765: NumPy, SciPy and the Economics of Open-Source — with Dr. Travis Oliphant

Funding

Funding for open-source projects like NumPy and SciPy presents significant challenges. Travis Oliphant highlights the difficulty in securing financial support, noting that traditional funding avenues are scarce and often require creating a company to attract investment 1. He emphasizes the need for a marketplace to connect investors with open-source projects, aiming to bridge the gap between available capital and underfunded innovation 2.

My goal is to create a market connection between the two so investors can invest in open source, but you've got to make a tie to the economic output for that to work.

--- Travis Oliphant

Travis is actively seeking investors to support initiatives like faiross.org, which aims to establish a fair market value for open-source contributions.

   

Models

Travis has developed various commercial models to support open-source development sustainably. He discusses the Entrepreneur in Residence program at Quant Site, which helps budding entrepreneurs build companies and has led to multiple successful spin-offs 3. Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of creating open-source consultancies, which provide a sustainable income stream for developers while fostering innovation 4.

Every single open source project out there that's successful can have several consultancies around it.

--- Travis Oliphant

These models aim to create a thriving ecosystem where open-source contributors can build careers and companies around their work.