The demand for open source tools and technologies for the AI revolution is highlighted in a new report. Additionally, the data infrastructure vertical is also seeing increased activity.
Runa Capital, a venture capital (VC) firm that relocated its headquarters to Luxembourg in 2022, has been publishing the Runa Open Source Startup (ROSS) Index for the past four years. This index showcases the fastest-growing commercial open source software (COSS) startups. The company releases quarterly updates and recently published its annual report for 2022 and now for 2023.
Trends
Data infrastructure is closely linked to AI as AI relies on data for learning and predictions, requiring infrastructure for data collection, storage, and processing. This intersection is highlighted in the report.
The top spot in the ROSS Index for the previous year was taken by LangChain, a San Francisco-based startup that focuses on developing open source framework for applications based on large language models. LangChain’s main project gained significant traction and attracted a $25 million Series A investment from Sequoia. Other notable startups in the top 10 include Reflex, AITable, Sismo, HPC-AI, and Qdrant.
Top 10 COSS startups in the ROSS Index for 2023 Image Credits: Runa Capital
Last year, more than half of the “top 50 trending” open source startups were related to AI and data infrastructure.
Top 50 COSS startups in the ROSS Index for 2023 Image Credits: Runa Capital
Considering the significant growth in generative AI in 2023, the demand for open-source components is expected to increase, with companies aiming to compete with proprietary AI giants like OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google.
Geographies
The top 50 COSS startups in the ROSS Index represent companies from various countries, with a notable increase in European startups compared to the previous year. Programming languages used among the top 50 also evolved, with Typescript remaining a popular choice.
ROSS Index: Trending programming languages. Image Credits: Runa Capital
The ROSS Index provides insights into the growth, contributors, and funding of COSS startups, reflecting a significant increase in funding and activity in the sector.
ROSS Index: Contributors, stars, and funding Image Credits: Runa Capital
Methodology & context
The methodology used for the ROSS Index involves a careful analysis of GitHub stars, relative growth rates, and company criteria to identify top trending open source startups. The index provides useful insights into the open source startup landscape, offering a different perspective from other lists and indexes in the industry.
