Community

Robert Hodges

Build a Great Business on Open Source without Selling Your Soul

Saturday 10:35-11:00 | UB5.230

A profitable business is one of the best protections for commercial open source projects and communities that depend on them. Our talk draws on the experience of companies that pulled it off to explain how to do it for your own projects. We’ll discuss commercial models that actually work, giving back to the community, and gracefully collecting money for free software. We'll also discuss topics for larger projects like foundations and taking VC funding. It is possible to balance a strong belief in open source communities with making payroll every two weeks. We've done it and will share our secrets.