The 2024 ROSS Index: A Spotlight on Emerging Open Source Startups

A recent report has unveiled the latest trends in the open source startup ecosystem, identifying the top 20 emerging companies, with a notable emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI). Commissioned by Runa Capital, a European venture firm, this analysis leverages the Runa Open Source Startup (ROSS) Index to track the fastest-growing projects based on GitHub “stars”—a social metric akin to a “like.”

About the ROSS Index

Since its inception in 2020, the ROSS Index has transitioned to providing annual reports that focus more comprehensively on the most promising commercial open source startups within a given year. This year’s report echoes last year’s findings, revealing that AI-centric projects dominate the list, with 11 out of 20 startups closely tied to this sector.

Criteria for Inclusion

The ROSS Index employs a stringent set of criteria for qualifying projects. Notably:

• Projects must be directly associated with a commercial entity, avoiding side projects.
• Startups should be under ten years old and have raised less than $100 million in funding.
• They must operate independently, meaning they cannot be subsidiaries or publicly traded companies.

Top Performers of 2024

The 2024 ROSS Index identifies Ollama in the leading position. This Y Combinator graduate offers an open source tool to run large language models (LLMs) locally, such as Meta’s Llama. Ollama saw a tremendous increase in GitHub stars, jumping over 76,000 throughout 2024, representing an impressive growth rate of 261% to exceed 105,000 stars. This number has since climbed past 135,000.

Following Ollama is Zed Industries, which offers a collaborative cross-platform code editor tailored for high-performance interaction with both human developers and AI. The project transitioned to open source in January 2024, subsequently adding over 52,000 GitHub stars within the year.

In third place is LangGenius, recognized for its Dify platform that facilitates open source app development focused on LLMs. LangGenius’ GitHub stars surged by more than 43,000 in the previous year, marking a growth of 326% from approximately 13,000 to nearly 57,000 stars, further increasing to over 84,000 recently.

Other noteworthy mentions in the top five include ComfyUI, which specializes in a node-based program for generating multimedia through generative AI models, and All Hands, the creators of OpenHands, a software development resource that acquired 39,600 stars since its launch in March and has since risen by another 12,000 stars.

Broader Trends in Open Source Software

The data from the ROSS Index not only emphasizes the rapid escalation in AI and LLM-related projects but also indicates a robust demand for developer tools. Zed Industries and Astral’s UV, which ranks ninth, exemplify this trend. The index also highlights the ongoing interest in privacy-centric, self-hostable tools, as seen with Stirling PDF (ranked seventh), Maybe Finance (eighth), and RustDesk (17th). Furthermore, Fuel, an Ethereum-focused project at position 12, underscores the persistent vitality of cryptocurrency and web3 technologies.

Geographical Distribution

The report reveals that six of the top twenty startups reside in San Francisco, with Canada contributing three. The remaining companies hail from various regions, including the UK, Switzerland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Singapore, and China, demonstrating a diverse global landscape in the open source startup arena.

Methodology Insights

The ROSS Index, while comprehensive, adheres to a unique methodology that emphasizes the growth rate of projects. GitHub stars are viewed as a relative metric; thus, the index focuses on new stars gained over a specific timeframe, particularly in its annual report. This perspective allows for a clearer view of trending technologies and the commercial initiatives being developed around them.

It is important to note that the definition of “open source” as used in the ROSS Index may vary. While many projects employ recognized licenses, not all meet the strictest definitions as per the Open Source Initiative. This gives room for various interpretations, allowing certain projects like those released under the Server Side Public License (SSPL) to qualify, despite not having formal approval.

In conclusion, the 2024 ROSS Index serves not only as a window into the current landscape of open source innovation but also reveals the direction in which the commercial open source space is heading, showcasing the convergence of technology with business strategies.