OpenForum Europe
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersBrussels, Belgium
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
OpenForum Europe firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenForum Europe
- Legal name
- OpenForum Europe aisbl
- Website
- https://openforumeurope.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenForum Europe industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Policy Advocacy and Research
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)
Keywords
Where OpenForum Europe is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brussels
- HQ country
- Belgium
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
OpenForum Europe business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Membership and Support: OpenForum Europe is supported by major IT suppliers, SMEs, user and consumer organisations, and national partners across Europe. The organization is registered as a Belgian international non-profit association (aisbl) and likely operates through membership fees and project funding from the European Commission.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
OpenForum Europe product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenForum Europe is a Belgian international non-profit association (aisbl) that conducts policy advocacy, research, and stakeholder convening around open source software and digital sovereignty in Europe. It produces policy briefs, research publications, and convening events (EU Open Source Policy Summit, Capital Series, OpenForum Academy Symposium) targeted at EU institutions, national governments, open source foundations, and technology suppliers.
Product overview
OpenForum Europe is a Belgian international non-profit association (aisbl) that serves as a policy advocacy organization for open technologies in Europe. It does not offer a software product in the traditional sense. Its offerings consist of high-level policy events (EU Open Source Policy Summit, Capital Series, OpenForum Academy Symposium), research publications including the OSOR Handbook for public administrations, and policy briefs on semiconductor industry and digital sovereignty topics produced under the ALLPROS.EU project. The organization focuses on driving open source adoption in EU digital policy through convening stakeholders, producing research, and advocating for open standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EU Open Source Policy Summit: The premier forum for open source policy discussions at the highest level in Europe, focusing on embedding open source in EU digital policy and strategy
- Capital Series
- OpenForum Academy (OFA)
- Open Source Observatory (OSOR)
Products and services
- EU Open Source Policy Summit
Quantifiable outcome
- Four collaborations with the UN on Open Source Week initiatives
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenForum Europe
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
OpenForum Europe technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
OpenForum Europe partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Linux Foundation EuropecoreLinux Foundation Europe is a key co-organizer of the EU Open Source Policy Summit and collaborates on initiatives including Open Technology Research with OpenForum Europe and Open Source Initiative. The partnership supports advancement of open source in European digital policy.
- Eclipse FoundationcoreEclipse Foundation sponsors the EU Open Source Policy Summit and collaborates on policy discussions related to open source governance, automotive software, and European digital sovereignty.
- Red HatcoreRed Hat is a Gold sponsor of the EU Open Source Policy Summit and contributes speakers and expertise to panel discussions on open source policy and digital sovereignty.
- SUSEcoreSUSE is a Gold sponsor of the EU Open Source Policy Summit with Frank Feldmann serving as Chief Strategy Officer and keynote speaker at the event.
- GitHubcoreGitHub is a Gold sponsor of the EU Open Source Policy Summit with Felix Reda serving as Senior Director of Developer Policy and keynote speaker.
- Open Source InitiativecoreOpen Source Initiative collaborated on the global launch of Open Technology Research initiative alongside OpenForum Europe and Open Knowledge Foundation at the 2026 Summit.
- Open Knowledge FoundationcoreOpen Knowledge Foundation co-launched the Open Technology Research initiative with OpenForum Europe and Open Source Initiative at the 2026 Summit.
- European Commission (OSOR)coreOpenForum Europe regularly contributes to the European Commission's Open Source Observatory (OSOR), including co-authoring the OSOR Handbook for public administrations. OFE has produced multiple reports under commission including the Local Government Open Source Adoption study.
- United NationsflagshipOpenForum Europe has collaborated with the UN on four consecutive Open Source Week conferences (2023-2026). OFE launched the UN Open Source Week 2025 Conference Report at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026, marking a significant international collaboration on open source policy.
- TODO GroupminorTODO Group co-hosted the Open Source Driving the European Digital Decade event in Madrid, Spain in November 2023 as part of the Capital Series.
- BitergiaminorBitergia co-hosted the Open Source Driving the European Digital Decade event in Madrid in November 2023, bringing analytics expertise to the Capital Series event.
- ALLPROS.EU ProjectcoreOpenForum Europe has created a series of policy briefs for the ALLPROS.EU project, examining semiconductor industry topics including open source silicon, chip design, AI in chips, and EU/Europe regional strengths. The project supports the European semiconductor ecosystem.
- Digital Public Goods AllianceminorLiv Marte Nordhaug, CEO of Digital Public Goods Alliance, participated as a speaker at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenForum Europe competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Linux Foundation Europe: Europe-focused open source foundation that co-organizes the EU Open Source Policy Summit with OFE and engages in EU digital policy advocacy. Directly comparable as a Brussels-engaged open source policy actor with foundation backing, and a natural partner-competitor for member mindshare and policy influence.
- Eclipse Foundation: Open source foundation sponsoring the EU Open Source Policy Summit and engaging on EU policy topics including automotive software and digital sovereignty. Directly comparable given its open source governance mission, EU policy engagement, and overlapping partnership ecosystem with OFE.
- Open Source Initiative (OSI): Global open source advocacy organization that co-launched the Open Technology Research initiative with OFE and Open Knowledge Foundation at the 2026 Summit. Directly comparable as a peer open source policy advocate with overlapping convening and standards-defining functions.
- Open Knowledge Foundation: UK- and Germany-based non-profit advocating for open knowledge, open data, and open source. Directly comparable as a mission-aligned non-profit using policy advocacy, research, and convening to advance open technology principles in Europe.
- Digital Public Goods Alliance: Multi-stakeholder initiative supporting the discovery and deployment of digital public goods, with its CEO speaking at the EU Open Source Policy Summit 2026. Directly comparable as a non-profit operating in the open source / digital public goods policy space with international scope.
- Free Software Foundation Europe: European non-profit advocating for Free Software in politics, law, and society. Directly comparable as a fellow Europe-based non-profit focused on open source policy advocacy, with overlapping engagement of EU institutions and member-state governments.
Broad incumbents
- Apache Software Foundation: Large global open source foundation mentioned among OFE's ecosystem partners. Comparable as a major open source steward with broader scope than OFE, but less focused on EU-specific policy advocacy.
- DigitalEurope: Brussels-based trade association representing the European digital technology industry. Comparable as a Brussels-headquartered policy advocacy organization engaging EU institutions on digital policy, though with a broader commercial-tech industry mandate than OFE's open source focus.
Emerging players
- TODO Group: Open source program office (OSPO) community co-hosting OFE's Capital Series events in Madrid. Comparable as an open source governance and policy-adjacent organization with overlapping focus on OSPO adoption in public administrations.
- Bitergia: Open source analytics company that co-hosted OFE's Madrid Capital Series event. Partially comparable given its open source ecosystem focus, though it operates as a commercial analytics provider rather than a policy advocacy organization.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenForum Europe financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenForum Europe leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
OpenForum Europe funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenForum Europe M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OpenForum Europe
What does OpenForum Europe do?
OpenForum Europe is a Belgian international non-profit association (aisbl) that conducts policy advocacy, research, and stakeholder convening around open source software and digital sovereignty in Europe. It produces policy briefs, research publications, and convening events (EU Open Source Policy Summit, Capital Series, OpenForum Academy Symposium) targeted at EU institutions, national governments, open source foundations, and technology suppliers.
Is OpenForum Europe a public or private company?
OpenForum Europe is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenForum Europe founded?
OpenForum Europe was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenForum Europe based?
OpenForum Europe is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, in the Europe region.
How does OpenForum Europe make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership and Support.
Who are OpenForum Europe's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Linux Foundation Europe, Eclipse Foundation, Open Source Initiative (OSI), Open Knowledge Foundation, Digital Public Goods Alliance and Free Software Foundation Europe. Broad incumbents are Apache Software Foundation and DigitalEurope. Emerging players are TODO Group and Bitergia.
Does OpenForum Europe have an API?
No public API is recorded for OpenForum Europe.
What industry is OpenForum Europe in?
OpenForum Europe's product category is Policy Advocacy and Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAH, International Grantmaking & Development Foundations. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8600.