Update (05/23/08): The 451 group (Matt Asslett) reports on the Venture Capital Journal confirming a strong open source funding pipeline.
Update (04/01/08): The 451 group confirms astonishing numbers for VC investment in open source
It looks like another bubble is about to be artificially created on the open source VC craze.
Bruce Byfield from Linux.com, tells us that Intel Capital is fighting the competition on every open source deal. Benchmark (which recently announced 2 new entrepreneurs in residence (E.I.R) specializing in open source) is quoted :
There was resistance earlier, but now I think there's tremendous exuberance.
But remember, Benchmark was in RedHat, My SQL and JBoss; that might explain their enthusiasm. At the end of the article another "open source" VC, Larry Augustin (SourceForge) is quoted saying:
A good VC firm will help you figure out your business model.
In short, open source = open pockets:
- You don't need a CEO, they already have tons of EIRs in their starting blocks
- You don't need a technology, that's the beauty of open source
- You don't need a business model, the firm will provide one for you
I hope they are going to let me present a few slides, I'd feel guilty if they sign me a check beforehand.
How much can I get if I rename my blog open-pet.com?
PS: If you want to go fishing for VC money, the top "tremendously exuberant" investors in open source are: Charles River, Matrix, Sequoia, Kleiner and obviously Benchmark and Intel Capital.
Comments