What’s next for Nepali Leaders Network?
The biggest question we've gotten after the hackathon is: what’s next?
We’ve spent this past week stepping back and deciding where we go from here.
Before diving into that, here’s how these weekly updates will look:
What’s coming up next this month, and
A behind-the-scenes look at what we’re building and why
Upcoming Events
1. Professionals Mixer - Boston
🗓 Date: Thursday, April 23
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET
📍 Location: 345 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA
👔 Dress Code: Business Casual (no hoodies, sweatpants, or flip-flops)
Looking to meet other Nepali students & professionals in Boston?
Our quarterly mixers are designed to help you connect, collaborate, and build real relationships within the community. Whether you’re new to the area or already part of the network, this is your space to find your people and grow together.
2. Professionals Mixer - New York City
🗓 Date: Thursday, April 30
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET
📍 Location: Consulate General of Nepal, NYC; 228 E 45th St 4th Floor, New York, NY 10017
👔 Dress Code: Business Casual (no hoodies, sweatpants, or flip-flops)
Looking to meet other Nepali students & professionals in New York City?
Our quarterly mixers are designed to help you connect, collaborate, and build real relationships within the community. Whether you’re new to the area or already part of the network, this is your space to find your people and grow together.
Behind The Scenes
THIS WEEK FELT… DIFFERENT
Last week, we wrapped the largest global Nepali hackathon to date.
This week shifted from execution → architecture.
After running the Nepal–US Hackathon 2026, one thing became very clear:
This community doesn’t just want to connect… it wants to BUILD.
And when given the right structure… people actually show up and execute.
So now the question isn’t:
“Can we run a hackathon?”
We know we can.
The real question is:
How far can we take this?
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON
If 420 builders from around the world can come together for one weekend…
What happens if we design something:
• Bigger
• Longer
• More structured
• Tied to real world problems
• With investors, mentors, and ecosystem partners involved
Not just a hackathon.
But something that actually moves the Nepali innovation ecosystem forward.
That’s the direction we’ve been building toward this week.
ONE SHIFT WE’RE MAKING
Over the past year, we’ve experimented with a lot:
• Talks
• Panels
• Networking events
• Mixers
• Hackathons
And that phase was important.
It helped us understand where the real energy is.
Going forward, we’re shifting from doing 10 different things
to focusing on 1–2 high impact initiatives.
The kind that could actually shape the Nepali innovation ecosystem long term.
Not just events people attend
but platforms people build on.
This means fewer programs.
But much bigger ones.
APRIL = RESET + FOUNDATION
After a fast paced few months, April is mostly a reset month for us.
Less public noise.
More backend work.
Things we’re focusing on:
• Improving internal systems after managing ~500 stakeholders
• Restructuring how we run large-scale programs
• Building a stronger builder-focused community layer
• Planning the next major initiative (this one is… big)
BUT WE’RE NOT GOING COMPLETELY QUIET
We still wanted to keep things moving in person.
So we have two mixers coming up:
• Boston — April 23
• NYC — April 30 (our first NYC mixer, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Nepal, New York)
Really excited about the NYC one.
It’s a small step but an important one as we expand beyond Boston.
PERSONAL NOTE
A year ago, we were testing different event formats:
Talks
Networking events
Panels
Small gatherings
Promoting Concerts
webinars, etc
Now we’re designing global programs.
Feels like we’re entering the next phase.
More soon,
Shreyas K. Shrestha
Founder, Nepali Leaders Network
P.S. If you made it this far, you’re a real one. These newsletters might be my favorite way to stay connected to 2,400+ of you. See you back in a week!
