(Please note: these are resources we’ve come across that we think might be informative or beneficial. Inclusion of a resource on this list does not necessarily imply an affiliation with or endorsement of the author or provider of that resource, nor does it imply that we agree with or recommend any advice offered by the resource. Please contact us if you have suggestions for additional materials to list here.)
Books
From Project to Profit, Heather Meeker
Open (Source) for Business: A Practical Guide to Open Source Software Licensing, Heather Meeker
Open Source: A Capitalistic Value Engine, Christian Paterson
Podcasts
The Business of Open Source (Emily Omier)
Changelog (Adam Stacoviak, Jerod Santo)
Open Source Startup Podcast (Tim Chen, Amanda Robson)
The Craft of Open Source Podcast (Ben Rometsch)
Tools
License Picker on Heather Meeker’s Website
Videos
Commercial Open Source Business Strategies (Sid Silbrandij)
Articles, Blog Posts, and Other Resources
The COSS Playbook (Heather Meeker)
Three Models for Commercializing Open Source Software (Medium)
5 advantages of Commercial Open Source Software (COSS) over SaaS for data analytics (Snowplow blog)
AI strategy: Should my business choose “open source” or “closed source”? (Big Think)
How we monetize our open-source products at Zama (Zama Blog)
A standard pricing model for open core (Open Core Ventures Blog)
Open Source Business Models: Open Core vs Crippled Core (Peter Zaitsev Blog)
How to Sell Open Source Software by John Mark Walker
Open Core Ventures Handbook (Open Core Ventures)
The Ultimate Guide to Improving Freemium Conversion Rate for SaaS Companies (Userpilot Blog)
The Open Source Index (Two Sigma Ventures)
Academic and White Papers
Wasserman, A.I., “Building a Business on Open Source Software” in Petti, C. (ed.), Cases in Technological Entrepreneurship: Converting Ideas into Value. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar, 2009, pp. 107-121.
Wasserman, A.I., “Community and Commercial Strategies in Open Source Software”, IT- Information Technology, vol. 55, no. 5 (2013), pp. 181-188.
Hoffmann, M., Nagle, F., & Zhou, Y. (2024). The Value of Open Source Software (Working Paper No. 24-038). Harvard Business School.