Open source as a business model
How an open-source project turns into a company: licences, community, the open-core model and its trade-offs, and the mistakes we would not repeat — told from building Cozystack and Ænix.
Europe and the United States · 18 October – 11 December 2026
Meet me on the road: sixteen cities, eight weeks
I'm Timur Tukaev, a Cozystack maintainer and co-founder of Ænix. This autumn I travel through Europe and the US for NVIDIA GTC, KubeCon and our hands-on workshops — and every hour in between is open. Pick a slot in my calendar, or write to me and we'll plan it together.
- Book a slot from 7:00 to 22:00 local time
- Companies, universities, labs and communities
- Talks, workshops, coffee or a podcast
Book a time with me
This page is my calendar for the tour. Choose the region you are in, pick a free slot and tell me in a line what you have in mind — a meeting, a talk, a workshop, coffee or a recording. Times are shown in your own time zone; I'm available from 7:00 to 22:00 local time in whichever city I'm in that day.
Europe
18 October – 7 November 2026
Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Milan, Madrid, London
Pick a time
United States
7 November – 11 December 2026
Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston, New York
Pick a time
No slot that fits, or want to plan something bigger than a meeting? Write to me directly and we will work it out.
Where I'll be
The fixed points so far are conferences and our free hands-on workshops. University lectures, community meetups and podcast recordings will appear here as they are confirmed — and everything not listed is open for meetings.
- 18–20 Oct Paris France · CEST
- Workshop Mon 19 Oct, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsMyCowork, 54 rue Greneta, 75002 Paris
- The rest of my time in Paris, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 20–23 Oct Berlin Germany · CEST
- Conference Tue 20 – Thu 22 Oct, all day NVIDIA GTC BerlinSTATION-Berlin, exhibit floor
- Workshop Fri 23 Oct, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsTechspace Eiswerk, Köpenicker Straße 40-41, 10179 Berlin
- The rest of my time in Berlin, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 23–27 Oct Warsaw Poland · CET
- Workshop Mon 26 Oct, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsMindspace Koszyki, Koszykowa 61, 00-667 Warszawa
- The rest of my time in Warsaw, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 27–29 Oct Copenhagen Denmark · CET
- Workshop Wed 28 Oct, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsSoho Network, Flæsketorvet 68, 1711 København V
- The rest of my time in Copenhagen, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 29–30 Oct Amsterdam Netherlands · CET
- Workshop Fri 30 Oct, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsMindspace Dam, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 162, 1012 SJ Amsterdam
- The rest of my time in Amsterdam, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 30 Oct – 3 Nov Milan Italy · CET
- Workshop Mon 2 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsFlexworking Cerva, Via Cerva 20, 20122 Milano
- The rest of my time in Milan, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 3–5 Nov Madrid Spain · CET
- Workshop Wed 4 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsImpact Hub Madrid (Barceló), C/ Serrano Anguita 13
- The rest of my time in Madrid, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 5–7 Nov London United Kingdom · GMT
- Workshop Fri 6 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsCentral London, venue to be confirmed
- The rest of my time in London, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 7–13 Nov Salt Lake City Utah · MST
- Conference Mon 9 – Thu 12 Nov, all day KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North AmericaSalt Palace Convention Center
- The rest of my time in Salt Lake City, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 13–18 Nov San Francisco Bay Area California · PST
- Workshop Mon 16 or Tue 17 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsSan Francisco, venue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in San Francisco Bay Area, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 18–20 Nov Seattle Washington · PST
- Workshop Thu 19 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsDowntown Seattle, venue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in Seattle, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 20–24 Nov Austin Texas · CST
- Workshop Mon 23 Nov, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsDowntown Austin, venue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in Austin, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 24–29 Nov Dallas Texas · CST
- Private Tue 24 Nov, evening CTO dinnerInvitation only
- The rest of my time in Dallas, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 29 Nov – 8 Dec Washington, DC DC and Northern Virginia · EST
- Conference Mon 30 Nov – Thu 3 Dec, all day NVIDIA GTC Washington, DCExhibit floor
- Workshop Fri 4 Dec, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsDowntown DC, venue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in Washington, DC, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 8–9 Dec Boston Massachusetts · EST
- Workshop Wed 9 Dec, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsVenue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in Boston, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
- 9–11 Dec New York New York · EST
- Workshop Thu 10 Dec, 10:00–14:00 Cozystack workshop: replace VMware, then run AI and GPUsMidtown Manhattan, venue shared with registered attendees
- The rest of my time in New York, 7:00–22:00 local Open for meetings, talks, coffee and podcast recordings
What we can do together
Pick a format, or combine several. The length is up to you — from a 30-minute conversation to a half-day session. Talks for universities and communities, coffee and podcast recordings are free.
AI and GPUs on your own infrastructure
How Cozystack pools the GPUs you own into isolated tenant clusters and serves models behind an inference endpoint — an AI platform on hardware you control, without a second stack.
Building a modern private cloud
Virtual machines, Kubernetes on demand, managed databases and storage on one open platform — and an honest look at moving off VMware: what moves easily and what does not.
Becoming a CNCF project — and why bother
What the CNCF sandbox and incubation process really asks of a project, what it changes for users and contributors, and when it is worth it. First-hand, from going through it with Cozystack.
A small in-house workshop
A 90-minute to half-day lab for your team or students: everyone gets a personal environment on a real cluster in the browser and builds a working cloud setup. Nothing to install.
Just a coffee and a chat
No agenda required. Infrastructure, open source, startups, the cloud market, hiring, or how things work where you are — I'm happy to listen and share what I've seen.
I can come to you:
- Universities and research labs
- Companies and engineering teams
- Local meetups and community groups
- Student clubs and associations
- Incubators and startup programmes
- Your own podcast or stream
Launching soon
Other People's Computers — a podcast
"The cloud is just other people's computers." Our new English-language podcast is about the people who run those computers: hosting providers, GPU clouds, platform teams and open-source maintainers — how they build, what breaks, and what the business really looks like. Episodes are being recorded on this tour.
- Be a guest: a 20–30 minute conversation, recorded wherever we meet
- Invite me as a guest on your podcast or stream
- Recordings work in person or remotely
In short
Between 18 October and 11 December 2026, Timur Tukaev — Cozystack maintainer and co-founder of Ænix — travels through eight European and eight US cities: Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Milan, Madrid, London, Salt Lake City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston and New York. The fixed points are NVIDIA GTC in Berlin and Washington DC, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America, and a free hands-on Cozystack workshop in most cities. The rest of the time is open: you can book a meeting from 7:00 to 22:00 local time through two calendars — one for Europe, one for the US — or write directly by email or Telegram to arrange a talk, an in-house workshop, a university lecture, a community meetup or a podcast recording.
Quick facts
- Dates 18 October – 11 December 2026
- Europe Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Milan, Madrid, London
- United States Salt Lake City, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, Boston, New York
- Conferences NVIDIA GTC Berlin, KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America, NVIDIA GTC Washington DC
- Booking hours 7:00–22:00 local time in each city
- Direct contact timur.tukaev@aenix.io · Telegram @tym83
- Cost Talks, coffee, community meetups and podcast recordings are free
Frequently asked questions
How do I book a meeting with Timur during the tour?
Open the calendar for the region you are in — Europe (18 October – 7 November) or the United States (7 November – 11 December) — and pick any free slot. Slots run from 7:00 to 22:00 local time in the city Timur is in that day. If no slot fits, write to timur.tukaev@aenix.io or on Telegram at @tym83.
Can Timur give a talk at our company, university or meetup?
Yes. Topics include open source as a business model, how to become a CNCF project, building a modern private cloud, and running AI and GPU workloads on Cozystack. Formats range from a 30-minute talk to a 90-minute hands-on lab or a half-day in-house workshop. Write first so the date, audience and format can be agreed.
Does a talk or meeting cost anything?
Talks for universities, labs, student clubs and community groups are free, and so are coffee meetings and podcast recordings. For an in-house workshop at a company, write first and we will agree the format, length and terms.
What is the Other People's Computers podcast?
An English-language podcast about the people who run the infrastructure everyone else rents: hosting providers, GPU clouds, platform teams and open-source maintainers. It launches soon, and episodes are being recorded on this tour. Timur can interview you as host, or join your podcast as a guest.
What if my city is not on the list?
Write anyway. A short trip from one of the listed cities is often possible, especially on weekends and around conferences, and remote talks or recordings work from anywhere.
Europe and the United States · 18 October – 11 December 2026
Let's meet while I'm in your city
Pick a slot in the Europe or US calendar — or write to timur.tukaev@aenix.io or @tym83 on Telegram.