Slides for the book presentation of "Entreprenerd: Building a Multi-Million-Dollar Business with Open Source Software" in which Bruno Lowagie tells the story about how he developed the open source PDF library iText, how he created an international group of companies for the project, and how he grew the business from start-up to exit.
Belgium and the US: a mutual introductionBruno Lowagie
Slide deck for my guest lecture at the University College Leuven Limburg about doing business in Belgium and doing business in the US, based on my own experience at iText.
This is the presentation of Kyle Lewis, Communications Manager, Europe by Holcim. Kyle explained how they are using their intranet to reach all employees, particularly the ones that work on the plant
Belgium and the US: a mutual introductionBruno Lowagie
Slide deck for my guest lecture at the University College Leuven Limburg about doing business in Belgium and doing business in the US, based on my own experience at iText.
This is the presentation of Kyle Lewis, Communications Manager, Europe by Holcim. Kyle explained how they are using their intranet to reach all employees, particularly the ones that work on the plant
The first project was completed for Euro Energetyka (www.euroenergetyka.pl). The year of finishing the project: 2000. The project is still working. Check out more information about the Ideo Agency history. More on http://www.ideoagency.com/
Grinn is a close-knit unit drawn together by our passion for problem-solving and our fascination with technology. We do some of the most rewarding and challenging work at the design stage. Clients come to us with an idea for an IoT product and our role is to help them shape it. We are distinguished by our agility and the high quality of projects. We create solutions within the scope of electronics combined with IT systems on the basis of the latest technologies.
Startup Stage - Ecommerce Merchant Tools - Presentation by Guillermo de las Heras, CEO of Buy Yourself at the NOAH Conference London 2017, Old Billingsgate on the 2nd of November 2017.
Presentation by Eran Davidson, Founder of Davidson Technology Growth Debt at the NOAH Conference London 2017, Old Billingsgate on the 2nd of November 2017.
In this presentation, I look at the valuation of start-ups from two different angles: from the point of view of the founder/owner and from the point of view of the investor/business angel.
Open Source Survival: A Story from the TrenchesBruno Lowagie
In this slide deck, I discuss eight different ways you can make money as an open source developer. It's part of a series of presentations to promote my book "Entreprenerd."
The first project was completed for Euro Energetyka (www.euroenergetyka.pl). The year of finishing the project: 2000. The project is still working. Check out more information about the Ideo Agency history. More on http://www.ideoagency.com/
Grinn is a close-knit unit drawn together by our passion for problem-solving and our fascination with technology. We do some of the most rewarding and challenging work at the design stage. Clients come to us with an idea for an IoT product and our role is to help them shape it. We are distinguished by our agility and the high quality of projects. We create solutions within the scope of electronics combined with IT systems on the basis of the latest technologies.
Startup Stage - Ecommerce Merchant Tools - Presentation by Guillermo de las Heras, CEO of Buy Yourself at the NOAH Conference London 2017, Old Billingsgate on the 2nd of November 2017.
Presentation by Eran Davidson, Founder of Davidson Technology Growth Debt at the NOAH Conference London 2017, Old Billingsgate on the 2nd of November 2017.
In this presentation, I look at the valuation of start-ups from two different angles: from the point of view of the founder/owner and from the point of view of the investor/business angel.
Open Source Survival: A Story from the TrenchesBruno Lowagie
In this slide deck, I discuss eight different ways you can make money as an open source developer. It's part of a series of presentations to promote my book "Entreprenerd."
Open source: an introduction to IP and LegalBruno Lowagie
Open Source India (OSI) Days talk by Bruno Lowagie about intellectual property in the context of open source, about open source licenses, and about keeping track of the IP of your project.
Waarom iText de Leeuw van de Export 2016 moet winnenBruno Lowagie
10 redenen waarom iText volgende week de Leeuw van de Export niet mag verliezen. We zijn #1 exportkampioen, #2 groeikampioen, #3 werkgever, #4 innovator, #5 expert, #6 evangelist, #7 ambassadeur, #8 ondernemer, #9 reiziger, en #10 winnaar.
My slides for the Startup Weekend Ghent (December 5-7). It's also kind of a "Best of BizCamp" overview. Three really short, provocative, 10-minute talks about doing business.
Doing business in the US: Yes, You Can!Bruno Lowagie
Draft of the slide deck for my talk at VOKA on Friday, September 5, 2014: http://www.voka.be/oost-vlaanderen/opleidingen/2014/9/zakelijk-succes-in-de-vs/
Community Leadership Summit - Calistoga March 2013Bruno Lowagie
These are the slides of team 3 at the Community Leadership Summit in Calistoga (at the Open Source Think Tank). Our group discussed the topic "Developer Growth", answering questions such as: How will you attract new developers to participate? How will you retain developers so they become significant and sustained contributors? How will you attract new demographic of developers, outside of the current industry? How will you encourage existing partner organizations to contribute developers to the project? How will you deal with organizational requirements (e.g. NDAs, copyright assignment, re-licensing requirements, etc)? How will you keep developers motivated and feeling they have a sense of personal influence on the project? How will you avoid entitlement?
Bizcamp #8: The Founder's Dilemmas, Control vs. Wealth decisionsBruno Lowagie
In this talk, scheduled for May 28th, Bruno Lowagie, the CEO of the iText Software Group, will talk about the book "The Founder's Dilemmas" by Noam Wasserman, explain the different Control vs. Wealth decisions discussed in this book, and apply what is said in the book to his own business.
Ik heb een paar schetsen gemaakt van een kruispunt dat gevaarlijk is voor fietser. Ik heb twee scenario's getekend om dit kruispunt over te steken. De vragen die ik hierbij heb, zijn: "Heb ik de plicht om dit kruispunt op de gevaarlijke manier over te steken?" of "Heb ik het recht om dit kruispunt op de veilige manier over te steken?"
"𝑩𝑬𝑮𝑼𝑵 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯 𝑻𝑱 𝑰𝑺 𝑯𝑨𝑳𝑭 𝑫𝑶𝑵𝑬"
𝐓𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐬 (𝐓𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬) is a professional event agency that includes experts in the event-organizing market in Vietnam, Korea, and ASEAN countries. We provide unlimited types of events from Music concerts, Fan meetings, and Culture festivals to Corporate events, Internal company events, Golf tournaments, MICE events, and Exhibitions.
𝐓𝐉 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐬 provides unlimited package services including such as Event organizing, Event planning, Event production, Manpower, PR marketing, Design 2D/3D, VIP protocols, Interpreter agency, etc.
Sports events - Golf competitions/billiards competitions/company sports events: dynamic and challenging
⭐ 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬:
➢ 2024 BAEKHYUN [Lonsdaleite] IN HO CHI MINH
➢ SUPER JUNIOR-L.S.S. THE SHOW : Th3ee Guys in HO CHI MINH
➢FreenBecky 1st Fan Meeting in Vietnam
➢CHILDREN ART EXHIBITION 2024: BEYOND BARRIERS
➢ WOW K-Music Festival 2023
➢ Winner [CROSS] Tour in HCM
➢ Super Show 9 in HCM with Super Junior
➢ HCMC - Gyeongsangbuk-do Culture and Tourism Festival
➢ Korean Vietnam Partnership - Fair with LG
➢ Korean President visits Samsung Electronics R&D Center
➢ Vietnam Food Expo with Lotte Wellfood
"𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬."
Falcon stands out as a top-tier P2P Invoice Discounting platform in India, bridging esteemed blue-chip companies and eager investors. Our goal is to transform the investment landscape in India by establishing a comprehensive destination for borrowers and investors with diverse profiles and needs, all while minimizing risk. What sets Falcon apart is the elimination of intermediaries such as commercial banks and depository institutions, allowing investors to enjoy higher yields.
Cracking the Workplace Discipline Code Main.pptxWorkforce Group
Cultivating and maintaining discipline within teams is a critical differentiator for successful organisations.
Forward-thinking leaders and business managers understand the impact that discipline has on organisational success. A disciplined workforce operates with clarity, focus, and a shared understanding of expectations, ultimately driving better results, optimising productivity, and facilitating seamless collaboration.
Although discipline is not a one-size-fits-all approach, it can help create a work environment that encourages personal growth and accountability rather than solely relying on punitive measures.
In this deck, you will learn the significance of workplace discipline for organisational success. You’ll also learn
• Four (4) workplace discipline methods you should consider
• The best and most practical approach to implementing workplace discipline.
• Three (3) key tips to maintain a disciplined workplace.
Affordable Stationery Printing Services in Jaipur | Navpack n PrintNavpack & Print
Looking for professional printing services in Jaipur? Navpack n Print offers high-quality and affordable stationery printing for all your business needs. Stand out with custom stationery designs and fast turnaround times. Contact us today for a quote!
Discover the innovative and creative projects that highlight my journey throu...dylandmeas
Discover the innovative and creative projects that highlight my journey through Full Sail University. Below, you’ll find a collection of my work showcasing my skills and expertise in digital marketing, event planning, and media production.
The key differences between the MDR and IVDR in the EUAllensmith572606
In the European Union (EU), two significant regulations have been introduced to enhance the safety and effectiveness of medical devices – the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) and the Medical Device Regulation (MDR).
https://mavenprofserv.com/comparison-and-highlighting-of-the-key-differences-between-the-mdr-and-ivdr-in-the-eu/
At Techbox Square, in Singapore, we're not just creative web designers and developers, we're the driving force behind your brand identity. Contact us today.
3.0 Project 2_ Developing My Brand Identity Kit.pptxtanyjahb
A personal brand exploration presentation summarizes an individual's unique qualities and goals, covering strengths, values, passions, and target audience. It helps individuals understand what makes them stand out, their desired image, and how they aim to achieve it.
Implicitly or explicitly all competing businesses employ a strategy to select a mix
of marketing resources. Formulating such competitive strategies fundamentally
involves recognizing relationships between elements of the marketing mix (e.g.,
price and product quality), as well as assessing competitive and market conditions
(i.e., industry structure in the language of economics).
3. That is:
My wife and I founded iText Group (2008), a company
with subsidiaries in Belgium (2010), the US (2009), and
Singapore (2015)
Together, we grew the business from the pre-revenue
startup phase to an eight-figure exit (2015 – 2018 -2020)
I developed Free and Open Source Software:
iText, a FOSS PDF library (2000)
3
8. Early Career
8
March 1997
November 1997
TRASYS
November 1997
February 1998
The Reference
February 1998
November 1998
TRASYS
1997
The Belgium Applet
Bad Timing
1998
Perl Server Pages
No Market
2000
Cat@loogje.com
Not Original
November 1998
September 2010
Ghent University
April 1996
Unpaid intern
TRASYS
9. RUG
PDF PDF Library
In 1998, I promised my employer that I would
enhance an intranet application with on-the-fly
PDF creation
9
11. BUILDING FREE AND
OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
The History of Free and Open Source Software
Creating a Business for iText
2
11
12. Free Software
Richard Stallman and the
GNU Manifesto, the GPL,
and the Free Software
Foundation.
HISTORY OF FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE
Open Source
Eric Raymond, Bruce
Perens and the Open
Source Initiative.
12
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS)
1999: rugPdf (LGPL): Usenet / hosted on University website
2000: iText (MPL/LGPL): SourceForge / lowagie.com
14. MY ANSWER TO THE FUD
Documentation
Writing a book is
good marketing for
your product.
IP Rights
Review the IP of
your software and
fix every possible
issue.
Commercialization
Create a company
for your product,
and generate
revenue.
14
2004-2006 2008-2012
2006-2007
15. “
Commercial open source software is the best
guarantee for the production of software that
is useful, innovative, and of high quality, and
at the same time sustainable, accessible, and
affordable.
15
17. FROM START-UP TO EXIT
Strategies to Grow the Business and Prepare for an Exit
3
17
18. THE FOUNDER’S DILEMMAS
CONTROL DECISIONS
Ingeborg and I owned 100% of the shares, and
we were making a nice revenue.
We had full control over the companies, but
we noticed that this was reducing our chances
to grow.
WEALTH DECISIONS
In 2012, we started an M&A project to find out
what we needed to do to make our company
“investor-ready” and maybe sell the business.
This was a very interesting exercise that resulted
in a business plan with a clear strategy for iText.
18
19. Belgium’s
Fastest Growing Technology Company
BelCham Entrepreneurship Award, American Business Awards,
International Business Awards, European Business Awards,…
19
22. AFTER THE PARTIAL EXIT
Three-Year Commitment:
◦ Year 1—A Search for Synergies
◦ Year 2—A Change of Strategy
◦ Year 3—A Change in Management
Eventually: Exit Through the Courtroom.
22
23. My Goal
I wanted to write the book that I wish I could have read
at the start of my career as a technical founder.
23
24. Know what to expect when starting a company
to generate the revenue necessary to further
develop your technology.
Learn from someone who shows you what he
did and how he did it, rather than from someone
merely telling you what to do.
Get acquanted with the terminology that is
needed to understand customers, sales people,
accountants, investors, lawyers…
24
26. CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
◦ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
26
Editor's Notes
At the age of twelve, I wrote my first lines of code on a Texas Instruments computer.
Two years later, I developed my first small business using a Tandy Radio Shack portable.
I created my own database system that allowed me to produce pre-printed address labels that I sold to different organizations in my hometown.
I met my wife, Ingeborg, in college, but I didn’t know we’d start a business together many years later.
The start of my career was rather bumpy. I switched jobs three times in two years’ time.
I started many projects on the side that didn’t amount to anything.
The Belgium Applet failed due to bad timing.
I didn’t find a market for my Perl Server Pages.
Cat@loogje.com wasn’t original. It was rip-off of an existing website.
I didn’t find my project. My project found me.
While working at Ghent University, I promised that I would enhance an intranet application with on-the-fly PDF creation.
Little did I know that I would have to write my own PDF library to keep that promise.
It was called rugPdf, where RUG refers to the abbreviation of Rijksuniversiteit Gent, the now obsolete name of Ghent University.
My employer was happy with the rugPdf, but I wasn’t. I knew that I could do better.
I rewrote the library from scratch in my spare time.
iText was born.
The title of part two is Building Free and Open Source Software.
In the first chapter, I introduce the concept of Free Software. I talk about Richard Stallman, GNU and the Free Software Foundation.
In the next chapter, I explain how Open Source came about with the Open Source Initiative started by Eric Raymond and Bruce Perens.
When I released my first open source projects in 1999 and 2000, free and open source software was far from mainstream
Large corporations were spreading FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) because they saw
Free and Open Source Software as a threat to their own business.
I had to admit that three allegations about FOSS were true for iText:
The software wasn’t documented. I solved that by writing a book.
The IP of the software wasn’t clear. I solved this by doing a thorough IP review.
There is no company backing the software. I solved this by creating one.
While starting a company is easy, generating revenue isn’t, certainly not for something that is perceived as a free resource.
In the chapter “monetizing open source”, I explain which business models can work if you want to generate revenue with open source software.
Part two ends in 2012.
iText has 7 employees, a revenue of 3.1M euro and an EBITDA of 1.4M euro.
In part three, I discuss the strategies Ingeborg and I used to grow the business from start-up to exit.
I don’t read many business books, but The Founder’s Dilemmas by Noam Wasserman, helped me understand
that the decisions Ingeborg and I had been making qualified as “control decisions”.
We had full ownership and full control over the companies, but we noticed that this was reducing our chances to grow.
If we wanted to realize the full potential of the business, we would have to switch to making wealth decision.
We did a short M&A project to find out what we needed to make our company investor ready.
This resulted in a business plan with a clear strategy for iText.
We reorganized our companies, and we installed a board of directors.
Our efforts paid off.
In 2014, we won the Belgian edition of Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50.
We also won the BelCham Entrepreneurship award, several Bronze Stevies in the American Business Awards,
Silver in the International Business Awards, and we were National Champion for Belgium in the European Business Awards three years in a row.
In 2014, we also started a second M&A project, codenamed Wall Street.
This resulted in a partial exit in December 2015.
We sold three quarters of our shares to a South-Korean vendor of productivity software.
I signed a three year commitment after the exit.
In three chapters, I explain how we search for synergies in the first year, changed our strategy in the second year,
and we had a change in management in the third year that eventually caused a dispute.
I went to court against the majority shareholder and I sold the remainder of my shares in March 2020.
With Entreprenerd, I wanted to write the book that I wish I could have read at the start of my career as a technical founder.
If you’re a technical founder,
That’s why I wrote Entreprenerd.
Check out entreprenerd Lowagie com for more information about the book.