I wonder if VCs are looking around and saying, “Open source CRM? Been done. Open source ERP? Been done.” And so on, figuring that each category could only support one vendor. I hope that’s not the case, because it shows wrong-headed thinking about open source (i.e., it implies that it’s a commodifying force, rather than an innovative and disruptive force). If VCs think the market needs a mass of social networking sites (40% of consumer investments fit this bill in Q2), surely we need more than one open source ECM (or CRM, ERP, SCM, etc.) vendor. We’re at the beginning of open source’s rise, not the end. The time to invest is now. — Matt Asay. Venture investments in open source are down. Technology Industry