Field notes from commercializing open source.
The problem with paid marketing
Paid acquisition is a multiplier, not a foundation, and most early-stage founders turn it on too soon. A multiplier built on a weak foundation can do more harm than good.
Software is being rebuilt for agents, MCP is winning, and the tooling is still early
The internet's front door has moved from browsers and search bars to AI agents like Claude and ChatGPT. MCP is the protocol defining how those agents reach the software underneath.
Forget world models. The next robotics giant will bring DevOps to Physical AI
Investors are focused on foundation models, world models, and VLAs. Meanwhile, every company deploying robots is rebuilding the same operational software from scratch because nobody is selling it to t
Betting on open source agents
Agents are becoming the most trusted software layer. But to build them right, they need to be open, secure, and accessible.
Why AI is the cheat code for open source
AI coding agents are unleashing a wave of open source contributors, creating a flywheel that will displace closed-source vertical SaaS.
We hired a Gobii AI agent to manage OCV's tedious, repetitive FinOps tasks
We stopped doing manual portfolio audits and handed those tasks to AI agents. Here's an honest look at what we built, how it works, and how much time it's actually saving us.
Introducing the Catalyst Spring 2026 Batch: Catalyst v1
Meet the five projects in Catalyst v1, the first official Catalyst batch.
The Open Core Paradox
Why giving away your best work for free is sometimes the smartest path to building a billion-dollar business.
OCV’s new source available license is a simple alternative to closed-source licenses
Open Core Ventures Source Available Licenses (OCVSAL) is designed to protect the proprietary components of an open core codebase while enabling code access.
Launching RayAI to power multi-agent systems with Ray
RayAI is agent infrastructure powered by Ray, the compute engine behind frontier models.
Selora Homes launches to bring professional home installation and support to Home Assistant
Founder and CTO Philippe Lafoucrière aims to back Home Assistant, the most widely used open source smart home system, with expert installation and personalized setup for a truly unified experience.
Your pricing page should be boring and predictable
Most startup founders overcomplicate their pricing pages, trying to make them do too much.
Channel partners can amplify success, but they don’t create it
Successful partnerships are a force multiplier for existing momentum, not a substitute for product-market fit or direct sales.
Postman for MCP: MCPJam launches enterprise testing and debugging platform for MCP servers
Co-founders Matthew Wang and Marcelo Jimenez grew MCPJam OS from 200 to 1,000+ stars on GitHub during the Catalyst program. Now they're taking their entrepreneurial ambitions to the next level.
HTTPS for AI: Garak launches end-to-end LLM security platform
Garak aims to become the essential, invisible security layer that every AI system needs.
RamaLama Labs launches to build container lifecycle management for LLMs
Open Core Ventures (OCV) is proud to announce the launch of RamaLama Labs, a platform that brings enterprise-grade container lifecycle management to LLM deployments, built on open source ramalama.
Creator of Kubetail and YC alum: “Open source is having its Internet moment”
YC alum Andres Morey sees parallels between 2007 internet skepticism and today's Open Core doubts. His Kubetail project's growth in Catalyst indicates open source companies are starting to have their
Building venture-scale open core
There is no perfect playbook, but there are proven strategies you can use to build open core businesses that scale while maintaining the trust of the open source community.
From code to community: How Alumnium achieved 13X growth through OCV's Catalyst Program
At the start of the program, Alumnium had 29 stars and 2 contributors driving development. Today, it's grown to 12 contributors, over 400 stars, and more than 1,200 downloads per month.
Strangers to co-founders: How Kedify’s unlikely founder pairing is evolving autoscaling for the AI boom
Kedify co-founders Zbynek Roubalik and Jeff Fernandez are proving that sometimes the best founder relationships aren't always the most obvious.
Gobii launches to build the ChatGPT of web agents
Building on the open source framework browser-use, Gobii aims to bring the power of AI web agents to all.
OpenCoreEMR launches to modernize healthcare technology
Building on top of the world’s leading open source electronic medical records system, OpenCoreEMR aims to create an open, intelligent, and predictive healthcare ecosystem.
Mermaid Chart: From open source project to raising a $7.5M Seed round
CTO Knut Sveidqvist and CEO Andrew Firestone share their journey in building Mermaid Chart from inception to a Seed-funded company.
Kernelize Inc. launches to bridge the CUDA moat
Triton contributor Simon Waters joins as CTO to develop an end-to-end AI hardware accelerator platform.
RA.Aid: OCV Catalyst Program inaugural project sees 9X growth
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
Every startup needs an AI strategy
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.
5 Takeaways: Selling Open Core to the Government with Sid Sijbrandij
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.
When doing the “right” thing isn’t the right thing
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.
Announcing OCV's Catalyst Program
OCV launches the Catalyst Program to help open-source authors grow sustainable projects with funding, strategy, and marketing support. Apply now.
Let demand steer early-stage open core product development
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.
Open-source creator Anthony Stirling launches Stirling PDF to build the first open-core PDF editing suite
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.
Introducing External Secrets: Enterprise Secrets Management
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.
Introducing Locust load testing: Event-driven, test-as-code performance testing suite
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 need a demand-focused co-founder from the start
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 founds Grapes Studio Inc. to bring the open-source, multi-project, no-code website editor mainstream
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.
Open Charter gives open source users predictability amidst the licensing change trend
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: Zero trust, fully encrypted backup
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.
Long-time open source contributor, Dr. Nick Knize, launches Lucenia Inc. for search and analytics
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-building
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.
Don’t listen to feedback from VCs who pass on investing
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 with growing communities benefit from passionate people, early signals of PMF, and an existing user base
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.
AGPL license is a non-starter for most companies
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 overvalued
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.
KEDA maintainer Zbynek Roubalik launches Kedify: Enterprise autoscaling for Kubernetes
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 split should be based on features, not on code base
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 switching to BSL shows a need for open charter companies
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
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 found a way to get around the GPLv2 license intention with contract law
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 is a misunderstood business model
Open core sustains open source by balancing community contributions and enterprise features, ensuring a viable, transparent model without compromising the core project.
AI weights are not open \"source\"
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 goal creates velocity and creativity
Artificially constraining your company to one ambitious goal fuels creativity, accelerates decision-making, and drives relentless progress toward meaningful growth.
The Red Hat model only worked for Red Hat
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.
Don't listen to potential customers \"if only\" requests
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.
Why open core will replace proprietary software as the default
Open core is outpacing proprietary software as the default model, driven by trust, security, and the unstoppable velocity of open source innovation.
Ramatak: the open core platform for mobile gaming built with Godot
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: making solid modeling tools accessible for everyone
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.
Buyer based open core: A pricing model
A buyer-based pricing model makes open core sustainable, balancing business growth with open-source contributions while avoiding bait-and-switch pitfalls.
Introducing our first public benefit company, Authentik Security
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.
Preventing the bait and switch by open core software companies
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.
Why we invested in Mermaid Chart
Mermaid Chart is changing how we communicate. Creating dynamic text-based diagrams removes the clumsy design layer and improves collaboration.
The rise of observability (o11y): Neanderthals with logs to astronauts with instrument panels
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.
Someone has to pay for the domino
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.