Finding the right model for your open-source startup
How to build a successful business model around open source software
The right approach to open source can be a great revenue model for the software provider — my company did it and we've been profitable since day one.
There is NO Open Source Business Model
Preface: It has been brought to my attention by friends and trusted advisors that a valid interpretation of my point below is that open…
The Open Source Distributor Business Model
Dirk Riehle, dirk@riehle.org, Published in Computer vol. 54, no. 12 (December 2021), pp. 99-103. Abstract This article defines and discusses one particular commercial open source business model, ca…
There is Still NO Open Source Business Model
I wrote a blog post two years ago called There is NO Open Source Business Model. In it, I argued that open source software is really about…
Single-Vendor Open Source Firms (and Their Intellectual Property Strategies)
Dirk Riehle, dirk@riehle.org An edited version was published in Computer magazine, April 2020 Abstract This article present a particular business model for commercial open source firms, called the …
Open Source infrastructure deserves a business model
Open Source infrastructure is essential, invisible, and chronically underfunded. A more sustainable approach may be to connect the cost of running that infrastructure to the organizations that rely on it most.
Fueling Open Source with Vibes & Money
Economists think Open Source is a business model. Devs know better, and fund it accordingly.
Revisiting the Open Source Business Model
In the past few years, many companies have come to me asking for help drafting a “new open source license.” As a rule, drafting a new open source software license is not a good idea, s…
Is open source a development model, business model, or something else?
The term "open source" was coined in 1998 at a strategy session held by Open Source Initiative (OSI).
Open Source Business Model is Under Siege [Video Insights]
This post is about about the existential threat that Open Source Database companies, or any open source software infrastructure, are facing from cloud vendors like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Watch the video as Paul Dix, Fou...
Open Source Business Model is Under Siege [Video Insights]
This post is about about the existential threat that Open Source Database companies, or any open source software infrastructure, are facing from cloud vendors like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. Watch the video as Paul Dix, Fou...
Setting an Open Source Strategy
The majority of companies that use open source understand its business value and identify its advantages in efficiency, flexibility, interoperability, and speed of innovation. Yet only half of these companies report practicing basic open source management, such as community development, code maintenance, and the like, according to the latest Future of Open Source survey.
It’s actually open source software that's eating the world
At Lightspeed we’ve been investing aggressively in open source software (OSS) businesses for the past 10 years. Recently, we’ve seen a significant increase in entrepreneurs pitching open source startups, and we’ve also seen greater competition for these deals. We pulled together some numbers in an attempt to measure the acceleration in interest in and funding for OSS businesses in the last few years. The results were staggering even to us.
Some startups are going ‘fair source’ to avoid the pitfalls of open source licensing | TechCrunch
New alternative category to 'closed source' could help companies monetize software in the open -- without going all-in on open source.
