How to Build an Open Source Business

Open source has delivered amazing technological innovation, but its commercial innovation that is driving the current renaissance of open source companies. But since open source is by definition "free software," open source businesses require different models and a different go-to-market. In this talk, a16z General Partner Peter Levine explains how to turn developer enthusiasm into enterprise sales. From product management to licensing to sales, he delivers a complete framework for building an open source business in the SaaS era.

[haxzie_]

Thank you so much for this well detailed presentation. As someone who has been building open source softwares for a long time, it was extremely hard to build a business model around it. This video helped alot to understand building a business around open source softwares better.

[petrlegkov]

It's a great video, but it somehow misses what open source is actually about. What's the value behind open source? How do different projects get funded outside of the venture funded open source world? And most importantly, when is it deadly to add venture to open source projects? Or to rephrase it: does this video apply only to projects that aim to raise money from the beginning? Besides those IMHO open questions, highly insightful!

[sahbaapr]

EXCELLENT video on open source business models, many thanks

[YashRanadive]

Wow! @peterlevine .. This is the most information dense and on-target presentation I've ever seen on this topic.

[davidmalawey]

Tried to download the slides but the link is broken. Can you share a new link?😃

[priyanshnegi]

Thanks, really helped me in starting my OS project!

[ashishmaurya]

I have a really silly question but bear with me, If open source code is available on GitHub so say if I fork the codebase and host it live isn't it kinda weird I meant how open source companies do not worry about their code base being exposed and all?

[lanceze]

Thank you for sharing this information. However the download link seems to be down; can you post it somewhere else?

[giseghese]

I came from the Silicon Valley Girl and loved her suggestion!

[insaneminer]

How do i get people to know about the project. I'm finding it hard to get people to even look at it.

[Eltonlin]

10:49: Why - in practice - cloud providers can't just decide to kill open-source startups by hosting the same code

[cherubinth]

Open core and sass both show open source is not about freedom like free software.