Stay up to date on news about startups, tech, and all things open core.

OCV’s first Catalyst project gets a massive boost in downloads and GitHub popularity. The open source AI coding agent combines research, planning, and implementation to help developers build software

A roundtable discussion with Sid Sijbrandij on AI and open core reveals that every startup needs an AI strategy, and open core companies still have a speed advantage in the AI era.

The federal sales process is distinctly different from typical B2B sales. OCV’s founder and GP, Sid Sijbrandij, shares what he’s learned about selling to agencies in the U.S. federal government.

Startup success depends on focus, not just doing the “right” thing. Prioritize what drives growth now, maintain momentum, and choose the path of least resistance to reach your next milestone faster.

OCV launches the Catalyst Program to help open-source authors grow sustainable projects with funding, strategy, and marketing support. Apply now.

Early-stage open-core founders: Don’t overcomplicate feature decisions. Let demand guide development, stack rank requests, and price based on users. Build momentum by solving what users ask for most.

Stirling PDF goes open-core! The first open-source, self-hosted PDF editing suite is expanding with enterprise features, automation, and AI—giving users control without compromising security.

External Secrets launches to tackle secret sprawl in enterprise IT. Built on ESO, it syncs secrets across systems, automates access, and simplifies compliance—without storing sensitive data.

Locust Technologies launches with a hosted load testing suite built on open-source Locust. Flexible, code-based, and scalable—Locust makes performance testing easy for developers and enterprises.

Technical founders can’t go it alone—startups need a demand-focused CEO from day one. OCV’s approach to recruiting the right CEO accelerates growth and ensures product-market fit early on.

GrapesJS creator Artur Arseniev launches Grapes Studio with OCV to expand the open-source no-code web builder into a SaaS and embeddable Studio SDK, aiming to make web development more accessible.

License shifts by HashiCorp and Redis erode trust in commercial OSS. OCV’s Open Charter legally commits companies to keeping open-source code open, preventing unexpected licensing changes.

Duplicati Inc. launches with OCV funding to expand its zero-trust, encrypted backup for enterprises. CTO Kenneth Skovhede will enhance its open-source core and add enterprise-ready features.

Dr. Nick Knize launches Lucenia Inc., an open core search and analytics engine built on Apache Lucene, focusing on autoscaling, cloud cost efficiency, and a strong open-source commitment.

Phaser creator Richard Davey launches Phaser Studio to modernize browser-based game development with Phaser 4, focusing on playable ads and seamless integration across desktop and mobile.

VCs who pass on investing often give vague or risk-averse feedback—ignore it and focus on improving your pitch, not pivoting your business based on advice from those who don’t believe in it yet.

Open source startups gain a head start with passionate contributors, early product-market fit signals, and an existing user base, making adoption, hiring, and growth easier than traditional startups.

The AGPL license is risky due to vague compliance rules, corporate resistance, and dual licensing loopholes, often limiting adoption and hindering open source growth.

In-person marketing events are costly and hard to measure, while content marketing is a cheaper, more effective way for startups to build visibility and drive growth.

Kedify, founded by KEDA maintainer Zbynek Roubalik, brings enterprise-ready event-driven autoscaling to Kubernetes, optimizing cloud costs while staying true to open source principles.

Open core should be split by features based on the buyer, not by separate code bases—keeping all code in one repository simplifies development and improves the user experience.

HashiCorp’s switch to BSL highlights the need for open charter companies—legally binding commitments to open source can rebuild trust and prevent future license shifts.

Founder-compensated startups are default dead under traditional metrics, but by prioritizing rapid growth over absolute ARR, they can secure funding and scale successfully.

Red Hat's move to restrict RHEL source code via subscription terms may be legal, but it undermines open source principles, fueling competition and calls for greater transparency.

Open core sustains open source by balancing community contributions and enterprise features, ensuring a viable, transparent model without compromising the core project.

AI model weights aren’t "open source"—they require distinct licensing categories like Open Weights and Ethical Weights to ensure clarity and prevent misleading open-washing.

Artificially constraining your company to one ambitious goal fuels creativity, accelerates decision-making, and drives relentless progress toward meaningful growth.

The Red Hat model of selling open source support and services won’t be repeated—open core is the scalable, investable path for commercializing open source software.

Prioritize feedback from your heaviest users, not potential customers—true product growth comes from iterating on real user needs, not chasing every last sales objection.

Open core is outpacing proprietary software as the default model, driven by trust, security, and the unstoppable velocity of open source innovation.

Ramatak, built by Godot’s co-founder, expands open source game development with a fully compatible engine, enabling seamless mobile game creation, monetization, and ethical open core innovation.

Ondsel, built on FreeCAD, is making solid modeling tools more accessible by enabling web-based collaboration, customization, and open source innovation for engineers, designers, and makers.

A buyer-based pricing model makes open core sustainable, balancing business growth with open-source contributions while avoiding bait-and-switch pitfalls.

Authentik Security, OCV’s first Public Benefit Company, ensures open source identity management stays transparent, flexible, and sustainable while enabling full-time development and innovation.

Open source isn’t just a license—it’s a company charter. At OCV, we’re making it harder to push the “red button” and lock down open source. Here’s how we’re protecting open core projects.

Mermaid Chart is changing how we communicate. Creating dynamic text-based diagrams removes the clumsy design layer and improves collaboration.

Observability (“o11y”) has undergone a nearly four decade transition: from Apache/NGINX logs, to Nagios, Zipkin/Jaeger/Prometheus, and finally self-serve platforms powered by Kubernetes.

F/OSS projects have many paths to sustainability (we’re partial to open core). This post catalogs the sustainability problem and the various solutions we’ve seen working for F/OSS projects.