What Plain Schwarz does

Plain Schwarz UG (haftungsbeschränkt) is a Berlin-based event management company founded in 2019 that specializes in producing conferences, online events, and hybrid experiences for Open Source and Free Software communities. The company operates three owned flagship conference brands: Berlin Buzzwords (Europe's leading conference for modern data infrastructure, search, and machine learning, with roots going back to around 2009), FOSS Backstage (a two-day conference on the non-technical aspects of FOSS, including community, governance, compliance, and sustainability, running since 2019), and FOSS Backstage Design (focused on UX, accessible design, and usability in OSS, launched in 2023). In parallel, Plain Schwarz provides full-service event production for third-party clients including Scala Days, the Matrix Conference, and OpenSearchCon Europe.

The company's service portfolio spans the full event lifecycle — conception, ticketing and registration, program coordination, on-site production, and online or hybrid extensions — and is built on an Open Source technology stack comprising pretix (ticketing), pretalx (Call for Papers and program management), and Venueless (virtual and hybrid event delivery). Payment processing for tickets is handled through Stripe and PayPal, and the company is positioned as a certified Solution Partner for both pretix (since founding) and pretalx (since 2022). Distribution combines self-service ticket sales via pretix-powered ticket shops, direct sales through dedicated event websites (berlinbuzzwords.de, foss-backstage.de, foss-backstage.design), and referral flow from the pretix/pretalx Solution Partner channels.

Plain Schwarz generates revenue through professional-services fees for event management and consulting, ticket sales across tiered structures (Reduced, Standard, Business, Supporter, Group discounts, Last Minute), and program-curation services. Ticket price points range from €10 for online-only reduced admission to €1,200 for combined Conference & Dinner packages. The company is structured as a German UG (limited liability form), is privately held with no external investors identified in available sources, and operates with a core team of four: Paul Berschick (allrounder), Alexander Brăteanu (project manager for FOSS Backstage), Anne Sophie Riege (communications and volunteer coordination), and Sven Spiller (speaker management and outreach). Since 2019, the company has organized 20+ events across its own brands and third-party engagements.

Name

Plain Schwarz

Legal name

Plain Schwarz UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Website

https://plainschwarz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Plain Schwarz is a Berlin-based event management firm founded in 2019 that produces conferences, ticketing, and hybrid event experiences for Open Source and Free Software communities, operating three owned event brands and serving third-party clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Management Services: Full-service event management for conferences and events, including conception, coordination, and on-site production. Services provided to both OSS communities and other organizations.
2. Ticket Sales: Ticket sales through pretix-powered ticket shops for their own events (Berlin Buzzwords, FOSS Backstage, FOSS Backstage Design) and third-party events they manage. Revenue generated through ticket sales with pricing tiers including standard, reduced, business, and group tickets.
3. Ticketing Consulting: Implementation and consulting services for pretix ticketing platform as Solution Partner, helping customers set up event registration, ticket pricing, and registration processes.
4. Program Curation Services: Support for creating, curating, and managing event programs using pretalx, including speaker management and session coordination.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plain Schwarz is an event management company that delivers full-service event conception, planning, ticketing and registration, program coordination, and on-site production for Open Source and Free Software communities. It also produces online and hybrid event extensions using Venueless, and operates three flagship conferences (Berlin Buzzwords, FOSS Backstage, FOSS Backstage Design). Additionally, as a certified pretix Solution Partner, it offers implementation and consulting services for Open Source ticketing software to third parties.

Product overview

Plain Schwarz is an event management company offering a portfolio of professional conference organization services for the Open Source and Free Software ecosystem. Their core offerings include Full Service Event Management (covering the complete event lifecycle), Tickets & Registration (using pretix ticketing software), Online Events & Hybrid Experiences (via Venueless), and Event Conception & Program Coordination. They organize three flagship conferences: Berlin Buzzwords (focused on data infrastructure, search, and machine learning), FOSS Backstage (covering community, governance, compliance, and sustainability topics), and FOSS Backstage Design (dedicated to UX and design in open source). Plain Schwarz also acts as a pretix Solution Partner, helping customers implement ticketing solutions for their events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOSS Backstage: A two-day conference focusing on the non-technical aspects of Free and Open Source Software including community, management, and compliance.
• Berlin Buzzwords
• FOSS Backstage Design

Products and services

• Full Service Event Management Comprehensive event management service covering the full lifecycle from conception through planning, venue selection, catering coordination, and on-site production for Open Source and Free Software conferences.
• Tickets & Registration Event ticketing and registration service using pretix, including ticket shop setup, pricing configuration, tax/invoice management, ticket and name badge design, attendee communications, and registration data analysis.
• Online Events & Hybrid Experiences Service to bring events online or extend on-site conferences with hybrid components using Open Source tooling like Venueless, improving accessibility and reducing the need for travel.
• Event Conception & Program Coordination Service developing event concepts and coordinating conference programmes, including speaker management, session curation using pretalx, and attendee outreach.
• FOSS Backstage Two-day flagship conference focused on the non-technical aspects of Free and Open Source Software, covering community management, governance, compliance, sustainability, funding, and diversity & inclusion.
• Berlin Buzzwords Europe's leading conference for modern data infrastructure, search and machine learning, focused on open source software projects, offering a vendor-neutral platform for developers, engineers, IT architects, analysts, and data scientists.
• FOSS Backstage Design Conference dedicated to UX, accessible design and usability within Free and Open Source Software projects, featuring expert keynotes and an interactive barcamp format.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully organized 20+ events since 2019 including international conferences with hundreds to thousands of attendees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• pretalxcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2022Official partner for pretalx (Open Source conference programme software) since 2022. Supports customers in creating, curating, and managing event programs using pretalx for Call for Papers and session management.
• pretixcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Official Solution Partner for pretix (Open Source ticketing software) since the establishment of Plain Schwarz in 2019. Helps customers implement and customize pretix for their event ticketing needs. This is a foundational partnership that enables their ticketing and registration services.
• x10 Event ITcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Long-standing partnership for hosting and Open Source event software development. x10 provides trusted hosting services and collaborates with Plain Schwarz on developing Open Source event technology.
• Karoline Große DesignmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Design partnership since 2019. Collaborated on redesign of Berlin Buzzwords (2020), complete design overhaul of FOSS Backstage (2023), and fresh corporate identity of Plain Schwarz.
• WECAPmajorTechnology or IntegrationProvides high-class recording and livestreaming setups for events of all sizes. One of their longest-standing partnerships, having worked together on numerous occasions.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)minorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage 2026, supporting the Open Source community conference.
• Google Open SourceminorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage, supporting the Open Source community conference.
• The Linux FoundationminorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage, supporting the Open Source community conference.
• Mercedes-Benz Tech Innovation GmbHminorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage, supporting the Open Source community conference.
• Open Source CollectiveminorOthersRecorded sessions from FOSS Backstage 2026; fiscal host and supporter of open source projects.
• Grafana LabsminorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage, supporting the Open Source community conference.
• Landeshauptstadt München (City of Munich)minorOthersSponsor of FOSS Backstage through IT Referat, supporting Open Source in public sector.
• PenpotminorOthersPartner of FOSS Backstage Design, the Open Source design-focused conference.
• Open Source DesignminorOthersCommunity partner for FOSS Backstage Design, supporting design in Open Source software.
• VenuelesscoreTechnology or IntegrationOpen Source digital event platform used for virtual and hybrid events. Used for online events and hybrid extensions of on-site conferences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PlainSchwarzUG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plain-schwarz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Plain Schwarz