Workshop

The good, the bad and the ugly - Commercial sponsor models in open source

Tuesday, 20 May 2025 @ 11:00 - 11:55

A classic open source founder dilemma - how to structure the open source community project on which the founder is building a commercial enterprise.

Project success is critical to business success.

In this interactive session, Amanda Brock leads a dives deep into the many facets of open source sponsorship:

• What project structuring options exist and how do they interact with commercial models?
• Why companies donate code to foundations or “stewards”, and what’s in it for them?
• Are innovators being driven into foundations and stewards?
• Is there still room for foundations, or is the single-vendor model taking over?
• What happens when trademarks, governance, and money collide?
• Why did Syadia pull NATS from the CNCF, and what does that mean for everyone else?
• What alternative options exist for the future?