THE MEREKAI PROJECT
Merekai
Made with Meraki
In Greek, meraki means putting your soul, creativity and care into what you do. That spirit is at the heart of Merekai.
A name with meaning
Put your heart into it.
In Greek, meraki describes doing something with soul, creativity and love — leaving a little of yourself in the work. It is more than inspiration; it is the care and intention that make what we create matter.
That idea grew into Merekai: a project connecting passion, knowledge and technology so local voices, cultures and identities can be part of the digital future. We believe information matters when it carries context and reflects the people behind it. Our work turns knowledge into useful initiatives — and helps ensure that what is local and distinctive is not lost in an increasingly global digital world.
Three ideas. One purpose.
The name Merekai brings together the spirit of meraki with our roots and our vision for technology:
MERAKI
Passion, creativity and care in everything we make.
ES
Spain: our origin, identity and way of seeing the world.
AI
Artificial intelligence — and the knowledge that gives it meaning.
Since 2016, we have believed that information can enrich artificial intelligence — when it brings more than data. It needs knowledge, context and a human point of view to become useful and significant.
A richer intelligence starts with diverse knowledge
Artificial intelligence learns from vast collections of information: texts, documents, publications, historical archives and digital content. What is not documented, digitised or represented in data risks becoming invisible to AI.
Content that is abundant online can gain broad representation, while local knowledge, minority languages, popular traditions and the shared memory of smaller communities may be overlooked, diluted or stripped of context. Knowledge can remain alive in people and their customs, yet have little presence in the digital sources that shape AI.
That is why generating valuable information means more than accumulating data. It also means preserving the knowledge, context and distinctiveness those data carry. Every community has a story worth telling, knowledge worth passing on and an identity that deserves a place in the digital future.
What does context add to information?
Context helps us understand who created a piece of knowledge, where it comes from and what it means to the people who hold it. Without that, information can be incomplete or misunderstood.
The knowledge local communities hold is part of global intelligence.
We are not trying to stop globalisation, but to help ensure that diversity is not diluted by it. We want local voices to be heard, traditions to be present in new spaces of knowledge, and future AI to recognise not only what is universal, but also what makes each community unique.
From knowledge to collaboration
Oscar González, a developer, and Penélope Blanco, an engineer, met at the University of Oviedo while taking part in non-profit research projects. They shared a curiosity about how knowledge could travel beyond academia and become something practical, tangible and open to others.
Their backgrounds offered distinct ways of approaching a challenge. Oscar brought a developer’s instinct for what technology can make possible; Penélope, an engineer’s rigour and a clear view of how solutions can be designed and made viable. Together, they found a natural way to move between the big picture and the finer details — and from an initial idea towards something real.
Their common ground went beyond their professions. For both, innovation begins with a few essential questions: who is this for, which need deserves attention, and what will change when it is put into practice?
Start with people and lived experience.
Bring complementary knowledge together.
Turn shared ideas into practical work.
A platform for ideas to grow
Working alongside people and organisations invested in their communities broadened that perspective. They saw how different efforts can align, how experience becomes practical support, and how local initiatives can respond to complex challenges. They also recognised an opportunity: to bring tools, technical expertise and thoughtful project design alongside capabilities already making a difference.
Merekai grew out of that experience. It gives continuity to the ideas and collaborations that inspired its beginnings, bringing them together under one identity. It is both a gateway to the projects and the framework that supports them as they take shape.
A framework that supports projects
Every project has its own identity, pace and people. Merekai offers a shared space for shaping that journey: connecting needs with expertise, giving ideas structure, enabling new partnerships and supporting development over time.
The initiatives taking shape here often begin with grounded questions: how can opportunity reach more people? How can networks of support grow stronger? How might solutions work in greater balance with the resources and ecosystems we depend on? Different questions, connected by a shared ambition: to create responses that are useful, responsible and built to last.
There is no single formula. The first step might be research, a working prototype, connecting people already addressing a challenge, or finding a better way to share resources. Each project calls for its own blend of technology, experience and collaboration. The platform helps those elements find one another.
Innovation, grounded in context
For us, developing technology begins long before the first line of code. It starts with understanding the context, recognising what is already working and listening to people who know the challenge first-hand. That is how solutions stay relevant to the realities they are meant to serve.
We bring development, engineering and research together with a broader view of impact. A solution should work, but it should also be accessible, able to evolve and add value in its setting. That is our measure of innovation: not a race towards the newest thing, but the ability to imagine and build better alternatives.
A network that learns and evolves
Merekai is not a closed catalogue of initiatives; it is a living framework. Every collaboration adds experience. Every project raises new questions and leaves lessons that may open a path for others. Continuity gives promising ideas room to develop beyond a single moment, while bringing different capabilities together around shared goals.
We take a long view. We want initiatives to grow without losing sight of what they set out to contribute, partnerships to be built on trust, and knowledge to move between the people who can put it to work. Meaningful change rarely comes from a single tool; it takes shape when technology and commitment move forward together.
What does a living framework mean?
It means projects can learn from one another, adapt as needs change and keep the knowledge gained available for future collaborations.
What could we build together?
Merekai is an invitation to explore what is possible — and to build it together. If you work with an organisation, are investigating a challenge, develop technology or have an idea ready to meet its collaborators, we would love to hear from you.
Let’s talk about what we could set in motion.
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