Bootlin

What Bootlin does

Bootlin is a privately held French embedded Linux engineering and training company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Orange, France, with a public-training academy in Lyon. The firm operates two integrated business lines: (1) professional engineering services covering Linux BSP development, kernel/bootloader upstreaming, driver development, Zephyr RTOS consulting, and hardware/electronic design expertise, and (2) a structured training portfolio of roughly ten courses — including Embedded Linux system development, Linux kernel driver development, Yocto/OpenEmbedded, Buildroot, real-time (PREEMPT_RT), security, debugging/profiling, audio, networking, and graphics — delivered as public online sessions (EUR 799–2,100 per seat, sold via shop.bootlin.com), private online sessions, and private on-site sessions at customer locations worldwide. The company has 11–50 employees, is Qualiopi-certified (French training quality standard, renewed November 2024 through November 2027), and holds formal partner status with NXP Semiconductors and STMicroelectronics. All training materials are released under Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0, reinforcing an open-source-first brand identity.

Underlying technology is grounded in deep Linux kernel and build-system expertise: Bootlin engineers serve as upstream maintainers for the RTC, I3C, MTD, and DRM-misc kernel subsystems, hold the official Yocto Project documentation maintainer seat, and contribute core membership in the Yocto SWAT team. The firm contributed 144 commits to Linux 7.0 (ranked 17th globally) and 116 commits to Linux 7.1 (ranked 21st), and over 300 commits to the Yocto Wrynose 6.0 LTS release. Bootlin also maintains several standalone open-source projects — sbom-cve-check (Python-based SBOM/CVE analyzer), Snagboot (vendor-agnostic embedded recovery/reflashing tool), yocto-kiss (reference Yocto layer architecture), and buildroot-external-st (STMicroelectronics STM32 platform configurations) — which serve both as community contributions and as marketing assets that funnel customers into paid services. The go-to-market combines self-serve training transactions with enterprise field sales for engineering services, supported by heavy conference participation (FOSDEM, ELCE, Embedded Recipes, Open Source Summit Europe, Linux Plumbers Conference) and content marketing via a technical blog and YouTube channel.

Name

Bootlin

Website

https://bootlin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bootlin is a French embedded Linux engineering and training firm that delivers BSP development, kernel upstreaming, Zephyr RTOS consulting, and 10+ structured training courses to organizations building Linux-based embedded products, monetized through enterprise services and a self-serve public training shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Embedded Linux Engineering & Training

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Training (61142), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

DevSecOps & Supply Chain Security (DevOps toolchain security) (BPAEAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cloud & DevOps Training (Cloud, Containers, CI/CD, SRE) (BPAEANAG), DevOps, SRE & Platform Engineering (CI/CD, IaC, Containers) (EDABAFAC), Application Security & Secure Software (DevSecOps) (EDAOAIAK)

Keywords

• Embedded Linux engineering
• Linux kernel training
• Yocto BSP development
• Zephyr RTOS consulting
• Embedded systems services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oullins

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Bootlin provides embedded Linux engineering services to help organizations design and build products based on embedded Linux, including board bring-up, Linux BSP development, kernel porting and driver development, Yocto/Buildroot integration, secure boot, and Zephyr development. Services are provided to customers worldwide on a project/consulting basis.
2. Training - Public Online Sessions: Scheduled public online training sessions on embedded Linux topics, priced at fixed rates per participant. Participants register via an online shop. Sessions are delivered live with a trainer and can include practical lab demonstrations.
3. Training - Private Sessions: Private online or on-site training sessions delivered to individual companies or teams. Organized on request via contact, with pricing varying by session type and group size.
4. Open Source Community Contributions: While open source contributions are free, they serve as a key GTM mechanism — demonstrating expertise, building reputation, and attracting engineering services clients. Contributions to Linux kernel, Yocto, Buildroot, eBPF, and other projects position Bootlin as a trusted partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bootlin is an embedded Linux engineering and training company that delivers professional engineering services (board bring-up, Linux BSP development, kernel and driver development, Yocto/Buildroot integration, upstreaming, Zephyr RTOS development, and hardware expertise) alongside a catalog of 10 structured training courses on embedded Linux, kernel development, Yocto, Buildroot, security, real-time, debugging, audio, networking, and graphics. The company also maintains several open-source tools (sbom-cve-check, Snagboot, yocto-kiss, buildroot-external-st) and all training materials are published under Creative Commons BY-SA.

Product overview

Bootlin is an embedded Linux engineering and training company offering both professional engineering services and comprehensive training courses. Their engineering services cover Linux BSP development, kernel/bootloader upstreaming, Zephyr RTOS, and hardware expertise. Their training portfolio includes 10 distinct courses on embedded Linux topics including system development, kernel driver development, Yocto/OpenEmbedded, Buildroot, security, real-time Linux, debugging/profiling, audio, networking, and graphics. The company also maintains several open-source projects including yocto-kiss (simplified Yocto layer examples), buildroot-external-st (STMicroelectronics platform support), Snagboot (recovery/reflashing tool), and sbom-cve-check (SBOM vulnerability analysis). All training materials are released under open-source licenses (Creative Commons BY-SA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Embedded Linux System Development Training Comprehensive training on embedded Linux system development covering system architecture, bootloader, kernel, and user-space development for embedded ARM platforms. Delivered as public online sessions via shop.bootlin.com, or as private online/on-site sessions for teams.
• Linux Kernel Driver Development Training In-depth training on developing Linux kernel drivers, covering character devices, memory management, interrupt handling, and kernel debugging techniques. Available as public in-person sessions, public online sessions, and private sessions.
• Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded System Development Training Training on using Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded build systems to create custom embedded Linux distributions with optimized size and features. Available on NXP i.MX93 FRDM platform and as multiple delivery formats.
• Buildroot System Development Training Training on Buildroot, a simple and efficient embedded Linux build system, covering configuration, customizations, and system image creation. Available as public and private sessions.
• Embedded Linux Security Training Training on securing embedded Linux systems covering secure boot, cryptography, TrustZone, filesystem encryption, vulnerability management (SBOM/CVE), and secure update strategies. Available as public online and private sessions.
• Real-time Linux with PREEMPT_RT Training Training on achieving real-time performance in Linux systems using the PREEMPT_RT patch, covering latency measurement and optimization.
• Linux Debugging, Tracing, Profiling and Performance Analysis Training Training on debugging and profiling Linux systems using tools like gdb, strace, perf, ftrace, and eBPF.
• Embedded Linux Audio Training Training on audio in embedded Linux systems covering ASoC, DAI and codec drivers, Device Tree, alsa-lib, alsa-utils, PipeWire, and GStreamer.
• Embedded Linux Networking Training Training on networking concepts and implementation in embedded Linux, covering both kernel and user-space networking stack.
• Understanding the Linux Graphics Stack Training Training covering DRM/KMS, Mesa, Wayland compositors, and graphics acceleration in embedded Linux systems.
• Linux Board Support Package (BSP) Development Engineering service for developing and customizing Linux BSPs for embedded platforms including board bring-up, bootloader integration, and kernel configuration. Delivered on a project/consulting basis to organizations worldwide.
• Linux Kernel and Bootloader Upstreaming Engineering service for upstreaming Linux kernel drivers, bootloader code, and board support to mainline open-source projects, enabling customers to leverage community maintenance over time.
• Technical Support and Consulting Consulting services for embedded Linux architecture, technology selection, and technical problem resolution provided on a project basis to embedded systems organizations.
• Zephyr Development and Upstreaming Engineering services for Zephyr RTOS development, driver implementation, and upstream contributions to the Zephyr project.
• Hardware and Electronic Design Expertise Hardware expertise services supporting embedded Linux development including schematics review, signal integrity, and electronic design consultation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 17th globally among organizations contributing to Linux 7.0 kernel
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• EBV ElektronikminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2026EBV Elektronik is the launch customer for Bootlin's Embedded Linux Security training course. The first session was delivered in-person in Spain in partnership with EBV, demonstrating a distribution/reseller relationship for training delivery.
• NXP SemiconductorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Bootlin became an official NXP Registered Partner in April 2026, formally recognizing extensive experience collaborating with NXP technologies. Three major training courses (Embedded Linux, Linux Kernel Driver, Yocto/OpenEmbedded) are available on the NXP i.MX93 FRDM platform. Bootlin has supported customers across i.MX6, i.MX7, i.MX8, and i.MX9 platforms for board bring-up, kernel development, BSP integration, and secure boot.
• eBPF FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Bootlin has a partnership with the eBPF Foundation to work on adding KASAN memory checker support to the eBPF subsystem. Engineer Alexis Lothoré is working on this project with foundation support, aiming to help eBPF developers catch bugs in complex kernel code including the eBPF verifier.
• Alpha-Omega OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026In partnership with the eBPF Foundation and Alpha-Omega organization, Bootlin engineer Alexis Lothoré is working on adding KASAN memory checker support for eBPF JITed programs, a project involving close collaboration with kernel developers and maintainers.
• STMicroelectronicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBootlin is an authorized partner of STMicroelectronics. The company maintains the buildroot-external-st project, a BR2_EXTERNAL repository providing ready-to-use defconfigs for STM32MP1 and STM32MP2 platforms, with regular updates aligned with ST BSP releases.
• Yocto Project / Linux FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBootlin is a very active contributor to the Yocto Project. Antonin Godard serves as the official Yocto Project documentation maintainer, and Mathieu Dubois-Briand is a core member of the Yocto SWAT team responsible for testing patches to openembedded-core and bitbake. Bootlin contributed over 300 commits to Yocto Wrynose 6.0.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pengutronix: Germany-based embedded Linux engineering and training firm with a comparable services-plus-training model. Pengutronix maintains upstream kernel presence and Yocto contributions, making it the closest European analogue to Bootlin in target customers, pricing model, and contributor-driven GTM.
• BayLibre: Lyon-based embedded Linux consulting firm with deep upstream kernel expertise and similar services focused on BSP development, driver work, and training. BayLibre is the closest geographic and capability peer to Bootlin in France and competes for the same embedded engineering talent pool.
• Konsulko Group: US-based embedded Linux consultancy offering BSP development, kernel upstreaming, and training on Yocto, Buildroot, and Zephyr. Konsulko is the closest North American direct peer, sharing Bootlin's services-plus-training model and active maintainer-level Linux kernel contributions.
• Collabora: UK-based open source consultancy with significant embedded Linux (kernel, graphics, multimedia) and training practices. Collabora overlaps Bootlin on BSP work and upstream contributions while extending into adjacent domains like Wayland and Chromium, making it a direct peer for embedded projects requiring multi-subsystem expertise.
• Codethink: UK-based open source engineering firm providing embedded Linux, BSP, kernel, and tooling services to industrial customers. Codethink mirrors Bootlin's upstream-driven consulting model and pursues similar long-term service engagements in safety-critical and regulated embedded markets.
• Savoir-faire Linux: Quebec-based open source services and embedded Linux engineering firm offering consulting, training, and custom development. The firm competes with Bootlin for French-speaking enterprise accounts and shares a similar services-plus-training GTM anchored in upstream contributions.
• Timesys: US-based commercial embedded Linux services and security vendor offering BSP development, Yocto/Buildroot consulting, and CVE monitoring tools (similar in spirit to sbom-cve-check). Timesys is a direct peer for embedded Linux engineering engagements and productized security offerings.

Broad incumbents

• MontaVista Software: Long-established commercial embedded Linux distribution and services provider (now part of an industrial software group) serving automotive, industrial, and networking customers. MontaVista is a broad incumbent that competes with Bootlin on BSP and platform services but bundles its own commercial Linux distribution, giving it a different revenue mix.
• Wind River Systems: Large embedded software platform vendor offering commercial Linux (Wind River Linux), real-time operating systems, and tools across aerospace, automotive, and industrial verticals. Wind River is a broad incumbent competing for the same enterprise BSP and platform engineering budgets as Bootlin, though at materially larger scale.
• Canonical: Commercial sponsor of Ubuntu with an IoT/embedded appliance (Ubuntu Core) and growing professional services practice for embedded Linux. Canonical is a broad incumbent competing with Bootlin on training, BSP services, and embedded security while leveraging a large installed base and recurring support contracts Bootlin cannot match.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bootlincom

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Bootlin