Hubs Network Update | February 2026
The future isn’t governed — it’s co-created. Residencies, Research, and Real Connections
From Barcelona to Chiang Mai we’ve been weaving connections, testing models, and learning by doing. Here’s what’s happening:
Residencies: Both Sides of the Door
This month was all about residencies—as organizers and as participants.
Last week, we hosted two residents at Akasha Hub in Barcelona who came with a mission: model a residency management framework that enables real mobility between hubs.
The core question:
What if the knowledge, skills, and energy flowing through one hub could cross-pollinate with another—without losing what makes each space unique?
That’s what our inter-hub residency program is exploring. The concept is simple: create a system where hubs can host “pilgrims” from other hubs, exchange value, and track it through a digital framework that respects each hub’s autonomy.
Where we’re at:
We’re gathering feedback from hub leaders and refining the model.
Open call:
Hubs: Want to host or send residents? Let’s experiment together.
Individuals: Have skills to share and want to contribute to hubs while traveling? We want to hear from you.
More information about the project here.
Tapping Into Southeast Asia: Chiang Mai Learnings
Justina just returned from Sanctuary in Chiang Mai, Thailand—a socio-technical innovation residency program focused on understanding local environments, communities, and the hub ecosystem in Southeast Asia.
Three weeks of connecting with builders, cross-pollinators, and the people actually doing the work on the ground.
During the residency, we connected with Eva’s House - a children’s shelter doing critical work that often goes unseen. They support kids affected by the war in Myanmar and from bordering Thai villages, providing safe housing, education, and stability in an environment where childhood is constantly under threat.
The shelter runs entirely on donations. No government funding, no large institutional backing - just direct support from people who care. For many in Chiang Mai Web3 community, Eva’s House represents something important: a way to channel resources toward serious causes with real, immediate impact. Kids get roofs, meals, schooling, and safety. It’s as tangible as impact gets. If you interested in learning more, reach out to justina@hubsnetwork.org
Why all of this matter?
Exploring Southeast Asian hubs and communities is a way to learn how people are coordinating in other side of the world. Not to expand for expansion’s sake, but to recognize that the innovators, hackers, and dreamers in Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and beyond are already co-creating the future. We’re learning about their local challenges and exploring how Hubs Network can actually benefit these communities - not extract from them.
If you heading Thailand way, some communities to explore:
4Seas - Innovation center, co-working, hacker house and events venue in the center of the city and second location just outside of the town.
digi-cnx (digital commons network) is an emerging initiative exploring how local wisdom and Asian philosophy integrate with global Web3 connectivity and technological innovation. Based in Chiang Mai this movement bridges digital nomad communities and Web3 communities with local regeneration work.
Gaia Beats festival - Three days of music, art, and connection in the mountains of Chiang Mai. Zero waste, community driven celebration that attracts local and International creators, artists, and community builders.
Branding Process: Finding Our Voice
We’re actively working on our branding with Emilia, a branding expert who’s helping us refine personas, explore tone of voice, and strengthen brand coherence.
Why it matters:
Being recognizable and delightful matters—for members, readers, organizations and anyone who encounters us along the way.
We’re running in-person workshops with her, which doubles as team building since our whole team is in Barcelona right now, working together in the same space. Physical proximity still hits different.
IRL events in 2026: Anchoring the Spaceship
Here’s the thing about big tech conferences: they’re spaceships. They land, everyone gets excited, swag gets distributed, selfies get taken. Then the spaceship leaves. The local ecosystem? Often left with little more than memories.
We’re exploring something different at for upcoming Devcon conference (Mumbai, 2026 November).
The vision:
Bottom-up impact defined by local hubs, not imposed by sponsors
Potential hackathon track on localism, digital commons, and regenerative tech
Long-term relationships between global developers and Indian physical spaces
We want to connect with local builders, understand their challenges, and help them better prepare for the Devcon spaceship landing—and actually benefit from it.
Right now:
We’re mapping the hub landscape in Mumbai and nearby cities like Pune. If you know quality hubs, hackerspaces, or innovation communities in India - send them our way.
The bigger play:
This is a replicable model. Every major conference is an opportunity to anchor global knowledge in local soil.
The Manifesto: Almost Ready
We’re in the final stretch of the Hubs Network Manifesto—the document that captures our shared values and vision.
Core principles:
Coordination without control
Inter-independence over isolation
Creation over permission
Inspiring coordination while embracing chaos
The draft is circulating among hub leaders now. Feedback deadline: end of this week.
Once finalized, we’ll create a signing process—because some declarations deserve ceremony.
Plural Events: Designing 2026
Plural Events is accelerating. We’re designing event topics for 2026 with the goal of securing ongoing sponsorship and creating a replicable model for events that don’t just gather people—they transform how communities make decisions.
Next milestone:
“Prototyping the Future” in March.
Interested in learning more or hosting an event at your hub? Reach out.
Why we care:
Events are infrastructure. When done right, they’re where new governance models, collaboration patterns, and social technologies are born.
Join the movement
Whether you’re a hub leader, a systems thinker, a hacker, or someone who just knows there’s a better way to organize human creativity—we want to hear from you.
Join our initiatives. Tell us what you’re building in your corner of the world.
Because the future isn’t governed.
It’s co-created.
And we’re weaving it together, one hub at a time.
Warmly,
Justina
Hubs Network team
hello@hubsnetwork.org
hubsnetwork.org
Hubs Network is a constellation of experimental spaces committed to inter-independence, coordination without control, and creating the future through collective action.