspiration they gained. That’s what kept me going through the nine months of preparation.
During the Event
Day 1: August 30, 2025 - Chaos Becomes Community
7:00 AM — The Moment of Truth
St. Xavier’s College doors opened. We expected 400 attendees by 10 AM based on our registration projections, 450+ arrived by 9:30 AM.
The queues spiraled. Volunteers worked frantically. Pre-registration data was incomplete. Walk-in attendees arrived unplanned. For 30 agonizing minutes, I stood watching and thinking: This is chaos. Have we bitten off more than we can chew?
But then something magical happened—something that would define the entire event. Community members appeared without being asked. Family members of volunteers and local tech enthusiasts saw the lines and simply stepped in to help. Within 15 minutes, we had 6 additional registration helpers. By 10:30 AM, what had been a crisis was resolved into orderly flow.
This was the true spirit of UbuCon Asia 2025. Not perfect execution. Humanity in action. That morning taught me that perfection matters less than people who care enough to show up when needed.
The Opening: Aaditya’s Vision
Aaditya Singh, our Team Lead, took the stage. His opening remarks weren’t corporate-speak or rehearsed platitudes. They were a manifesto for South Asian open source:
“UbuCon Asia 2025 isn’t just a conference. It’s Nepal telling the world: ‘We belong here. Our developers matter. Our innovation matters. Open source has no borders.’”
I watched 450+ faces in that moment. Some nodded. Some recorded. Some got visibly emotional. That’s when I knew: we weren’t just hosting an event. We were starting a movement. Aaditya’s words crystallized what nine months of planning had been building toward—not a conference, but a statement that the global open-source community needs to listen to and include voices from South Asia.
The Technical Program: 35 Sessions of Excellence
18 sessions on Day 1. 3 hands-on workshops across multiple tracks. Parallel sessions guided by volunteers who understood flow and logistics. This wasn’t just scheduling—it was choreography.
Dimple Kuriakose’s (@dimple-kuriakose) Keynote (Canonical) — “Confidential Computing Demystified” hit like a lightning bolt. Here was a senior engineer from Canonical’s HQ, flying 6,000 miles to validate Nepal’s tech ecosystem. Her keynote wasn’t theoretical—it was enterprise-relevant and inspiring. I watched Nepali developers taking notes intensely, eyes widening as concepts clicked. By the end, I overheard conversations: “I never knew I could work in this space.” That’s the invisible impact of international validation.
The Ubuntu LoCo Council BoF hosted by Youngbin Han facilitated introductions between regional LoCo leaders. Participants left with tangible outcomes: 3 new local community initiatives were planned during those discussions alone. That’s the power of bringing people together intentionally.
The Panel Discussion — “Growing Ubuntu and FOSS Community - Locally and Globally” featuring Aryan Kaushik, Yush Pokharel, and Till Kamppeter (@till-kamppeter) wasn’t a lecture series. It was real talk about the challenges of building grassroots movements in underrepresented regions. Till shared OpenPrinting’s struggles. Aryan reflected on Ubuntu India’s journey. Yush Pokharel spoke about Nepal’s unique challenges. Attendees left with actionable strategies, not just inspiration.
The Booths: Where Magic Happened
Ubu4Cut Photo Booth (@choo121600 - Yeonguk Choo) was pure innovation. Yeonguk had built this booth using Ubuntu + Flutter—giving attendees something increasingly rare in digital conferences: physical, printed keepsakes.
The booth opened at 10:30 AM when the keynote ended. By 11:00 AM, a queue formed. By noon, people were waiting 45 minutes for a photo. Yeonguk stood there exhausted, printing continuously. What fascinated me was why people queued so long—in an age of digital photos, people wanted something real, something they could hold, something that proved they were part of this moment. By 5:00 PM, 250+ photos had been printed and distributed. Those prints went home with attendees. Got shared on social media. Extended the event’s reach far beyond Kathmandu’s walls.
DeepComputing Booth brought RISC-V motherboard swaps in Framework laptops. Hands-on hardware challenges. All day it was packed with enthusiasts learning by doing. Engineers explained architecture. Attendees got their hands dirty. This was learning the open-source way—practical, collaborative, community-driven. The booth tied with Ubu4Cut for “most visited,” which felt right—both emphasized learning and connection over corporate messaging.
Canonical Booth created by Dimple’s team: Mauro Gaspari (@ilvipero), Andreia Velasco (@avgomes_u), Graham Morrison (@degville) demonstrated genuine community focus. Not pushy sales tactics. Not corporate posturing. Just real conversations about opportunities within the Ubuntu ecosystem. Chocolate, Stickers, but most importantly—actual engagement. People left feeling welcomed, not marketed to.
The Daily Retrospective: Our Secret Weapon
At 6 PM on Day 1, as volunteers and organizers were exhausted, we gathered for something unconventional: a real-time retrospective. This wasn’t in any conference manual.
We asked directly: What went well? What needs fixing for tomorrow? The honesty was refreshing. We identified that staggered registration windows would help. More volunteers at room entrances. Expanded lunch service stations. We committed to fixes and documented them. Between Day 1 and Day 2, we implemented 4 concrete operational improvements. That’s not failure recovery—that’s adaptive leadership.
Day 2: August 31 - Pixel Perfect
Everything flowed better. Registration moved smoothly. Speakers started on time. Volunteers were perfectly positioned. The improvements from Day 1 had compounded.
The Keynote: “From Scratch to Summit” featured Aaditya and me (Sailesh Singh) sharing something deeply personal: how Nepal’s open-source movement rose from near-zero to global visibility. We discussed mentoring 50+ Nepal developers who now contribute to GNOME upstream projects. I reflected on how we revived Ubuntu Nepal after 13 years of dormancy. We shared failures, learnings, and why community matters more than credentials.
What moved me most was the response. People recorded on their phones. Made eye contact. Nodded in recognition of struggles they themselves faced. By the end, several attendees approached asking: “How can I contribute to GNOME and Ubuntu? How do I get involved upstream?” That’s the real metric of success—not attendance, but inspired action.
The Printer Bug: Ubuntu Ideals in Action
2:00 PM, Day 2 — Yeonguk’s photo booth printer connection died. Just like that. He panicked visibly. I watched from across the room, knowing this was a test of our community’s values.
What happened next was textbook open source. Youngbin in Seoul messaged immediately: “Bug alert! What’s happening?” Aakarshan Kapoor (@kappuccino111), a community developer, jumped in: “Let me check the driver.” Within minutes, 4 volunteers gathered. They debugged together. Code review. Hardware checks. Root cause analysis. 45 minutes later: FIXED. The USB power settings were the culprit—a simple configuration, but only found through collaborative problem-solving.
By 3:00 PM, the queue reformed. 300+ more photos were printed and distributed before the day ended.
Yeonguk later reflected profoundly: “This experience reminded me of the true meaning of Ubuntu—‘I am because we are.’ In that moment, strangers became problem-solvers. That’s not just technology; that’s the open-source spirit.”
This single incident encapsulated UbuCon Asia 2025’s essence. We didn’t face a crisis and shut down. We faced a problem and we solved it together. That’s why open source works.
The Babermahal Dinner: Connections Forged
Historic Rana-era palace. 100+ speakers, organizers, sponsors, volunteers all under one roof.
This wasn’t a formal sit-down dinner with assigned seating. It was open-format networking—exactly what was needed. I watched the human ecosystem unfold:
Till Kamppeter (OpenPrinting) was deep in conversation with local developers discussing RISC-V printing solutions. Dimple was exchanging contact information with 3 Nepali engineers, discussing potential collaboration on Confidential Computing. Youngbin was facilitating introductions between Korean tech companies and Nepali startups. Aryan was connecting sponsors with motivated student attendees eager to join FOSS projects.
Partnerships were literally being born. Friendships were being kindled. Career paths were being redirected. The dinner’s real value wasn’t the excellent food (though it was). It was unstructured time for genuine human connection. Open source ultimately succeeds not on code, but on relationships. That dinner created dozens of new ones.
The Day Trip: September 1 — Culture Meets Tech
Bhaktapur Durbar Square (UNESCO World Heritage Site) showed international attendees something they hadn’t expected to experience: Nepal’s cultural depth. Medieval architecture. Stone carvings with stories centuries old. Nepal’s cultural DNA displayed in every carved window.
I watched Yeonguk walk the longest and highest suspension bridge he’d ever encountered. His face showed equal parts fear and wonder. “Unforgettable,” he told me later, eyes still wide. International attendees photographed intricate temples, getting a visceral sense that Nepal wasn’t just mountains—it was art, heritage, and civilization.
Nagarkot Sunrise gathered us on a hill station overlooking the Himalayan range. Pure magic. The sky shifted from gray to gold to orange. We stood in silence, watching nature perform. Then Yeonguk walked to the edge and shouted: “UbuCon Asia!” The mountains echoed his voice back.
“This is what makes UbuCon Asia special. It’s not just technology—it’s culture, community, and connection. You can’t get this in a hotel conference center. This is something only Nepal can offer.”
He was right. International attendees weren’t leaving just with technical knowledge. They were leaving with memories of a place, a people, and a movement. That’s soft power. That’s cultural exchange at its finest.
Post-Event Thoughts
Key Learnings
Structure prevents crisis. The nine months of monthly planning between global and local teams created alignment that lasted through the event. When surprises came—registration bottlenecks, international logistics complexity, last-minute speaker requests—we had frameworks to handle them. Global mentors provided not just oversight but genuine wisdom. Clear roles meant people owned their domains rather than waiting for permission.
Community transcends perfection. The registration crisis on Day 1 wasn’t a failure—it was a demonstration of Ubuntu ideals. Our 16 volunteers felt like family, not staff, because we treated them as partners, not workers. When the printer broke mid-event, everyone jumped in not because it was their job, but because they cared. Imperfect execution with genuine community spirit beats flawless execution with apathy every single time.
Accessibility drives inclusion. The travel grants we allocated enabled 37 international participants to attend. The first-ever dedicated workshop track served attendees who learn through hands-on experience. The scholarship fund supported economically disadvantaged participants. Every barrier we removed created space for someone new to join us. Open source thrives when structural obstacles fall away.
Regional conferences matter in ways global ones can’t. Canonical flying Dimple to Nepal sent a message: “Your market exists. We’re investing in it.” International attendees experiencing Nepal’s culture created goodwill that transcends technology. Local developers connecting with global experts accelerates career growth and upstream contribution. We weren’t just hosting a conference. We were building bridges between Nepal and the global open-source community.
Community Impact
465 attendees across 14+ countries. But statistics don’t capture real impact. What matters is what happened next.
50+ Nepal developers are expected to contribute more actively to upstream projects after connecting with mentors at UbuCon Asia. 10 of our 11 sponsors expressed interest in hosting or sponsoring 2026—proof that Nepal’s market is attractive enough to warrant continued investment. 3 new local community initiatives were launched directly from BoF discussions at the event. 500K+ social media impressions means Nepal’s FOSS ecosystem is now visible globally.
But the deepest impact came in conversations I overheard. A student told me: “I never thought I could work for companies like Canonical. Seeing Dimple keynote, meeting engineers from Korea, realizing there are people who look like me doing this work—it changed my perspective on what’s possible.” That’s the real return on investment. That’s why these events matter. That’s why regional conferences are irreplaceable.
Personal Growth
As an organizer, I learned lessons that go beyond event management. Delegation builds leaders. That’s how movements scale. Trust accelerates execution. The moment I trusted volunteers with real responsibility rather than menial tasks, they surprised me with initiative and creativity. Transparency breeds loyalty. Publishing financial reports with independent audits, sharing both wins and challenges—this created community confidence that couldn’t have been manufactured any other way. Community matters more than credit. I could have positioned myself as the “organizer” and sought individual recognition, but our strength was distributed leadership. Every person who contributed deserves to feel like they were central to success.
Organizing Committee & Team Recognition
Global Organizers
Local Organizers
On-Site Volunteer Team (16 Heroes)
Registration & Check-in (3-4): Badge distribution, attendee welcome
Technical Support (2-3): AV setup, microphone management, projection troubleshooting
Navigation Guides (4-5): Room directions, wayfinding, attendee flow
Booth Support (3-4): Sponsor assistance, photo booth coordination, attendee engagement
To 40 Speakers
Your willingness to keynote, to present, to open your expertise—that’s what builds open-source movements.
Final Reflection
Nine months of preparation. 2 days of execution. 4 months of documentation and closure.
That’s the real timeline of UbuCon Asia 2025.
Ups and downs? Absolutely. Registration bottlenecks. Vendor delays. Equipment failures.
Chaos? Yes—every single day brought new surprises.
Hustles? Constantly. But the kind of hustle where you’d do it again in a heartbeat.
But here’s the truth I’ve learned through this entire journey:
When community shows up, anything is possible.
Open source has no borders. Nepali developers working alongside Koreans. Indians collaborating with Europeans. Locals partnering with internationals. That’s not ideology—that’s the lived reality of what we built.
We made history. Not headline history that fades in news cycles. Hearts history. The kind that lives in the people who attended, the connections they made, the inspiration they carry forward.
465 people. 14 countries. One mission: Connect. Learn. Grow.
With deepest gratitude and unwavering commitment to grassroots FOSS movements
Sailesh Singh
Co-lead & Organizer, UbuCon Asia 2025
Ubuntu Nepal, GNOME Nepal