Build a Great Business on Open Source without Selling Your Soul

Recorded: March 5 @ 08:00 am PT
Presenters: Robert Hodges

A profitable business is one of the best protections for commercial open-source projects and communities that depend on them.

This 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 here we are, sharing our secrets.

Due to technical issues, the recording quality of this webinar is lower than what our audience is accustomed to. As a result, we are replacing it with a similar talk that was highly successful at the FOSDEM 2025 Conference.

Here are the slides: