Host the SF Ruby Meetup
Open your doors to 70–100 of the Bay Area's Ruby builders. Weeknight evening or Saturday workshop. We bring the people, the talks, the format. You bring the room, the pizza, one speaker.
Why host
The highest-signal Ruby room in the Bay Area. Opt-in, technical, self-selected for craft.
Recruiting reach that converts
70–100 senior Ruby/Rails engineers in your room for the evening. Past hosts have closed hires within weeks.
1 year on the job board
A full year of free job postings on sfruby.com/jobs — your roles in front of the same audience that filled your meetup.
A speaker slot for your team
5 to 20 minutes on the agenda. A 5-minute welcome from a founder, a deep technical talk from a staff engineer, or anywhere between.
Brand on the SF Ruby map
Your logo and story across our 650+ Slack, Luma, newsletter, X/LinkedIn, and Hacker News. Long-term goodwill, not a one-night burst.
What a meetup looks like
Any weekday except Friday, 5pm–9pm. A deliberate format that prioritizes connection over performance.
Programmed content runs 5pm–8pm; the room stays open until 9pm.
Doors open
Pizza, drinks, mingling.
Host welcome + community announcements
Brief intro from your team plus community news. Can double as your full 5-minute speaker slot.
Talk #1
~25 minutes. Your team's deep talk, or a community talk we curated.
Talk #2
~25 minutes. A curated community talk — founder, OSS maintainer, or another Rails shop with a story.
Round of intros
Everyone gets ~20 seconds: name, what you build, one thing you're hacking on. No slides. No pitches.
Interest circles
5–6 themed corners (AI agents, founders, OSS, infra, security, hiring) voted on in Slack ahead. Self-select. Dig in.
Programmed content ends · networking continues
Conversations keep going. Hard stop at 9pm.
Ruby Hack Day or Rails Girls
Ruby Hack Day is a community OSS day (30–60 engineers). Rails Girls is intro-to-Rails for newcomers — has launched many careers. Full Saturday, different setup: tables, power, breakout space, lunch. Mention either in your application.
Who does what
You provide
- Date · any weekday except Friday, 5pm–9pm. Or a full Saturday for Hack Day or Rails Girls.
- Venue for 70–100 · open or auditorium space with seating and a clear speaker area.
- Presenter A/V · projector or screen, microphones, sound.
- Recording setup (highly preferred) · video + audio capture of the talks. We edit and publish.
- Food & drinks · snacks, pizza, salads, soft drinks, beer. Plan for ~80.
- Lobby coverage · someone at the elevator from 4:45 to ~6:30pm.
- One speaker (5–20 minutes) · founder, engineer, or hiring lead. Your call on length and topic.
We provide
- The audience · 650+ Slack, Luma, newsletter, X/LinkedIn, Hacker News. 120–250 RSVPs for a 70-person night.
- Speakers and agenda · we pick the other speakers, set the running order, brief everyone.
- Organization & facilitation · MCs run the welcome, intros, and interest circles. We handle the timing.
- Editing & publication · we edit your recording and publish to the SF Ruby YouTube channel within ~2 weeks.
- Post-event coverage · next month's newsletter, a Slack recap, a permanent host card on sfruby.com.
- 1 year of free job postings · your open Ruby/Rails roles on sfruby.com/jobs.
Timeline
6–8 weeks from "we'd like to host" to "lights are on." Faster if a slot opens up.
8 weeks out · You apply
Your company, space capacity, the talk you want to give, month preferences.
6 weeks out · We confirm a date
A Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday in the third or fourth week of the month. We lock it in.
4 weeks out · Luma + Slack go live
Event published with your branding. Description drafted together. RSVPs open.
2 weeks out · Talks finalized
Your speaker confirms title and abstract. Interest circles voted on in Slack.
Day-of · Your team shows up
We arrive at 4:00 to set up. Pizza arrives at 4:45. Doors at 5:00. We MC, you present, the room connects.
2 weeks after · Recording + recap
Edited talk video on YouTube. Recap in the newsletter. Your host card stays on sfruby.com forever.
Companies that have hosted us
FAQ
Do we have to be a Rails shop to host?
No — but Ruby has to be a real part of what you build, ship, or sell. If your engineers write Ruby, contribute to OSS, or your product touches the Ruby community, you're a fit.
Our office is small / has no auditorium. Can we still host?
If you can fit 70+ with seating and a clear speaker area, yes. Most SF offices clear a kitchen, lobby, or all-hands area for the night. Send a photo or floor plan if you're unsure.
What's a Ruby Hack Day or Rails Girls?
Saturday alternatives. Hack Day is OSS contribution time — engineers bring projects, pair, ship to gems (~30–60). Rails Girls is intro-to-Rails for newcomers — has launched many careers. Both need tables, power, breakout space, lunch. Mention either in your application.
Why no Fridays?
Friday-night attendance for SF tech meetups reliably drops off. Tue/Wed/Thu fill the room.
We don't have recording equipment. Is that a dealbreaker?
No, but strongly preferred — recordings are how the talks reach the wider Ruby community on YouTube. A tripod camera on the speaker plus a clean mic feed works. Tell us early if you have nothing.
Can we recruit at the meetup?
Strongly yes — recruiting is one of the main reasons companies host. Mention roles in your welcome, post on sfruby.com/jobs, hand out cards. Just skip the hard pitch in the talk itself.
What if no one from our team wants to give a long talk?
The slot is 5 to 20 minutes — your call. A 5-minute welcome from a founder is plenty. The room loves real engineering stories, but we'd never force one.
Is this paid? Do you need sponsorship money?
No fee. You cover space and food; we cover everything else. Conference sponsorship is separate — see /sponsor-2026.
We're not in SF — can we host remotely or in a different city?
SF Ruby meetups are in-person in San Francisco. From out of town, the best paths are sponsoring our annual conference or supporting community OSS.
Ready to host?
Drop a line or grab a 30-min slot. We'll talk format, space, dates.
Or email irina@evilmartians.com directly.