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I was a corporate sponsor of PyConUK [1] and PyData London and this mirrors my experience. At the time, JPMorgan had around 4500 Python devs globally and many

I was a corporate sponsor of PyConUK [1] and PyData London and this mirrors my experience. At the time, JPMorgan had around 4500 Python devs globally and many of the FX/Commodities/Credit/Rates trading systems were Python-based (Google for Athena or watch [2]). I felt the bank had gained hugely from the Python community so it was only appropriate to give something back. Fortunately I had lots of support from my MD internally. Ultimately the budgets were controlled from New York and it took time for the approval discussion between London and New York to conclude. We took sponsorship packages that included logo on banners, an intro during the opening keynote, a recruiting booth, and entry passes for 10 of our devs. The money paid to PyConUK was small in corporate terms, and certainly less than the cost of the time I and the recruiting lead invested in getting it going. The net result was a good amount of exposure, lots of people saying "I didn't know JPMorgan used Python", two direct hires I think, and useful support for Python in the UK. I'm no longer at JPMorgan but as long as my future employers benefit from my Python experience, I'll look for ways for them to give back to the community. If you are in the same position, please encourage your employer to do it too. (I'm happy to be quoted on the benefits; my email is in my profile here). [1] https://pyvideo.org/pycon-uk-2017/pycon-uk-2017-jp-morgan-sponsor-session.html https://pyvideo.org/pycon-uk-2017/pycon-uk-2017-jp-morgan-sp... [2] https://pyvideo.org/pydata-london-2018/python-at-massive-scale.html https://pyvideo.org/pydata-london-2018/python-at-massive-sca...

timkpaine 6y ago
The recruitment angle has always been pretty successful, and now with JP's extensive open source work exposure to collaborators and emerging projects has become valuable for participants at these conferences. With the pandemic, I moved us from being just a pycon sponsor to sponsoring the psf directly (https://www.python.org/psf/sponsorship/sponsors/ https://www.python.org/psf/sponsorship/sponsors/), though without a senior MD championing these types of initiatives it's always up to lower level employees being vocal and committed enough to push.
lifeisstillgood 6y ago
I remember JP Morgan putting on a very good show that year in Cardiff, and if memory serves you signed off a meaningful sponsorship sum (#) over coffee in Canary Wharf. My takeaway from that surprisingly short deal was that with FOSS the real hard part (demonstrating value) is done and dusted long before any money conversations come up. Most people I have had this conversation with in companies large and small are like Steve above - see the value of FoSS to their business and want to both give something back and more importantly support the producers of an important input to their business. FOSS does not have and probably cannot have the "money for licenses" business model, but that's not to say there are not decent lines of funding that cannot be tapped. It's a frustration, yes but both sides are aligned in this. (#) For various definitions of meaningful I guess.
- stevesimmons 6y ago
  > and if memory serves you signed off a meaningful sponsorship sum (#) over coffee in Canary Wharf. Ha, Paul, I do indeed remember that coffee! I didn't have the authority to approve anything on the spot, but I did promise to do my best to make it happen.
  - lifeisstillgood 6y ago
    And that is why I don't run a sales department :-)

timkpaine 6y ago

The recruitment angle has always been pretty successful, and now with JP's extensive open source work exposure to collaborators and emerging projects has become valuable for participants at these conferences. With the pandemic, I moved us from being just a pycon sponsor to sponsoring the psf directly (https://www.python.org/psf/sponsorship/sponsors/ https://www.python.org/psf/sponsorship/sponsors/), though without a senior MD championing these types of initiatives it's always up to lower level employees being vocal and committed enough to push.

lifeisstillgood 6y ago

I remember JP Morgan putting on a very good show that year in Cardiff, and if memory serves you signed off a meaningful sponsorship sum (#) over coffee in Canary Wharf. My takeaway from that surprisingly short deal was that with FOSS the real hard part (demonstrating value) is done and dusted long before any money conversations come up. Most people I have had this conversation with in companies large and small are like Steve above - see the value of FoSS to their business and want to both give something back and more importantly support the producers of an important input to their business. FOSS does not have and probably cannot have the "money for licenses" business model, but that's not to say there are not decent lines of funding that cannot be tapped. It's a frustration, yes but both sides are aligned in this. (#) For various definitions of meaningful I guess.

stevesimmons 6y ago
> and if memory serves you signed off a meaningful sponsorship sum (#) over coffee in Canary Wharf. Ha, Paul, I do indeed remember that coffee! I didn't have the authority to approve anything on the spot, but I did promise to do my best to make it happen.
- lifeisstillgood 6y ago
  And that is why I don't run a sales department :-)