Scalable Systems for Growth Through Community
Led by Laís de Oliveira, Hacking Communities exists to transform how individuals and organizations connect, grow, and thrive.
With over 15 years of global experience across startups, executive education, urban innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, we help leaders turn vision into action—by putting community at the center of strategy, operations, and growth. From advising founders and CEOs on scaling intentional communities, to building infrastructure that supports human connection, to creating creative spaces for parents and children to learn and lead—we bring systems-thinking, agile execution, and a deep belief in people to everything we do. Whether you're building a business, a movement, or a moment that matters—Hacking Communities is your partner in crafting experiences that drive results and meaning.
Trusted by Teams, Leaders & Partners
Publications
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Hacking Communities: Cracking the Code to Vibrant Communities by Laís de Oliveira is a heartfelt and strategic guide for anyone seeking to build authentic, trust-centered communities in a world shaped by disconnection and digital overload. Instead of offering sterile checklists, this book feels like a journey home — a powerful metaphor Laís uses throughout the book to describe community as a place where people feel safe, seen, and free to be themselves.
Why Read It?
Because loneliness is an epidemic, and communities are the antidote.
Because belonging isn’t built with likes and follows, but through trust, rituals, and real human connection.
Because you're not just creating a group — you're cultivating a living system that grows organically, like a dandelion spreading seeds.
Core Frameworks Inside:
The AHA Values – Authenticity, Humility, and Abundance as the cultural foundation of thriving communities.
Community Lifecycle – From Seed to Flying Seeds, each stage helps leaders design growth that is relational, not just numerical.
5Ps of Community Design – People, Purpose, Participation, Programming, Platform – a simple yet deep model for intentional structure.
Engineered Serendipity – Based on Collision Theory, this method helps spark meaningful encounters through density, frequency, and catalysts.
Closeness Circles – A model for scaling trust through transparent, layered proximity (Core, Inner Circle, Network, Crowd).
User Contribution Journey – Guiding members from attraction to legacy, mapping how people grow with the community, not just in it.
Laís combines personal stories (from Brazil to Kuala Lumpur to San Francisco) with systemic thinking, psychology, and practical tools to transform how we approach communities — not as projects, but as ecosystems of shared humanity.
✨ If you’re a community builder, startup founder, cultural architect, or simply someone who believes that connection is the future, this book is for you.
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Portuguese Version of Hacking Communities, released in partnership with a major publisher in Portugal and Brazil.
Book Reviews
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“Most people who talk about community building want to romanticize it, or worse, they want to make it into a series of actionable “steps” without heart. Laís de Oliveira explains the required actions in amazing detail, but she does it with a sensitivity and a wisdom that can only come from experience (...) Every page gets better and better. If you care about people, read this book”
– Roy H. Williams, Author of the bestselling trilogy: Wizard of Ads
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"An accessible and tactical guide to building community. As if Lais, in her work building up StartupGrind and other communities, wasn't enough of a reason to buy the book, her research-based approach to spark and scale communities is so clearly laid out in the book, within the first few pages I was already writing down notes of what I could be doing."
– Zvi Band, Entrepreneur and Author of Success Is in Your Sphere: Leverage the Power of Relationships to Achieve Your Business Goals
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“It's both: practical and heartwarming. Besides rich personal experience told in a raw and authentic way, you can expect to find well-researched insights into community building… get ready for actionable know-how on how you can hack a community around your product, company or an idea.”
– Natasha Zolotareva, Journalist, International Media Specialist and Writer at Entrepreneur.com
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"Required reading for anyone looking to build communities. Part raw accounts from the journey of building communities -- from Malaysia to San Francisco -- part actionable guide for building communities; this book is a fantastic read. Highly recommended."
– Arnobio Morelix, Co-Founder & CEO at Sirius Education, Author of Rebooted: An Uncommon Guide to Radical Success and Fairness in the New World of Life, Death, and Tech
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“The reason why it is possible using Oliveira’s strategy to hack a community is precisely because she doesn’t focus on strategies and tactics for building community. She wants to help you, the person building the community, grow into the mindset of being a community builder … This (book) is to understand how to build communities intrinsically. We’ve needed this in the space. It’s beautiful prose and it’s highly introspective. It’s tremendously artful and it deserves a read. It deserves two reads. Four reads. It deserves a lot of reads.”
– Samantha “Venia” Logan, Founder at Socially Constructed Online
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"This is an incredible book about how to build organizations that are based in trust and founded in a sense of purpose. Many leaders build this web of safety consciously into their business and Lais does a great job at breaking down how high impact leaders intentionally build safety, acceptance and belonging into their organization. Interspersed throughout the book are anecdotes from thought leaders such as Brene Brown and classic 20th century writers. I loved reading this book and as a founder of a quickly growing organization, learned a lot from it."
Verified Reader (on Amazon Reviews)
About Laís de Oliveira
Laís de Oliveira is a seasoned entrepreneur and executive with over 15 years of global experience in community building, business management, and innovation.
Most recently, Laís served as Head of North America at Timeleft, where she led cross-functional initiatives that fueled rapid growth in the company’s largest and fastest-growing region. Her leadership was instrumental in expanding operations to 70+ cities and nearly doubling monthly revenue. She built and managed a high-performing team, driving deeper user engagement and meaningful real-world connections—efforts that earned media coverage from top-tier outlets including NBC’s Today Show, CBS, Vox, NPR, and more.
Throughout her career, Laís has founded and led successful ventures, executive education programs, and global communities for startups, nonprofits, and government agencies. She’s known for turning vision into action—creating scalable systems that foster participation, loyalty, and impact. Her work spans industries including tech, education, real estate, and social innovation, always rooted in community as a catalyst for growth.
Having lived and worked in Mauritius, Argentina, Chile, Malaysia, the United States, Portugal, and Brazil, Laís brings a rich international perspective and a deep understanding of cultural nuance. She builds communities with heart, strategy, and global insight—wherever she goes.