HalfStack
HalfStack organizes intimate single-day JavaScript and web development conferences across 8 cities, serving local developer communities with curated speakers, no vendor pitches, and ancillary ticket subscriptions, sponsorships, and consulting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersGilbert, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What HalfStack does
HalfStack is a privately held, small-team event organization (operated as Open Web Conferences, LLC) that produces intimate, single-day, single-track JavaScript and web development conferences across multiple cities including London, Phoenix, Vienna, Belgrade, Newquay, Charlotte, and New York. Founded in 2015 by Dylan Schiemann, the company has run events continuously since then with a COVID-19 interruption from March 2020 and resumed cautious operations from 2023 onward. The core format caps attendance at 160-200 people per event, features 10-12 curated sessions mixing local and international presenters, and enforces a strict no-vendor-pitches policy with food, beverages, and an afterparty (JS Pub Quiz, karaoke) included.
The technology stack is operational rather than productized: ticket sales run through the Tito platform, a monthly newsletter and active social presence (Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) drive community engagement, a YouTube archive houses past session recordings, and a Call for Proposals system built on Living Spec documents replaces traditional form-based CFPs. The product portfolio beyond events includes Sponsorship Packages (Solo £500, HalfStack $2,000/£2,000/€2,000, Featured $5,000/£5,000/€5,000), Conference Tickets across Early Bird to Late Bird tiers ($150-$325), Annual Pass subscriptions ($15-$50/month via Patreon), and ancillary Consulting Services from the team and broader community.
HalfStack's business model combines transactional ticket revenue, recurring subscription revenue via Annual Passes and Living Spec cross-promotion, and corporate sponsorship advertising. Marketing is community-driven through partnerships with local JavaScript meetup groups (PHX JS, React Vienna, JS Monthly London, Tech Cornwall) and open-source foundations (Open JS Foundation, codebar, Women Coding Community). The company explicitly targets slight-above-breakeven economics per event and has no external institutional funding, operating as a sustainable lifestyle business rather than a venture-backed growth vehicle.
HalfStack firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HalfStack
- Legal name
- Open Web Conferences, LLC
- Website
- https://halfstackconf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- HalfStack organizes intimate single-day JavaScript and web development conferences across 8 cities, serving local developer communities with curated speakers, no vendor pitches, and ancillary ticket subscriptions, sponsorships, and consulting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HalfStack industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technology Conferences
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC)
Keywords
Where HalfStack is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Gilbert
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
HalfStack business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Single-day conference tickets sold at various price points (Early Bird, Standard, Late Bird) with team discount options (6 for 5). Also offers subscription-based annual passes for recurring attendance.
- Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors pay for logo placement, attendee access, swag distribution, and promotional visibility. Packages range from Solo (£500) to Featured (£5,000). Includes featured sponsors with higher visibility priority.
- Living Spec Partnership: Cross-promotion with Living Spec (co-founded by HalfStack founder). Living Spec subscribers receive free or discounted HalfStack tickets as part of their subscription tiers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | One time | Early Early Bird - First 20 tickets at lowest price |
| Subscription | One time | Early Bird - Tickets 21-60 |
| Subscription | One time | Standard - General admission |
| Subscription | One time | Late Bird - Final sales |
| Subscription | One time | Team Tickets - 6 for 5 |
| Subscription | Monthly | Annual Pass - Single ticket per year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Annual Pass - Two tickets per year |
| Subscription | Monthly | Annual Pass - All events |
| Subscription | Monthly | Living Spec Cer Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | Living Spec Tacular Plan |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Solo Sponsor Package |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | HalfStack Sponsorship |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time | Featured Sponsorship |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
HalfStack product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HalfStack organizes intimate, single-day, single-track JavaScript and web development conferences in multiple cities worldwide, featuring local and international presenters with no vendor pitches. The company sells tickets to attendees and corporate sponsorship packages for brand visibility, supplemented by annual subscription passes, consulting services, and a community-driven Call for Proposals platform.
Product overview
HalfStack is a portfolio of JavaScript and web development conference events organized by Open Web Conferences, LLC. The core offering consists of intimate single-day, single-track conferences held across multiple cities (Phoenix, Vienna, London, Belgrade, Charlotte, Newquay, New York) featuring creative and entertaining presentations on web platform capabilities. The portfolio includes complementary products: sponsorship packages at two tiers (HalfStack at $2,000-£2,000-€2,000 and Featured at $5,000-£5,000-€5,000) for corporate visibility; ticket sales across multiple pricing tiers plus annual subscription passes ($15-50/month); consulting services from the team and community; and a Call for Proposals platform using Living Spec for speaker submissions. The company has operated since 2015 with events in London since 2017 and expansions to multiple international cities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HalfStack Events Single-day, single-track JavaScript and web development conferences held in multiple cities worldwide (Phoenix, Vienna, London, Belgrade, Charlotte, Newquay, New York), featuring local and international presenters, no vendor pitches, food and beverages, and an afterparty with JS Pub Quiz and karaoke. Intended for JavaScript and web developers seeking creative, community-driven event experiences.
- Sponsorship Packages Corporate sponsorship tiers offering brand visibility through website placement, banners, badges, t-shirts, slide decks, and event materials, with options including Solo (£500), HalfStack ($2,000/£2,000/€2,000), and Featured ($5,000/£5,000/€5,000) packages. Targeted at companies seeking to engage the JavaScript developer community for brand awareness and recruiting.
- Conference Tickets Paid and free tickets available at multiple pricing tiers (Early Early Bird $150/£150/€150, Early Bird $175-200, Standard $225-250, Late Bird $275-325) plus team packages (6 for 5). Free tickets provided for speakers, volunteers, diversity candidates, students, and meetup organizers. Targeted at individual JavaScript and web developers attending events.
- Annual Pass Subscriptions Monthly subscription plans offering one ticket per year ($15/month), two tickets per year ($30/month), or one ticket for every HalfStack event ($50/month) with flexible location switching. Designed for regular attendees who want recurring access across cities.
- Consulting Services Advisory and consulting services from the HalfStack team and community for web app development, complex problem solving, and creative inspiration for projects. Targeted at organizations seeking technical guidance on web platform projects.
Companies that use HalfStack
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
HalfStack technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
HalfStack partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, featured and community.
- Living SpeccoreFeatured sponsor and co-founded by HalfStack founder Dylan Schiemann. Provides cross-promotional benefits including free/discounted tickets for Living Spec subscribers.
- NxfeaturedFeatured sponsor of multiple HalfStack events.
- ArcjetfeaturedFeatured sponsor supporting HalfStack events.
- PlatformaticfeaturedFeatured sponsor of HalfStack London and other events.
- PlatogofeaturedFeatured sponsor supporting Vienna and London events.
- Open JS FoundationcommunityCommunity sponsor providing promotional support for HalfStack events.
- codebarcommunityCommunity sponsor supporting diversity in tech through event sponsorship.
- Women Coding CommunitycommunityCommunity sponsor supporting women in coding through event partnerships.
- PHX JScommunityPhoenix JavaScript meetup group - co-organizes and promotes Phoenix events.
- React ViennacommunityVienna React meetup group - community partner for Vienna events.
- JS Monthly LondoncoreLondon's longest-lived JavaScript meetup group - hosts HalfStack London events.
- Tech Cornwall / Software CornwallcommunityCo-host of Newquay events with London's longest-lived JavaScript meetup group.
- CityJSConfcommunityCommunity sponsor - JS conference alliance partner.
- Salesforce EngineeringfeaturedFeatured sponsor for Phoenix, Vienna, and other events.
- MozillacommunityCommunity sponsor supporting open web initiatives.
- CityJS BelgradecoreJoint event partnership with CityJS for Belgrade debut in 2025.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights4 records
HalfStack competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CityJSConf: CityJSConf runs a multi-city JavaScript conference series with a similar community-driven format and overlapping target audience of web developers. HalfStack already lists CityJSConf as a community sponsor partner, and the two operate in the same niche.
- React Summit: React Summit hosts large-scale React and JavaScript conferences in Amsterdam and other cities, drawing the same web developer audience with similar community-driven, creative-event positioning.
- React Advanced Conference: React Advanced is a London-based React conference that intersects with HalfStack's London JavaScript community and competes for the same English-speaking web developer attendees and sponsors.
- SmashingConf: SmashingConf organizes intimate, single-track web design and development conferences across multiple cities, with a similar premium-curated, no-vendor-pitch positioning that appeals to the same front-end developer audience.
- JSConf: JSConf is the flagship JavaScript conference series with a global footprint and similar community-first ethos. While larger and more established, it competes for the same JS developer audience and sponsor dollars.
- dotConferences: dotConferences organizes a series of single-day, single-track developer conferences (dotJS, dotSwift, etc.) in Paris and other cities, with a similar intimate format and focus on high-quality technical content.
- NodeConf: NodeConf is a community-driven conference series focused on Node.js, closely related to the JavaScript ecosystem HalfStack serves and competing for similar web developer attention and sponsorship budgets.
Broad incumbents
- WebExpo: WebExpo is an established web design and development conference in Prague with broader scope (UX, design, dev) than HalfStack, but overlapping audience of web professionals and similar community-first vibe.
Others
- OpenJS Foundation: OpenJS Foundation is a community sponsor partner of HalfStack and runs its own JavaScript-focused events and programs. While not a direct competitor, it operates in the same ecosystem and could potentially host competing community events.
Regional players
- JS Monthly London: JS Monthly London is HalfStack's core London community partner and hosts monthly meetups, providing grassroots developer reach that feeds HalfStack's London events; comparable in audience but operates at a different cadence (monthly meetups vs. annual conference).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HalfStack social profiles
Digital presenceHalfStack financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HalfStack leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
HalfStack funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HalfStack M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HalfStack
What does HalfStack do?
HalfStack organizes intimate, single-day, single-track JavaScript and web development conferences in multiple cities worldwide, featuring local and international presenters with no vendor pitches. The company sells tickets to attendees and corporate sponsorship packages for brand visibility, supplemented by annual subscription passes, consulting services, and a community-driven Call for Proposals platform.
Is HalfStack a public or private company?
HalfStack is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was HalfStack founded?
HalfStack was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is HalfStack based?
HalfStack is headquartered in Gilbert, United States, in the North America region.
How does HalfStack make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are event Sponsorships and living Spec Partnership.
Who are HalfStack's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CityJSConf, React Summit, React Advanced Conference, SmashingConf, JSConf, dotConferences and NodeConf. WebExpo is listed as a broad incumbent. OpenJS Foundation is listed as an others. JS Monthly London is listed as a regional player.
Does HalfStack have an API?
No public API is recorded for HalfStack.
What industry is HalfStack in?
HalfStack's product category is Technology Conferences. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAMAH, Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits, with a secondary code of THAHABAC, Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 7900.