Thank you for signing up for my newsletter. Every month or so I’ll share a round-up of news, events, and things on my mind.
Karen and I spent the end of 2024 traveling and visiting family, including a big trip to Japan, where we spent time in Tokyo, Kanazawa, Yamanaka Onsen, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Naoshima, and Hakone. This photo is from a sushi-making workshop we took in Tokyo. Every time I travel, I like to add an activity that helps me learn more about a place. It was a great vacation and a wonderful way to end the year.
Announcements
The Sijbrandij Foundation is proud to support big art in public spaces around the city of San Francisco. The first exhibit, Heartfullness by Katy Boynton, is currently on display through June 2025 at the intersection of Market and Turk Streets.
We’re excited to launch our next project, R-Evolution by Marco Cochrane. Due to unforeseen engineering challenges, the previously announced installation of R-Evolution is postponed as experts review the best placement for the statue. We remain committed to making this incredible piece of art a reality in San Francisco and will share more details on the timing and location as soon as they’re available. For more information on our big art project, please visit sijbrandijfoundation.org.
At Open Core Ventures, we launched the Open Source Project Sponsorship (OSPS) Program, an initiative to help open-source authors grow projects with commercial potential. The program offers open-source authors and maintainers funding and guidance to accelerate project growth and momentum. Project authors and maintainers interested in learning more about open core are encouraged to apply here.
Recent articles
“Weighing the good story factor”
In my first post on Substack, I shared how I use one of my favorite tools, the balanced scorecard, when making major decisions in my life. It can be just as helpful when weighing factors in personal decisions as with business strategy, as long as you determine the pillars that matter to you. My favorite personal pillar is the good story factor, which I weigh the most heavily. My wife, Karen, also likes using a balanced scorecard, and I recently learned she made one about me when deciding whether I was the one. We’re now celebrating our 25th anniversary.
“Let demand steer early-stage open-core product development”
Which features should be open source and which should be proprietary? How do I balance the development of each? These are often the first questions I’m asked by founders of new companies started through Open Core Ventures. Asking where to focus first is inherently right, but splitting focus by “open source” and “proprietary” is a flawed framework. Answering which features should be open source and which are proprietary is straightforward. Use the buyer-based open core framework to place features based on the most likely user. To answer the second question, follow the demand.
Thanks for reading!
What was your favourite place in Japan? It is still on my bucket list :)