About this talk
This talk, presented by Jessica Schneider and Christian Eltzschig from ekxide IO GmbH, explores practical strategies for turning open source projects into sustainable businesses. Recorded at Open Community Experience 2026 in Brussels, the session delves into the challenge of funding open source projects by highlighting that technical value alone is insufficient. The speakers discuss various monetization strategies, such as the open core model and enterprise subscriptions, while emphasizing the importance of communicating business value to attract funding. Additional discussions include community-driven customer acquisition, public funding opportunities, legal considerations, and the risks associated with free-riding and maintainer burnout, ultimately advocating for a combination of revenue streams to achieve sustainability in open source ventures.
