> how relevant technical aspects are for a successful startup (i.e. not much) That's why i'm very interested in human and political aspects of free software. S

> how relevant technical aspects are for a successful startup (i.e. not much) That's why i'm very interested in human and political aspects of free software. Successful FLOSS projects usually have a strong community backing them, and strong connections between developers and the community so that the technology isn't too disconnected from practical needs and UX concerns. I think non-profits and cooperatives building upon free-software solutions are a better alternative model. For example, framasoft.org (french NGO for libre culture/software) has been instrumental in developing new solutions like Peertube, and in kickstarting a new wave of hosting coops (chatons.org federation). In the IM world specifically, i'm very interested about Snikket.im project. It aims to build a complete client/server distribution of XMPP software tailored for specific user expectations.