What OpenUK does

OpenUK is a UK not-for-profit organization (company limited by guarantee, company number 11209475) established in 2016 to represent and develop UK leadership in open technology, spanning open source software, open source hardware, open data, open standards, and AI openness. Headquartered at 8 Coldbath Square, London, the organization operates remotely with a team of 1–10 employees led by CEO Amanda Brock, and is organized around three pillars: Community, Legal and Policy, and Learning. It serves a horizontal constituency of UK software developers, open source contributors, businesses, academia, public sector bodies, and policymakers, with no commercial software products in its portfolio.

OpenUK's core offerings are programmatic rather than technical: the annual State of Open Con (SOOCon) conference and its 'On The Road' city editions, the State of Open annual research reports and AI Openness Update Report, the Open Source Community Skills Project (OSCS), the New Year's Honours List for top UK open source contributors, the Open Advantage podcast, and legal and policy advisory services. It also co-developed open source guidance for the UK public sector with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in 2025, citing Slough Borough Council's Digital Urban Forest and the Ministry of Justice's Splink project as reference implementations. In 2025 it soft-launched OpenHQ as a sister organization focused on international policy initiatives.

The revenue model is not-for-profit and diversified. Individual supporters pay sliding-scale monthly subscriptions of £3–£10 (suggested £5) via Stripe; corporate partners including Red Hat, IBM, ARM, Digital Catapult, and Civo provide sponsorship; grants (notably from UKRI) fund specific projects; and SOOCon tickets are priced at £149 standard with complimentary passes for community members. OpenUK has no venture funding and no parent company, operating independently under a supporter-elected Board.

Name

OpenUK

Legal name

OpenUK

Website

https://openuk.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

OpenUK is a UK not-for-profit organization that convenes developers, businesses, academia, and policymakers to advance open source software, hardware, data, standards, and AI openness through advocacy, research, events, and skills programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Technology Policy Advocacy

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Educational Support Services (611710), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

MOOC & Open Course Platforms (EDAFAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW) (EDAGAJAB), OER Licensing, Rights & Open Policy Support (Creative Commons) (EDAGAJAO)

Keywords

• Open source advocacy
• Open technology policy
• Technology community building
• Open source research reports
• Technology skills training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Supporters: Monthly subscriptions from individual supporters ranging from £3 to £10 per month, with suggested contribution of £5 per month. Payments collected via Stripe on a rolling monthly basis.
2. Sponsorship and Donations: Corporate sponsorships and donations from partners who align with OpenUK's purpose and mission. Includes various sponsorship tiers and benefits.
3. Grants: Funding received through grants, such as from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) for specific projects like public sector open source guidance development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OpenUK is a UK not-for-profit that convenes the country's open technology ecosystem through an annual conference (State of Open Con), recurring research publications, an open source skills training programme, and policy and legal advisory services for government and industry. It operates across three pillars — Community, Legal and Policy, and Learning — and is funded by individual supporter subscriptions, corporate sponsorships, and grants rather than by selling software products.

Product overview

OpenUK is a not-for-profit organization representing the UK's Open Technology sector, organized around three pillars: Community, Legal and Policy, and Learning. The organization does not offer commercial software products but provides a range of programs and services including its flagship annual conference State of Open Con, research publications (State of Open Reports, AI Openness Update Report), educational initiatives like the Open Source Community Skills Project, recognition programs such as the New Year's Honours List, a podcast platform, and advisory services for government and public sector on open source adoption. The organization also collaborates with UK Research and Innovation on public sector open source guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State of Open Con (SOOCon) OpenUK's flagship annual technology conference covering open source software, open hardware, open data, and AI topics, bringing together policymakers, developers, and industry leaders for learning and knowledge sharing. Ticketed event with standard tickets at £149 and complimentary community passes.
• State of Open Reports Annual research publications analysing the state of open source in the UK, including economic impact, skills analysis, and policy recommendations. Provides benchmark data including the £29.5–43.2 billion economic contribution of open source to the UK economy.
• AI Openness Update Report

Quantifiable outcome

• UK has 3.6 million GitHub accounts (5% of population) - highest per capita globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025UKRI collaborated with OpenUK to develop open source guidance for the UK public sector. The guidance aims to improve the release, management, and support of open source software within public sector projects, exemplified by initiatives like Slough Borough Council's Digital Urban Forest and the Ministry of Justice's Splink project.
• Civo Tech JunctionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivo Tech Junction hosts OpenUK events including the Rising Ambassadors and Ambassadors Evening in London.
• Digital CatapultminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDigital Catapult sponsored OpenUK's Honours List Celebration event.
• Red HatminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRed Hat sponsored OpenUK's Kids Competition and Digital Summer Camp with MiniMU Glove kit giveaway.
• ARMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerARM sponsored the 'State of Open: The UK in 2023' photo exhibition.
• IBMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIBM served as headline sponsor for Birmingham Tech Week where OpenUK participates.
• CIVICminorOthersCIVIC is the website hosting company for OpenUK, based at 12 South Charlotte Street, Edinburgh, Scotland.
• OpenHQcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpenHQ is OpenUK's sister organization focused on coalescing international communities such as in India for international policy initiatives. Soft launched in 2025 and continuing to build in 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Open Source Initiative (OSI): Global non-profit that defines and promotes open source through education, advocacy, and the Open Source AI Definition. Highly comparable mission around open source policy and community, though OSI is global/US-leaning rather than UK-specific.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: UK-originated non-profit advocating for open data, open government, and open knowledge. Closely comparable as a UK-based open technology advocacy organization with policy influence and community building.
• Free Software Foundation: Long-standing non-profit advocating for free/open source software through licensing, policy, and community. Comparable mission in open source advocacy and policy engagement, though with stronger ideological and licensing focus.

Broad incumbents

• Mozilla Foundation: Global non-profit advocating for a healthy internet through open source (Firefox) and policy/advocacy. Comparable mission around open technology, internet health, and AI policy advocacy at larger global scale.
• Eclipse Foundation: Open source foundation supporting working groups, IoT, and enterprise Java communities with governance and policy engagement. Comparable as an open technology membership organization with sponsorship-funded operating model and European operating base.
• Linux Foundation: The world's largest open source foundation, convening industry, developers, and governments around open technology. Directly comparable mission to OpenUK but at vastly larger global scale, with overlapping event, research, and policy functions.
• Apache Software Foundation: Long-standing open source foundation supporting community-driven projects with governance, legal, and event infrastructure. Comparable as a membership/community-based open technology organization with conferences and policy influence.
• CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation): Linux Foundation sub-project focused on cloud-native open source with major conferences (KubeCon) and corporate sponsorship programs. Comparable as an open technology community convener with strong corporate sponsorship model and policy engagement.

Emerging players

• NumFOCUS: US-based non-profit supporting scientific open source projects (NumPy, pandas, Jupyter). Comparable as a community-building and open source sustainability organization with sponsorship revenue, though narrower in technical scope.

Others

• Open Collective: Platform enabling open source communities, projects, and non-profits to receive funding and manage finances transparently. Adjacent/ecosystem peer that enables the financial sustainability of open source organizations like OpenUK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/openuk_uk
• GitHubgithub.com/OpenUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@openuk_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openuk
• Instagraminstagram.com/openuk.uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OpenUK