Accelerating the open source flywheel in Europe with private sector & VC funding
UD2.218A | Day 1 | 18:20 - 18:50 | Speakers: Gabriele Columbro, Abel Samot
Abstract
In a wide array of funding and investment directed at open source, enterprise and venture capital funding rarely gets an important slot in European discussions.
However, as shown in our recent "State of Commercial Open Source" research report of ~800 VC-backed commercial open source (COSS) companies, the virtuous cycle created by enterprise contributions and VC funding not only improves upstream open source projects across virtually every metric but drives thriving commercial ecosystems creating tangible economic and societal value.
The data is clear: while public funding (so far) often functions as early-stage seed capital or a safety net for critical projects, research shows enterprises contributing over $7.7B annually in funding and paid developer time to open source on a global basis. Furthermore there is a big promise in VC funding for open source, also in Europe, with the number and value of transactions rising in recent years, with $26.4B invested in 2024 and strong investment performance indicators.
As vertical sectors like finance, energy, telco, and agriculture increasingly embrace open source as a pillar of their digital transformation, it’s clear that commercial open source has become a superior venture model and a strategic opportunity for Europe, but one that requires engaging diverse stakeholders and mutual education on the opportunities at hand.
In this talk we will share Linux Foundation Europe’s experience of building (and balancing) some of the largest global open source ecosystems as well as Commit’s unique perspective as the first fund solely focused on commercial open source investments in Europe.
Speakers
As founding Executive Director, Gabriele Columbro has played a pivotal role in transforming the Fintech Open Source Foundation (FINOS) from its nascent stages into a leading force in the financial services sector, fostering significant growth and innovation through open source collaboration. Under his leadership, FINOS, now part of the Linux Foundation, has expanded to over 100 members, including major financial institutions and technology firms and became the host of open source projects now critical to the financial services ecosystem. Columbro has also been instrumental in establishing and promoting key industry events such as the Open Source in Finance Forum (OSFF), that have become central hubs for open source in finance bringing together over 2000 people every year.
Besides OSFF, Columbro is also a frequent keynote speaker at major events like Open Source Summit, Money 2020, Finovate, and KubeCon, where he advocates on the transformative impact of open source technology in various sectors, first and foremost financial services.
Thanks to his accomplishments with FINOS, Columbro was tapped to take on a significant role as the General Manager of Linux Foundation Europe, aimed at enhancing the presence and impact of open source across Europe. This role involves fostering regional open collaborations and supporting the success leveraging the global platform of the Linux Foundation, emphasizing the critical commercial, geopolitical and societal value of open source in the AI era and beyond.
His extensive experience in building developer ecosystems and driving innovation is not just limited to non-profits but extends to commercial open source ventures and direct exposure Fortune 500 companies, highlighted by his previous roles at Alfresco.
Beyond his professional achievements, as a special needs parent, Columbro advocates for disability rights and inclusion. He is an avid reggae music connoisseur, enjoys cooking strictly Italian food, and it's a vocal Napoli soccer fan, a sport he enjoys also playing in his personal time. Columbro holds a Master's in Computer Engineering at Università of Roma Tre in Italy.
Partner >commit (first transatlantic VC focused on Open Source)
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