Event OCA Days 2025 - Liège starts on September 15, 2025 at 8:30:00 AM +0200
14:30 - 15:00 -The Past, Present, and Future of Odoo and the Odoo Community Association
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9/16/25, 2:30 PM - 9/16/25, 3:00 PM (+0200) (30 minutes)

14:30 - 15:00 -The Past, Present, and Future of Odoo and the Odoo Community Association
Frederik Kramer frederik.kramer@initos.com +49 4105 561560

Frederik Kramer is the CEO of initOS GmbH, a German Odoo partner and community member. Frederik holds a diploma on business informatics and a PhD on engineering from the Otto-von-Guericke-University (OVGU) in Magdeburg, Germany. He is a long time scientific research fellow at the Magdeburg Research and Competence Cluster (MRCC) working in the field of IT-strategy and Open Source. Since 2019 he happily serves as a member of the board of the Odoo Community Association. Since march 2025 Frederik is a full professor for Business Information Systems at Harz University of Applied Sciences in Wernigerode, Harz


This talk explores the evolution of Odoo from its open-source beginnings as TinyERP to its current status as a global business application platform led by Odoo S.A. It traces the foundation of the Odoo Community Association (OCA) as a response to growing centralization, and reflects on how Odoo S.A.'s strategic decisions—such as SaaS focus and enterprise licensing—reshaped the ecosystem and reduced the visibility of the OCA over time. The presentation will conclude with forward-looking scenarios for the OCA’s future role, discussing strategic options for governance, funding, and positioning. Attendees will gain insight into how a revitalized OCA could benefit the entire Odoo ecosystem by safeguarding openness, supporting long-tail use cases, and ensuring long-term sustainability.