Open-Source Project Sponsors - Who and how?

[Christian Klippel]

Hello all,

i'm wondering if some people here have an idea about finding sponsors for an open-source project?

How should one approach them, where to find them? I know that such projects get sponsoring quite often, but i have no idea how to find such people, or how to approach them. My plan is to create an Open-Source EDA software for schematic capture, board layout and simulation, since there really isn't much available there yet. Yes, i know GEDA, but frankly, it sucks.

Are there any organizations that one can get in contact with for such things, or would it be more like approaching random companies and people and ask them?

Thanks,

Chris

[Wudang]

You could try asking here http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/

[Christian Klippel]

You could try asking here http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/

Hello Wudang,

thanks, will take a look there.

If anybody has experience with the topic, it would be nice to hear what would be a good way to approach companies. I'll guess that a simple "Hey, gimme some bucks so i can code" wouldnt be the best way :)

Greetings,

Chris

[jmontecillo01]

A long time ago (between 1980 - 1990) I tried to market some mainframe softwares that I developed. For example, I developed a VTAM application which grabs all the terminals when they are turned on. The user is then presented with a menu of available applications. I was able to sell 3 copies for $5,000.00 a copy. Three years later, a similar application called netmaster became available in the market. The company that markets it (can't remember the name) became the biggest software manufacturer here in Australia.

Everytime I demonstrate my product, I hear "wonderful, but what happens to us if you get hit by a bus". In short, without a company name behind you, it was practically imposible to sell anything. I am not sure though, if the PC market is the same.

I would be interested to know if you manage to find a venture capitalist.

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Everytime I demonstrate my product, I hear "wonderful, but what happens to us if you get hit by a bus". In short, without a company name behind you, it was practically imposible to sell anything. I am not sure though, if the PC market is the same.
I produce technical books for publishers using a TeX macro package, ZzTeX, that I've deloped over the past 20 years. Even on the trivial level of single books, I'm occasionally asked how the publisher will produce a subsequent edition of the book if I'm run over by a bus. People are rightly concerned about this issue in many different arenas.

~~ Paul

[Wudang]

Hell, even in my job I have to do "succession planning" to ensure that if I do implement an unscheduled energy-transfer scenario with a bus that someone else can pick up the work. In fact, it's a requirement of ITIL.

[Christian Klippel]

Everytime I demonstrate my product, I hear "wonderful, but what happens to us if you get hit by a bus". In short, without a company name behind you, it was practically imposible to sell anything. I am not sure though, if the PC market is the same.

I would be interested to know if you manage to find a venture capitalist.

Hello jmontecillo01,

well, there's a difference. I'm not about writing a commercial application. It should be open-source, using SourceForge as repository/bugtracker/etc. I'm pretty that once the basic foundation is programmed, others will participate in the project. So it wouldn't really matter if at some point in the future i disappear from the project.

The thing why i am looking for a sponsor is that i want to work at least one year full time on the project. It's a rather complex project, so i see not much sense in working one or two hours a day on it, while having another job. Working full time would require to take no other jobs, while at the same time i still need to pay my rent, etc. It is not unusual that open-source projects get sponsored, it's just that i don't know whom to approach and how. And i don't even want to make any profit, just have the expenses covered, thats all.

Greetings,

Chris

[ChrisC]

My plan is to create an Open-Source EDA software for schematic capture, board layout and simulation, since there really isn't much available there yet.

Oh god, yes! I wish you the best of luck. I wish I had some ideas for sponsorship. Count on a donation from me when you've got something going. I don't want to hijack the thread, but tell us more about what you have in mind!

[Christian Klippel]

Hello ChrisC,

in the next days i will write a project description that i can link to then.

Greetings,

Chris

[Wudang]

In case it helps http://www.oss-watch.ac.uk/

[ChrisC]

Awesome. Good luck!