Open-Source Investors: Complete List for COSS Founders in 2026

If you're building COSS (Commercial Open Source Software), these are the investors who actually write first checks. This article compiles a comprehensive list of open-source investors, angel investors, and VC funds that actively support open-source startups, from early-stage angels writing $5k-$50k checks to larger investors writing $100k+ checks.

The open-source ecosystem has grown significantly, with investors who understand the unique dynamics of building commercial open-source companies. These investors bring not just capital but also deep expertise in open-source business models, community building, and go-to-market strategies.

Quick list of open-source investors

• Peer Richelsen – Cal.com founder, writes $5k-$50k checks
• Tobi Knaup – D2iQ founder, writes $5k-$50k checks
• Guillermo Rauch – Vercel founder, writes $5k-$50k checks
• Ben Lang – Notion founder, writes $5k-$50k checks
• Jack Altman – Lattice founder, writes $100k+ checks
• Elad Gil – Angel investor, writes $100k+ checks
• Ryan Hoover – Product Hunt founder, writes $100k+ checks
• Naval Ravikant – AngelList founder, writes $100k+ checks
• Tom Preston-Werner – Preston-Werner Ventures, writes $100k+ checks
• Alexis Ohanian – Seven Seven Six, writes $100k+ checks
• Joseph Jacks – OSS Capital, open-source focused VC fund
• Ed Sim – boldstart ventures, open-source focused VC
• Brent Hoberman – firstminute capital, open-source investor

Looking for more investors, check our Open Investor Database with 10000+ VC funds

How to get yes from open-source investors?

There is no guarantee open-source investors or any other will say yes, and the chances are low, on average 1/100 will invest. The best you can do is to capture interest as soon as possible or get no and move on.

How? Share your pitch deck as a link not as an attachment and get insights if investors are interested

1. Get notified when investor view your deck
2. Track how long they were on each page of your deck
3. Capture emails of investors who viewed your deck
4. Protect your IP using watermark, screenshot protection and other link permissions
5. Securely send data room with multiple documents

How to choose an open-source investor?

Choosing the right open-source investor for your COSS startup involves several critical considerations. First, ensure the investor understands open-source business models and has experience with similar companies. Look for investors who have backed successful open-source companies or have founders with open-source backgrounds.

Consider their check size and whether it matches your fundraising needs. Some investors write smaller checks ($5k-$50k) which are perfect for very early stages, while others write larger checks ($100k+) for seed rounds. Review their portfolio to see if they have experience with open-source companies in your space.

Evaluate their value-add beyond capital. Many open-source investors provide strategic guidance on community building, developer relations, and open-source go-to-market strategies. Consider using tools like pitch deck sharing software to gauge their interest level and track engagement.

Finally, assess their network and connections within the open-source ecosystem. Investors with strong relationships in the developer community, open-source foundations, and other COSS companies can provide valuable introductions and partnerships.

How to reach out to open-source investors?

Reaching out to open-source investors can seem daunting, but it's all about taking the right steps. Start by understanding their investment focus and ensuring your COSS project matches what they're looking for. Prepare a clear and compelling presentation that highlights your open-source project, community traction, and commercial strategy.

Use pitch deck sharing software to send your deck as a link rather than an attachment, allowing you to track activity and capture investor feedback. Personalize your approach by mentioning why they're specifically a good fit for your open-source company. Attend open-source conferences and developer events to build genuine connections beyond cold outreach.

Track whether investors have viewed your presentation and follow up with polite reminders that show dedication without being pushy. Be ready for detailed discussions about your open-source business model, community growth, and monetization strategy. As a COSS company, you can use fundraising software to streamline this entire process.

$5k–$50k Check Size

1. Peer Richelsen

Peer Richelsen is the co-founder of Cal.com, an open-source scheduling platform. As an active angel investor, he writes checks in the $5k-$50k range for early-stage open-source startups.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Cal.com
• Focus Areas: Open-source, SaaS, Developer tools
• Status: Active

2. Tobi Knaup

Tobi Knaup is the co-founder of D2iQ (formerly Mesosphere), a company focused on Kubernetes and cloud-native technologies. He actively invests in early-stage open-source startups.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: D2iQ
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Cloud-native, Kubernetes
• Status: Active

3. Thilo Konzok

Thilo Konzok is a partner at Sequoia Capital with a focus on developer tools and open-source companies. He writes early-stage checks for promising open-source startups.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Sequoia Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Enterprise software
• Status: Active

4. Leonard Picardo

Leonard Picardo is an independent angel investor with a focus on open-source and developer tools. He writes checks for early-stage COSS companies.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Independent
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools
• Status: Active

5. Marc Seitz

Marc Seitz is the co-founder of Papermark, an open-source document sharing platform. He actively invests in early-stage open-source startups and understands the COSS business model.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Papermark
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, SaaS
• Status: Active

6. Shawn "swyx" Wang

Shawn "swyx" Wang is a well-known developer and angel investor in the open-source ecosystem. He writes early-stage checks for developer tools and open-source companies.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Independent
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Developer experience
• Status: Active

7. Guy Podjarny

Guy Podjarny is the co-founder and president of Snyk, a developer security platform. He invests in early-stage open-source security and developer tools.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Snyk
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Security, Developer tools
• Status: Active

8. Fredrik Björk

Fredrik Björk is associated with Graftbase and actively invests in open-source startups. He writes checks for early-stage companies building developer tools.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Graftbase
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools
• Status: Active

9. Michael Pennington

Michael Pennington is associated with Gumtree and invests in early-stage open-source companies. He focuses on marketplace and platform businesses.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Gumtree
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Marketplaces, Platforms
• Status: Active

10. Guillermo Rauch

Guillermo Rauch is the founder and CEO of Vercel, a platform for frontend developers. He actively invests in open-source projects and developer tools.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Vercel
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Frontend, Developer tools, Next.js ecosystem
• Status: Active

11. Clark Landry

Clark Landry is associated with Hawke Ventures and invests in early-stage open-source startups. He writes checks for companies building developer-focused products.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Hawke Ventures
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools
• Status: Active

12. Anthony Casalena

Anthony Casalena is the founder and CEO of Squarespace. He invests in early-stage open-source and developer tools companies.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Squarespace
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Web platforms
• Status: Active

13. Abhinav Asthana

Abhinav Asthana is the co-founder and CEO of Postman, an API platform. He actively invests in open-source API tools and developer infrastructure.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Postman
• Focus Areas: Open-source, APIs, Developer tools
• Status: Active

14. Spencer Kimball

Spencer Kimball is the co-founder and CEO of Cockroach Labs, creators of CockroachDB. He invests in early-stage open-source database and infrastructure companies.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Cockroach Labs
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Databases, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

15. Job van der Voort

Job van der Voort is the co-founder and CEO of Remote, a global HR platform. He invests in early-stage open-source companies, particularly in developer tools and infrastructure.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Remote
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

16. Ben Lang

Ben Lang is the co-founder of Notion, a productivity and collaboration platform. He actively invests in early-stage open-source productivity tools and developer platforms.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Notion
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Productivity tools, Developer platforms
• Status: Active

17. Martin Henk

Martin Henk is associated with Pipedrive, a CRM platform. He invests in early-stage open-source sales and developer tools.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Pipedrive
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Sales tools, Developer tools
• Status: Active

18. Marc McCabe

Marc McCabe is associated with Nomad Capital and invests in early-stage open-source startups. He focuses on developer tools and infrastructure companies.

• Check Size: $5k-$50k
• Company: Nomad Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

$100k+ Check Size

19. Jack Altman

Jack Altman is the co-founder and CEO of Lattice, a people management platform. He writes larger checks ($100k+) for open-source companies with strong traction.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Lattice
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Enterprise software, HR tech
• Status: Active

20. Elad Gil

Elad Gil is a prominent angel investor and author who has invested in many successful open-source companies. He writes $100k+ checks for promising COSS startups.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Independent / Angel investor
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Enterprise software, Developer tools
• Status: Active

21. Ryan Hoover

Ryan Hoover is the founder of Product Hunt, a platform for discovering new products. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source companies with strong product-market fit.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Product Hunt
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Product platforms
• Status: Active

22. Naval Ravikant

Naval Ravikant is the co-founder of AngelList and a well-known angel investor. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source companies and has deep expertise in startup ecosystems.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: AngelList
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Platform companies
• Status: Active

23. Arjun Sethi

Arjun Sethi is a partner at Tribe Capital, a venture capital firm. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source infrastructure and developer tools companies.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Tribe Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Infrastructure, Developer tools
• Status: Active

24. Andreas Klinger

Andreas Klinger is associated with Remote First Capital and focuses on remote-first and open-source companies. He writes $100k+ checks for distributed teams building open-source products.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Remote First Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Remote-first, Developer tools
• Status: Active

25. Ram Shriram

Ram Shriram is the founder of Sherpalo Ventures and an early Google investor. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source infrastructure and platform companies.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Sherpalo Ventures
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Infrastructure, Platforms
• Status: Active

26. Sarah Drinkwater

Sarah Drinkwater is associated with Common Magic and invests in open-source companies. She writes $100k+ checks for developer tools and infrastructure startups.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Common Magic
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

27. Nicolas Dessaignes

Nicolas Dessaignes is the co-founder of Algolia, a search API platform. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source developer tools and API companies.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Algolia
• Focus Areas: Open-source, APIs, Developer tools, Search
• Status: Active

28. Tom Preston-Werner

Tom Preston-Werner is the co-founder of GitHub and founder of Preston-Werner Ventures. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source companies and has deep expertise in developer tools.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Preston-Werner Ventures
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

29. Alexis Ohanian

Alexis Ohanian is the co-founder of Reddit and Seven Seven Six. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source companies and platform businesses.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Seven Seven Six
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Platforms, Developer tools
• Status: Active

30. Tod Sacerdoti

Tod Sacerdoti is the founder and CEO of Pipedream, a serverless integration platform. He writes $100k+ checks for open-source infrastructure and developer tools.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Pipedream
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Infrastructure, Developer tools, Serverless
• Status: Active

31. Ariel Maislos

Ariel Maislos is associated with Coho AI and invests in open-source AI and developer tools companies. He writes $100k+ checks for early-stage startups.

• Check Size: $100k+
• Company: Coho AI
• Focus Areas: Open-source, AI, Developer tools
• Status: Active

More Open-Source Investors

32. Cassidy Williams

Cassidy Williams is a developer advocate at GitHub and an active angel investor in open-source projects. She invests in developer tools and open-source companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: GitHub
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Developer experience
• Status: Active

33. Bjarke Staun-Olsen

Bjarke Staun-Olsen is an angel investor focused on open-source and developer tools. He invests in early-stage COSS companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Independent / Angel investor
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools
• Status: Active

34. Stephanie Friedman

Stephanie Friedman is associated with Accord and invests in open-source companies. She focuses on developer tools and infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Accord
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools
• Status: Active

35. Emilio Escobar

Emilio Escobar is associated with Datadog and invests in open-source observability and infrastructure companies. He has deep expertise in monitoring and developer tools.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Datadog
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Observability, Infrastructure, Monitoring
• Status: Active

36. Prasanna Sankar

Prasanna Sankar is associated with Rippling and invests in open-source HR and developer tools companies. He focuses on infrastructure and platform businesses.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Rippling
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

37. Grace Francisco

Grace Francisco is associated with Pangea Cloud and invests in open-source cloud infrastructure companies. She focuses on developer tools and platform businesses.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Pangea Cloud
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Cloud infrastructure, Developer tools
• Status: Active

38. Marcus Eagan

Marcus Eagan is associated with SOCs and invests in open-source security and developer tools companies. He focuses on security infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: SOCs
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Security, Developer tools
• Status: Active

39. Chad Hurley

Chad Hurley is the co-founder of YouTube and an active investor in open-source video and developer tools companies. He writes checks for platform businesses.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Independent
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Video platforms, Developer tools
• Status: Active

40. Paul Copplestone

Paul Copplestone is the co-founder and CEO of Supabase, an open-source Firebase alternative. He actively invests in open-source developer tools and infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Supabase
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure, Databases
• Status: Active

41. Mirko Novakovic

Mirko Novakovic is the co-founder of Instana (acquired by IBM) and invests in open-source observability and developer tools companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Independent
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Observability, Developer tools
• Status: Active

42. Jeff Hammerbacher

Jeff Hammerbacher is the co-founder of Cloudera and invests in open-source data infrastructure companies. He focuses on big data and analytics platforms.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Cloudera
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Data infrastructure, Big data, Analytics
• Status: Active

43. Bertrand Diard

Bertrand Diard is associated with Syroco and invests in open-source infrastructure companies. He focuses on developer tools and platform businesses.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Syroco
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Infrastructure, Developer tools
• Status: Active

44. Dan Pinto

Dan Pinto is associated with Fingerprint and invests in open-source developer tools and infrastructure companies. He focuses on security and identity platforms.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Fingerprint
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Security, Identity
• Status: Active

45. Olivier Pomel

Olivier Pomel is the co-founder and CEO of Datadog, an observability platform. He invests in open-source monitoring and developer tools companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Datadog
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Observability, Monitoring, Developer tools
• Status: Active

46. Ovais Tariq

Ovais Tariq is associated with Tigris Data and invests in open-source database and infrastructure companies. He focuses on developer tools and data platforms.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Tigris Data
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Databases, Infrastructure, Developer tools
• Status: Active

47. David Aronchick

David Aronchick is associated with Expanso and invests in open-source infrastructure companies. He focuses on distributed systems and developer tools.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Expanso
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Infrastructure, Distributed systems, Developer tools
• Status: Active

48. Kyle Parrish

Kyle Parrish is associated with Figma and invests in open-source design and developer tools companies. He focuses on developer experience and design systems.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Figma
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Design tools, Developer tools, Developer experience
• Status: Active

49. James Hawkins

James Hawkins is the co-founder of PostHog, an open-source product analytics platform. He actively invests in open-source developer tools and analytics companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: PostHog
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Analytics, Developer tools, Product analytics
• Status: Active

50. Eric Wittman

Eric Wittman is associated with VSCO and invests in open-source creative tools and developer platforms. He focuses on developer tools and content platforms.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: VSCO
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Creative tools, Developer tools, Platforms
• Status: Active

51. Brian Douglas

Brian Douglas is associated with Continue and invests in open-source developer tools and AI companies. He focuses on developer experience and productivity tools.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Continue
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, AI, Developer experience
• Status: Active

52. Matt Mullenweg

Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic. He actively invests in open-source content management and developer tools companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Automattic
• Focus Areas: Open-source, CMS, Developer tools, Content platforms
• Status: Active

53. Sumedh Pathak

Sumedh Pathak is associated with Microsoft and invests in open-source developer tools and infrastructure companies. He focuses on enterprise software and platforms.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Microsoft
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Enterprise software, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

54. David Cramer

David Cramer is the co-founder and CEO of Sentry, an open-source error tracking platform. He actively invests in open-source developer tools and observability companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: Sentry
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Observability, Error tracking
• Status: Active

55. Sebastien Pahl

Sebastien Pahl is associated with GitLab, an open-source DevOps platform. He invests in open-source developer tools and infrastructure companies.

• Check Size: Varies
• Company: GitLab
• Focus Areas: Open-source, DevOps, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

Even More Open-Source Investors and VC Funds

56. Joseph Jacks

Joseph Jacks is the founder of OSS Capital, a venture capital fund focused exclusively on open-source companies. OSS Capital invests in COSS startups at various stages.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: OSS Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, COSS, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

57. Konstantin Vinogradov

Konstantin Vinogradov is associated with Runa Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in open-source and developer tools companies. The fund focuses on B2B software and infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: Runa Capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, B2B software, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

58. James Lindenbaum

James Lindenbaum is associated with Heavybit, a venture capital fund focused on developer tools and infrastructure. Heavybit invests in open-source companies building for developers.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: Heavybit
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure, Developer platforms
• Status: Active

59. Tom Drummond

Tom Drummond is associated with Heavybit, a venture capital fund that specializes in developer tools and open-source infrastructure companies.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: Heavybit
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

60. Ed Sim

Ed Sim is the founder of boldstart ventures, a venture capital fund that focuses on early-stage enterprise software and open-source companies. The fund has a strong track record with developer tools and infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: boldstart ventures
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Enterprise software, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

61. Scott Sage

Scott Sage is associated with Crane Venture Partners, a venture capital fund that invests in open-source and developer tools companies. The fund focuses on B2B software and infrastructure.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: Crane Venture Partners
• Focus Areas: Open-source, B2B software, Developer tools, Infrastructure
• Status: Active

62. Brent Hoberman

Brent Hoberman is the co-founder of firstminute capital, a venture capital fund that invests in open-source and developer tools companies. The fund focuses on early-stage B2B software.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: firstminute capital
• Focus Areas: Open-source, B2B software, Developer tools, Early-stage
• Status: Active

63. Zdenko Zvada

Zdenko Zvada is associated with Flying Founders, a venture capital fund that invests in open-source and developer tools companies. The fund focuses on early-stage startups.

• Check Size: Varies (VC fund)
• Company: Flying Founders
• Focus Areas: Open-source, Developer tools, Early-stage
• Status: Active

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Conclusion: open-source investors actively supporting COSS in 2026

The open-source investment landscape in 2026 is vibrant and growing, with dozens of investors actively writing checks for COSS startups. From angel investors writing $5k-$50k checks to larger investors and VC funds writing $100k+ checks, founders building commercial open-source software have a diverse set of partners to choose from.

These investors bring not just capital but also deep expertise in open-source business models, community building, and developer-focused go-to-market strategies. Whether you're building developer tools, infrastructure, or platforms, there are investors who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of the COSS model.

As the open-source ecosystem continues to mature, the role of these investors will be pivotal in shaping the future of commercial open-source software. Their support helps founders navigate the complex journey from open-source project to sustainable business.

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