I have always found that the intersection of two areas is the most interesting place to be.  I often describe this as ‘in between’, and I have spent most of my professional life looking for such places.

After spending many years focused solely on the intersection of open source and business, I am now focusing on different areas, such as M&A strategy, and within specific verticals that have been disrupted by near and long-term trends.

Until summer 2009, I was chief strategist at the Olliance Group, an open-source consulting group I co-founded in 2001.   In that capacity, I advised over thirty large cap companies (including over a dozen Global 500’s) on open source business, technology, IP and community strategies.    A number of these were large technology end-users where I helped build open source into technology planning lifecycles, building strategies that enabled increased deployment flexibility, vendor independence and cost reduction.  Others were large technology producers, where revenue models, SDLC decisions and competitive strategies were key focus areas.  At the other end of the spectrum, I have also consulted with over 60 startup companies on business models, technology development and market strategies, working with investors, boards, executive management and communities to build profitable, growth-oriented businesses.