Disruptive Innovations

What Disruptive Innovations does

Disruptive Innovations SARL is a French private software consultancy founded in September 2003 by Daniel Glazman in Saint-Germain en Laye, France. The firm specializes in Mozilla and open-source web technologies, providing consultancy and custom code production services to enterprise, education, and government clients across Europe and North America. Named engagements include Le Monde (publishing front-end revamp), Rice University's Connexions Project (RelaxNG-based XML editor), Université de Technologie de Compiègne (ScenariChain), Wengo/OpenWengo (VoIP), and SIRPA Marine Nationale / French Navy, with Linspire Inc. as a key sponsor for product work.

The company's flagship product is Nvu, an open-source WYSIWYG HTML/XHTML editor built on Mozilla's Gecko layout engine, released in June 2005 after more than two years of development. Disruptive Innovations also created STTS (Simple Transformations Stylesheet Technology), a CSS-syntax-based XML transformation language positioned as a simpler alternative to XSLT, plus a portfolio of Firefox extensions (Skyfox for Skype integration, FullerScreen, Small Screen Rendering). The technology stack centers on Mozilla Gecko, XUL, JavaScript, XBL, XPCOM, and CSS, with the founder serving as an Invited Expert and editor on several CSS 3 modules at the W3C, which the firm formally joined in August 2006.

The business model combines professional services (custom Mozilla-based development and web standards consulting sold direct to enterprise clients) with open-source product releases distributed freely via the company website, Mozilla channels, and the Nvu.com brand. Revenue is augmented by the French government's "Jeune Entreprise Innovante" (JEI) fiscal status obtained in October 2005, which reduces corporate income tax and salary taxes for five years to enable reinvestment in in-house product development. The firm operates with a small team of 1-10 employees from its Saint-Germain en Laye headquarters.

Name

Disruptive Innovations

Legal name

Disruptive Innovations SARL

Website

https://disruptive-innovations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Disruptive Innovations is a French private software consultancy founded in 2003 by Daniel Glazman, providing Mozilla technology expertise, custom web standards development, and open-source authoring tools to enterprise, education, and government clients across Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-germain-en-laye

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Consultancy and code production services ranging from pure consultancy to complete code production. Expertise on Mozilla and its underlying technologies, open-source software in general, and Web standards.
2. Jeune Entreprise Innovante Status: Special fiscal status obtained from French Tax Administration providing significantly reduced income tax and taxes on salaries, enabling focus on new in-house products.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Disruptive Innovations provides information technology consultancy and custom code production services centered on Mozilla technologies, open-source software, and Web standards. It develops and releases open-source software products, including the Nvu WYSIWYG HTML/XHTML editor built on the Mozilla Gecko layout engine and the STTS XML transformation language, supplemented by a suite of Firefox extensions.

Product overview

Disruptive Innovations is a software company focused on Open Source and Web Standards, primarily known for Nvu, a WYSIWYG HTML/XHTML editor built on Mozilla's Gecko layout engine. The company also developed STTS, a CSS-based XML transformation language positioned as a simpler alternative to XSLT. Additional offerings include Firefox browser extensions: Small Screen Rendering (for mobile site preview), Skyfox (for Skype VoIP integration), and FullerScreen (for enhanced full-screen mode). The company provides related software development and consulting services around Mozilla technologies, web standards, and open-source software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nvu: Open-source WYSIWYG HTML and XHTML editor based on Mozilla's Composer and Gecko layout engine. Sponsored by Linspire Inc.
• STTS
• Small Screen Rendering XPI
• Skyfox XPI
• FullerScreen XPI

Products and services

• Nvu Open-source WYSIWYG HTML and XHTML editor built on the Mozilla Gecko layout engine, providing standards-compliant visual editing, XUL extensibility, and CSS/Layout support for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X users.
• STTS (Simple Transformations Stylesheet Technology) A simple XML transformation language based on CSS syntax, offering a more intuitive authoring experience than XSLT while supporting Web Services access for text transformations.
• Skyfox Firefox extension adding a toolbar button to make Skype phone calls directly from the browser, with constant synchronization with the user's Skype configuration. Free for personal use on Windows.
• FullerScreen Firefox extension that enhances Full Screen mode by hiding remaining toolbars and the statusbar, revealing them when the mouse pointer approaches the screen edges.
• Small Screen Rendering (SSR) Firefox Extension Firefox extension that simulates the rendering of web pages on a cellphone's narrow screen and installs a 'Small Screen Rendering' entry in the View menu.
• Mozilla and Web-Standards Consultancy Services Custom consultancy and code production services covering Mozilla technologies, XUL applications, browser extensions, open-source software, and Web standards — ranging from pure advisory engagements to complete code production for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nvu 1.0 released as open-source WYSIWYG editor after more than two years of development
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Lindows.com (later Linspire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2003Contract with Lindows.com to develop a new Web editing tool based on Mozilla Composer. This led to the creation of Nvu, with Linspire Inc. sponsoring the project.
• Linspire Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment and sponsorship of Nvu wysiwyg HTML editor for Linspire Inc. Daniel Glazman served as lead developer and maintainer for the Nvu project.
• Le MondecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelped the world-famous newspaper Le Monde revamp their publishing front-end, based on XUL, JavaScript and XBL.
• Université de Technologie de Compiègne (UTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides Mozilla expertise to the ScenariChain project and helps develop a multimedia application with XUL, JavaScript, XPCOM and the editor.
• The Connexions Project (Rice University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelops a new wysiwyg, RelaxNG-based, XML editor based on Mozilla for the Connexions Project at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
• Wengo (subsidiary of Neuf Telecom-Cegetel)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides technical expertise to Wengo and their open-source VoIP project OpenWengo.
• YoonominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides technical expertise on Mozilla to Yoono.
• SmileminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides technical services relationship with Smile (open-source solutions provider).
• ASCOM FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical services relationship with ASCOM France.
• i-GraalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical services relationship with i-Graal.
• CourtanetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical services relationship with Courtanet.
• SIRPA Marine Nationale (French Navy)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical services relationship with Marine Nationale / SIRPA.
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisruptive Innovations joined W3C to officially participate in the evolution of CSS and other standards. Founder Daniel Glazman is an Invited Expert in W3C's CSS Working Group and editor/author of several CSS 3 modules.
• The Mozilla FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive collaboration with Mozilla Foundation on Nvu and open-source desktop projects. Daniel Glazman implemented features in Mozilla Composer's CSS engine and HTML editor.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Pinegrow Web Editor: Visual web editor that combines WYSIWYG editing with direct code manipulation for HTML/CSS frameworks. Comparable as a modern, standards-aware authoring tool aimed at web designers and developers — the same segment Nvu targeted.
• Komodo Edit: Free, open-source multi-language code editor for web and dynamic languages. Comparable as an open-source developer tool addressing overlapping web-authoring and developer productivity needs.

Broad incumbents

• Adobe Dreamweaver: Long-standing commercial WYSIWYG/professional web authoring tool from Adobe. Comparable as the broad incumbent in the same web-authoring product category Disruptive Innovations targets with Nvu.
• Mozilla Foundation: Foundational open-source web platform steward with whom Disruptive Innovations collaborated closely on Nvu and Mozilla Composer. Comparable as the dominant force in the same Mozilla technology ecosystem the company builds upon.

Direct peers

• KompoZer: Community-driven fork of Nvu that continued the open-source WYSIWYG HTML editor lineage. Highly comparable as it inherits the same Gecko-based architecture and target users (web content creators needing an easy authoring tool).
• Bearstech: French open-source consultancy and hosting provider offering custom development and infrastructure services. Comparable as a same-geography, same-business-model French open-source services firm competing for similar SME/enterprise web projects.
• Smile: French open-source digital services and integration firm and a documented partner of Disruptive Innovations. Comparable as a same-market French open-source consultancy competing for similar enterprise custom-development mandates.
• BlueGriffon: WYSIWYG HTML editor and the direct successor to Nvu, founded and led by the same Daniel Glazman after Disruptive Innovations. Comparable as a Mozilla-Gecko-based standards-compliant WYSIWYG authoring tool with overlapping creator DNA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Disruptive Innovations