David Cramer, co-founder and CPO of Sentry, joins host Dan Levine to share the unconventional journey of turning an Open Source side project into a $100 million ARR business now valued at over $3 billion.
From his early days as a teenage gamer to becoming a key player in the Django community, David recounts how a simple error-logging tool evolved into an essential platform used by over 100,000 organizations worldwide.
In this conversation, David also discusses the Open Source Pledge. Recognizing the critical need to support Open Source maintainers, this timely initiative from Sentry and others aims to create a sustainable funding model for Open Source, encouraging companies to support the often invisible labor powering modern software development.
- 2:04 His path from Midwest fast food worker to self-taught programmer
- 07:09: The origins of Sentry as "djanjo-db-log" and its evolution through various tech companies
- 10:41: Why design was a priority for an Open Source project, even 15 years ago
- 11:34: The decision to bootstrap and accidentally start a business through Heroku add-ons
- 12:34: Balancing a day job at Dropbox with the growing demands of Sentry
- 15:18: The competitive drive that led to raising venture capital and expanding beyond Django
- 16:27: Sentry's mission to be used by every developer and its unique approach to building a business
- 17:34: How maintaining an Open Source ethos drove Sentry's growth
- 21:14 Spearheading the Open Source Pledge to address fair compensation for maintainers
Whether you're an aspiring founder, Open Source contributor, or just curious about the intersection of community-driven software and commercial success, this conversation offers valuable insights into building a developer-focused company with a foundation in Open Source.
Featured: David Cramer, CPO and Co-founder of Sentry; Dan Levine, Host
Learn more about Accel’s relationship with Sentry:
- Why Accel is Supporting the Open Source Pledge
- Helping Developers See and Solve Quicker: Our Enduring Partnership with Sentry
- Our Series D in Sentry
- Our Series E in Sentry
- Our Continued Support of Sentry
- The Future of Open Source: Launching the Open100
Explore more episodes from this season:
S2E1 | Klaviyo’s Andrew Bialecki on proving a tech startup can be built anywhere
S2E2 | Webflow’s Vlad Magdalin on the biggest lessons learned from bootstrapping and raising capital
S2E3 | Syrup’s James Theuerkauf on building an AI-powered product that cuts through the noise
S2E4 | Sysdig’s Suresh Vasudevan on embracing a “challenger mindset”
S2E5 | CrowdStrike’s George Kurtz on building a generational company
S2E7 | Remote’s Marcelo Lebre on the future of the global workforce
S2E8 | Gamma’s Jon Noronha on how early-stage startups can challenge industry incumbents
S2E9 | Monte Carlo’s Barr Moses on creating a playbook for a product that’s never been built before
S2E10 | ConductorOne’s Alex Bovee on the critical ingredients of a high-growth startup
S2E11 | Netskope’s Sanjay Beri on building an iconic company through controlled innovation
S2E12 | Chainalysis’ Jackie Burns Koven on building trust in new technologies
S2E13 | Wonder’s Marc Lore on blending vision and execution
S2 Bonus Episode 1| How Linear’s Karri Saarinen is Redefining What Scale Looks Like
