GitHub Actions runner platform optimized for speed and cost
Blacksmith operates a GitHub Actions execution platform positioned as a faster, cheaper alternative to cloud-native CI/CD. The tech stack reveals a systems-focused company: C, C++, Go, Rust, and Zig suggest heavy infrastructure work, while Firecracker (lightweight virtualization) and MinIO (object storage) indicate they're building isolated, containerized execution environments. Notably, they're replacing AWS in their own stack—a direct signal they're betting on unbundling hyperscaler compute for CI workloads, which aligns squarely with their stated pain point around high cloud costs and inefficient pipelines.
Notable leadership hires: Head of Marketing
Blacksmith provides a managed CI/CD execution platform for GitHub Actions, serving over 1,000 customers including public brands in SaaS and developer tools. The company, founded in 2024 and based in San Francisco, is building a systems infrastructure company with an engineering-first tech stack (C, C++, Go, Rust, Zig) and a distributed platform architecture (Ceph, MinIO, Firecracker). Hiring is balanced across go-to-market (sales, marketing), engineering, and operational functions, with projects spanning product launches, sales motion development, customer support engineering, and operational scaling. Core pain points center on managing vendor relationships during rapid scaling and optimizing lead-routing and demand channels as they grow.
Blacksmith uses C, C++, Go, Rust, and Zig for core platform development, alongside Firecracker for virtualization, Ceph and MinIO for distributed storage, and AWS, GCP, and Azure for cloud infrastructure. They're actively replacing AWS in their own systems.
Current projects include scaling operations and go-to-market, building support engineering practices, launching new products, developing a digital-native sales motion, automating operational processes, and creating customer education materials and onboarding guides.
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