Clay Club Manila: How We Built the First GTM Community in the Philippines
From a 30-person meetup in Taguig to sold-out masterclasses in Makati — how Clay Club Manila grew to 300+ members across 3 events and became Southeast Asia's first GTM engineering community.
Clay Club Manila
The first GTM engineering community in Southeast Asia — connecting Clay users, outbound operators, and revenue builders across the Philippines.
300+
Members
3
Events
3
Cities
When we hosted the first Clay Club Manila meetup in December 2024, we had no idea it would spark the first GTM engineering community in Southeast Asia. What started as 30 people in a Taguig co-working space has grown into a 300+ member movement spanning three cities across Metro Manila — with plans to expand to Cebu, Davao, and beyond.
This is the story of how Clay Club Manila came to life, what happened at each of our three events, and why the Philippines is becoming an unexpected hub for GTM engineering talent.
3
Events Hosted
130+
Total Attendees
300+
Community Members
5
International Speakers
The Problem: No GTM Community in Southeast Asia
If you work in outbound sales operations in the United States or Europe, you have dozens of communities to join — from Clay's own community to RevOps Co-op, Modern Sales Pros, and Pavilion. Conferences, meetups, Slack groups, and local chapters are everywhere.
In Southeast Asia? Nothing. Zero GTM engineering communities. Zero Clay user groups. Zero spaces where outbound operators, revenue engineers, and sales automation builders could connect, learn, and share workflows.
The Philippines has a massive BPO and outsourcing industry. Thousands of Filipinos work in lead generation, appointment setting, and outbound sales daily. But the knowledge stays siloed inside agencies and companies. There was no community bridging the gap between individual practitioners and the global GTM engineering movement happening around tools like Clay.
We decided to build it ourselves.
Event 1: The First Meetup — December 2024, Taguig
Our inaugural Clay Club Manila event was intentionally small. We booked a co-working space in Taguig, posted the event on LinkedIn and in local sales communities, and hoped for 20 people. We got 30+.
The format was simple: a 45-minute introduction to Clay's core features, a live demo of a waterfall enrichment workflow, and an hour of open networking. The crowd was a mix of agency owners, freelance SDRs, BPO team leads, and a few startup founders curious about outbound automation.
What surprised us: the questions. Attendees weren't asking "what is Clay?" — they were asking about specific use cases, credit optimization, and how to integrate Clay with their existing tech stacks. The demand for advanced GTM engineering knowledge in the Philippines was far deeper than we expected.
The first Clay Club Manila meetup proved that GTM engineering demand in the Philippines wasn't just real — it was already advanced. Attendees came ready to learn workflows, not just concepts.
Event 2: Clay in Manila — June 2025, Makati
Six months later, we went bigger. Clay in Manila was our flagship event — 50+ attendees, five international speakers, and a full day of presentations, live demos, and workshops held in a co-working space in BGC, Makati City.
June 2025 Speakers — Clay in Manila
Thibault
Clay Expert
Advanced Clay Workflows
Felix & Penn
GTM Engineers
Scaling Outbound with Clay
Devon
Outbound Strategist
Cold Email Infrastructure
Darbs
Revenue Operator
AI-Powered Prospecting
Ericson
Lead Assassin, Founder
Clay Club Manila & Community Building
The speaker lineup brought together Clay experts from around the world. Thibault shared advanced Clay workflow architectures. Felix and Penn presented on scaling outbound operations with Clay's enrichment capabilities. Devon broke down cold email infrastructure best practices. Darbs covered AI-powered prospecting strategies. And Ericson — that's me — talked about building Clay Club Manila and the lessons from our first event.
The energy in the room was palpable. People flew in from Cebu and other provinces just for this event. We had agency owners running 50+ seat outbound teams sitting next to solo founders building their first Clay table. The diversity of experience levels made every networking conversation valuable.
The networking session ran 90 minutes past schedule. Nobody wanted to leave. People exchanged contacts, shared workflows, and formed partnerships on the spot. Three attendees later told us they found clients or collaborators at the event.
Event 3: The GTM Masterclass — August 2025, Quezon City
For our third event, we shifted gears entirely. Instead of a broad community meetup, we ran a focused GTM Masterclass — and it sold out.
The masterclass covered three intensive workshops:
- 1Clay Waterfall Enrichment from Zero to Production — Building a complete enrichment workflow, configuring provider tiers, and optimizing for cost vs. coverage
- 2Cold Email Infrastructure Setup — Domain purchasing, DNS configuration, mailbox warmup, and deliverability monitoring using Instantly and Smartlead
- 3AI-Powered Outbound Sequences — Using Clay's AI features combined with GPT to generate hyper-personalized email copy at scale
Moving to Quezon City was deliberate. Our first two events were in Taguig and Makati — the traditional business districts. QC opened us up to a new audience: university communities, early-career professionals, and the growing startup scene in the area.
By our third event, Clay Club Manila had proven the model: mix international expertise with local community, vary locations across Metro Manila, and alternate between broad networking events and deep-dive workshops.
Clay Club Manila Event Timeline
First Meetup
30+ attendees gathered for our inaugural Clay Club Manila meetup — the first GTM engineering event in Southeast Asia.
Clay in Manila
Scaled to 50+ attendees with 5 international speakers, live Clay demos, and a packed networking session at a BGC co-working space.
GTM Masterclass
Sold-out masterclass with 50+ attendees. Deep-dive workshops on Clay waterfall enrichment, cold email infrastructure, and AI-powered outbound.
What We Learned Building Clay Club Manila
After three events, 130+ total attendees, and a community that now tops 300 members, here are our biggest takeaways about building a GTM community from scratch in the Philippines.
1. The Talent Pool Is Deeper Than You Think
The Philippines isn't just a BPO hub — it's becoming a legitimate GTM engineering talent center. We've met Clay users in Manila who build workflows as sophisticated as anything coming out of US-based agencies. The gap isn't skill — it's visibility and community.
2. In-Person Events Build Trust That Online Can't
We run an active Slack group, share resources online, and post content regularly. But nothing compares to the relationships formed at in-person events. Every major collaboration, referral, and partnership in our community traces back to someone meeting face-to-face at a Clay Club Manila event.
3. Vary Your Formats and Locations
Our three events hit three different neighborhoods in Metro Manila (Taguig, Makati, Quezon City) and three different formats (casual meetup, conference-style, masterclass). Each attracted a different audience segment. Rotating keeps the community growing rather than plateauing.
4. International Speakers Elevate Local Communities
Bringing in speakers from outside the Philippines — Clay experts, outbound leaders, GTM engineers from the US and Europe — gave our events credibility and exposed local practitioners to global-level thinking. It also put Manila on the map as a GTM community worth visiting.
Community Moments
What's Next for Clay Club Manila
We're just getting started. Here's what's on the roadmap for Clay Club Manila:
- Quarterly Manila events — Continuing our rotation across Metro Manila neighborhoods with a mix of meetups and masterclasses
- Cebu and Davao expansion — Launching satellite Clay Club chapters in the Visayas and Mindanao by early 2026
- Southeast Asia network — Connecting with GTM communities in Singapore, Jakarta, and Bangkok to build a regional Clay user network
- Online workshop series — Monthly virtual sessions for our 300+ Slack community members who can't attend in person
- Clay certification prep — Structured study groups to help Filipino GTM engineers earn Clay certifications
Clay Club Manila is proof that world-class GTM communities can thrive outside of San Francisco and New York. The Philippines has the talent, the hunger, and the community spirit to become a major hub for GTM engineering in Asia.
Want to join Clay Club Manila? Whether you're based in Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao, or anywhere in Southeast Asia, our community is open. Follow Lead Assassin on LinkedIn for event announcements, or book a call if you want to bring Clay Club to your city.
FAQ
What is Clay Club Manila?
Clay Club Manila is the first GTM engineering community in Southeast Asia, focused on Clay users, outbound sales operators, and revenue builders in the Philippines. Founded in December 2024, the community has grown to 300+ members across Metro Manila with plans to expand to Cebu, Davao, and other cities in the region.
How many events has Clay Club Manila hosted?
Clay Club Manila has hosted three events as of August 2025: the inaugural meetup in Taguig (December 2024), Clay in Manila conference in Makati (June 2025), and a sold-out GTM Masterclass in Quezon City (August 2025). Combined attendance across all three events exceeded 130 people.
Who can attend Clay Club Manila events?
Clay Club Manila events are open to anyone interested in GTM engineering, outbound sales automation, Clay workflows, and revenue operations. Attendees range from agency owners and startup founders to freelance SDRs and BPO team leads. No prior Clay experience is required — events cater to all skill levels.
Is Clay Club Manila only in Manila?
Currently, Clay Club Manila hosts events across Metro Manila — including Taguig, Makati, and Quezon City. Expansion to Cebu, Davao, and other Southeast Asian cities like Singapore, Jakarta, and Bangkok is planned for 2026.
How do I join Clay Club Manila?
Join the Clay Club Manila community by following Lead Assassin on LinkedIn for event announcements and joining our Slack group. Events are typically announced 2-4 weeks in advance and fill up quickly — our last event sold out within days.
Does Clay Club Manila host virtual events?
Yes. In addition to in-person events in Metro Manila, Clay Club Manila runs monthly virtual workshops for community members across the Philippines and Southeast Asia. These cover Clay workflows, outbound automation, and GTM engineering topics.