Icalia Labs Blog
The changelog of
how we build.
Engineers, founders, and operators at Icalia Labs writing about nearshore teams, AI-augmented and agentic engineering, and what it takes to ship. Every entry is dated, so you can tell what we learned before the AI era from what we know now.
2026
AI era
4 articles
Rails World 2026: From Software Writers to Makers
Notes from Rails World 2026 in Austin: what DHH, Matz and Rails engineers said about AI, and why software writers are becoming software makers.
AI Engineering
How to Hire Software Engineers in Mexico: A US Guide
A practical guide for US companies hiring software engineers in Mexico: hiring models, legal setup, vetting, onboarding, and the mistakes to avoid.
Nearshore Hiring
AI-Augmented Engineering Teams: What Buyers Pay For
Every engineering partner says it uses AI. Three metrics, five questions and the review standard that separate delivery outcomes from AI hype.
AI Engineering
Pre-AI era · before 2023
Written before AI was part of how we build.
The fundamentals still hold. Tooling and workflow advice in these posts may be dated.
2021
Pre-AI era
2 articles
Pre-AI era
Adapting a distributed software team capability in Management Consulting
Argues that management consulting firms need a software development practice and explains how distributed teams help them win deals and scale.
Nearshore Hiring
Pre-AI era
The North American Block: An Unfair Advantage in Tech
Why the US, Canada and Mexico together give tech companies a strategic edge in talent and proximity, and why it remains undervalued in 2021.
Nearshore Hiring
2020
Pre-AI era
3 articles
Pre-AI era
A manifesto: the foundation for any organization
How Icalia Labs used its 7th anniversary to revisit its culture and write a company manifesto, from first draft to the final version.
Software Makers
Pre-AI era
Holistic, Agnostic & Specific at solving problems
Why being holistic, technology-agnostic and industry-specific makes software engineers and teams better at solving problems.
Forward-Deployed Engineering (FDE)
Pre-AI era
Executing a successful relationship with decentralized software partners
Key takeaways from a 2020 Austin Technology Council panel on running a successful, high-performing relationship with a remote software partner.
Nearshore Hiring
2018
Pre-AI era
1 article
2017
Pre-AI era
2 articles
Pre-AI era
Successfully Integrating the Design Sprint into a Software Development Team
How Icalia Labs integrates the Design Sprint into its design and development process, with pre-sprint workshops, templates, and post-sprint deliverables.
Software Development
Pre-AI era
Choosing the right Software Partner for your Company
Why companies hire an external software partner, and what to assess when choosing one: culture, past work, practices, people, quality, and pricing.
Nearshore Hiring
2015
Pre-AI era
3 articles
Pre-AI era
Tendencies and services already happening for the software industry
A 2015 look at software industry trends: data-driven UI, continuous delivery, microservices, real-time tools, and consumer-style enterprise software.
Software Development
Pre-AI era
Organizing Hack Prepas, the first high school Hackathon in Mexico
A high school apprentice at Icalia Labs recounts organizing Hack Prepas in 2015, the first high school hackathon in Mexico, from approvals to sponsors.
Software Makers
Pre-AI era
Advantages of being open
Why Icalia Labs shares its code, design, and knowledge openly, and the advantages it saw in 2015, from feedback and growth to credibility with clients.
Software Makers
2014
Pre-AI era
2 articles
Pre-AI era
How to proudly participate in (and probably win) a Hackathon
Icalia Labs' 2014 playbook for hackathons: pick the idea early, run agile sprints, balance hackers and designers, sleep, study the judges, and nail the pitch.
Software Makers
Pre-AI era
A new opportunity in technology is with Open Data
How Icalia Labs got into open data through hackathons, helped start Codeando México, and joined the Open Data 100 Mexico study in 2014.
Software Makers