Company details

HEADCOUNT

1-24

ORG TYPE

Startup

SECTOR

Technology & Digital

WEBSITE

http://www.blacksmith.sh/

About the company

Blacksmith sells managed infrastructure to run GitHub Actions faster and at lower cost, with additional CI observability features. The company pitches a “one-line change” to switch runners and focuses on performance from gaming-grade CPUs and CI-specific optimizations. Public company profiles show Blacksmith launched out of Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch. A funding article dated September 17, 2025 described rapid revenue growth and a very small team.

Locations and presence

Blacksmith advertises roles in San Francisco and New York City, including listings that are explicitly “New York City / San Francisco.” A September 2025 funding article also described plans to expand offices in SF and NYC.

Palpable Score

37.8

/ 100

Blacksmith looks like a senior-heavy startup right now: the open roles are almost entirely “founding” or experienced hires, with no visible internship or graduate lane. Blacksmith does post salary ranges for many roles, but public detail on hiring process, onboarding, and early-career outcomes is thin, which caps most pillars.

Pillar 1: Early-career access

Score

3.8

/ 20

The company lists 11 open positions, and the visible titles are experienced hires such as Product Engineer, Systems Engineer, Head of Marketing, Product Marketing Manager, and Account Executive.
Blacksmith does not show any internship, apprentice, “new grad,” “junior,” or 0–2 years roles on the public careers page and syndicated job listings reviewed.
The company’s team size was reported as 11 in September 2025, which helps explain the limited entry-level surface area but still limits access for early-career candidates.

Pillar 2: Hiring fairness and transparency

Score

9.7

/ 20

The company syndicates pay ranges for multiple roles (for example Product Engineer and Systems Engineer at $200,000–$300,000; Business Operations Lead at $170,000–$210,000).
Blacksmith does not publish a candidate-facing “how we hire” page with stages, timelines, or what is assessed, so applicants have to guess the process.
The company shows some inconsistency in transparency because at least two roles in the same set of listings show “pay information not provided.”

Pillar 3: Learning and support

Score

6.3

/ 20

The company’s roles are framed as high-ownership positions (for example “Founding Recruiter” and core engineering roles), which can be learning-rich, but there is no public ramp plan described.
Blacksmith does not describe onboarding structure, mentorship, pairing, or review cadence on the careers page, so day-to-day support is not verifiable from public materials.
The company’s published careers content is values-focused and role-list-focused, with no early-career training program or manager coaching commitments stated.

Pillar 4: Pay fairness and stability

Score

13.2

/ 20

The company publishes high, specific salary bands for many roles, which reduces negotiation ambiguity and is unusually transparent for a small startup.
Blacksmith does not publish a consolidated benefits page (healthcare, retirement, leave, learning budget), which limits a full “stability and package” assessment for early-career candidates.
The company has some postings without pay info, which prevents a higher score on consistency.

Pillar 5: Early-career outcomes

Score

4.8

/ 20

The company is very small and does not publish early-career outcomes like internship conversion, junior promotion timelines, or retention by tenure band.
Blacksmith has public proof of company growth (ARR and customer count cited in a September 2025 article), but that is not the same as early-career progression outcomes.
The company lacks a public trail of junior hiring cohorts, repeat entry-level intake, or early-career alumni stories, so outcomes cannot be scored higher with confidence.