Founding Host Beta
I've spent two years building Speakeasy. Before it launches publicly, I'm looking for a small group of people to run real servers, invite real users, and help harden the install and hosting experience. Paid, limited, hands-on.
What a Founding Host does
- Runs a real Speakeasy server (Windows PC, Linux box, VPS, or Docker)
- Invites 3–20 friends or community members and actually uses it — voice, screen share, push-to-talk
- Installs upgrades and reports how they went
- Files detailed bug reports (structured templates provided, logs included)
- Answers two blunt surveys: one after a week, one after a month
What you get
- Server packages and self-host installers for Windows, Linux, and Docker
- Source access — read it, audit it, modify it for your own instance
- A private host channel with direct access to the developer
- Priority on the bugs that block you, and a real say in what gets built next
- Founding Host standing when pricing settles — early hosts will not be punished for showing up first
What this is not
Not a polished mass-market launch. It is beta infrastructure for people who want self-hosted communications and are comfortable helping test it. The client is free for everyone; server and source access are what's paid. Read the honesty pages first: known limitations, known issues, and the threat model — including the fact that Speakeasy has not yet had an independent security audit.
The details
| Client | Free (Windows + Linux; web client for browsers) |
|---|---|
| Server + source access | Paid beta via Patreon |
| Mac / native mobile | Not yet |
| Cohort size | Limited — applications reviewed by hand |
| Commitment | Run a server, file bugs, answer two surveys |
Apply
Tell me about your setup and your group — hardware and network variety is exactly what the beta needs, so "weird homelab" is a plus, not a problem.