11-21, 12:00–12:25 (Pacific/Auckland), WG403
Learn how OPENGIS.ch built a sustainable business on QGIS and QField—where open source, community, and entrepreneurship come together to create real, lasting impact.
"Who pays your bills?" was the first question my now-CTO asked me—back when we didn’t even know each other. Years later, we co-founded OPENGIS.ch, a company that thrives on open-source software. In this talk, I’ll share our journey building a sustainable business model around QGIS and QField, explain how the QGIS.org community works, and show why open source is not just a philosophy, but a real business opportunity. We’ll explore sustainability, community, and entrepreneurship—the triangle that allows open-source software to flourish and its contributors to make a living from it.
Marco Bernasocchi is an open-source advocate, entrepreneur and full-stack geoninja. He is the creator of QField for QGIS, currently serves as QGIS.org Chair, and is an Open Source Geospatial Foundation board member. In his day job, Marco is the CEO of OPENGIS.ch, which he founded in 2011.
A geographer by trade, Marco lives in a small Romansh-speaking mountain village in Switzerland, where he loves scrambling around the mountains to enjoy the feeling of freedom it gives him. Outgoing, flexible and open-minded, Marco fluently speaks five languages. The best thing is: He not only knows how to say it but also loves sharing his know-how.