Like other developers, I also hate LinkedIn Inbox spam, cold calls, and other marketing techniques most companies employ.

I am now attempting to start a Startup to take tools I've built for my own use and build them into a product for others to benefit from.

The problem I'm facing is - how do I ethically get our name out there to others like me? The standard tools of Google and Facebook Ads are brutally efficient because of how little they respect privacy, and I am loathe to use what I've spent so much time avoiding.

So far, the only tool we've come up with is sponsoring conferences to go talk to Developers in-person.

What other avenues does a small startup have?