How Open Source Won Without Venture Capital

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how major open-source projects like Linux, PostgreSQL, and Blender succeeded with minimal or no venture capital funding. They break down the specific economic structures—foundation sponsorship, dual licensing, paid support models—that allowed community-driven software to compete with VC-backed startups. The conversation drills into Blender's 2002 crowdfunding campaign that raised 100,000 euros to buy the code from a bankrupt company, and PostgreSQL's decades-long development funded by a consortium of corporate users. Lucas contrasts this with the venture-funded model that drove MongoDB and Elastic to IPO, and asks whether the pendulum is swinging back toward sustainable, non-VC open source. A concrete look at how software gets built when profit isn't the primary motive. #OpenSource #VentureCapital #Linux #PostgreSQL #Blender #VCBacked #CommunityDriven #SoftwareSustainability #DualLicensing #Crowdfunding #TonRoosendaal #MongoDB #Elastic #FoundationModel #Technology #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #OpenSourceFunding Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo