Why We’re Giving It All Away

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of standing on stage at the UNICEF Innovation Dialogue in Stockholm to share the AirGradient Story and our unique open-source business model.

But the real story isn’t about a business strategy. Rather, it’s about a fundamental belief. A belief that when faced with a global crisis like air pollution—a crisis that claims seven million lives every year—the old, closed-off way of doing business is, in my opinion, no longer adequate.

At AirGradient, our mission has never been to simply sell boxes. Our mission is to get air quality data into the hands of everyone, everywhere, so they can protect themselves and drive meaningful change. We’ve found the most powerful way to do that is by embracing a radically open approach.

Today, I want to share the “why” behind our open-source hardware model as I believe it’s a blueprint that can be used to tackle some of our planet’s greatest challenges.

1. Innovation at the Speed of Community

A traditional company is limited by the number of engineers it can hire. An open-source project is limited only by the passion of its community. We saw this firsthand with the community’s request to integrate our monitors with the Homey smart home system. Frankly, we had no internal resources or skills for it.

We reached out to our community on July 13th. By the next day, four developers had volunteered. We briefed them on the 15th. By July 24th—just 11 days from the initial call for help—the integration was published and available to everyone.

This wasn’t a one-off. Our community has built integrations for HomeKit, Grafana, Prometheus, and openHAB. They’ve reviewed our electrical schematics and automated our builds. This collective genius moves faster and is more creative than we could ever be alone.

2. Partnerships Built on Trust

I believe being open-source is much more than just about code; it’s a standpoint of transparency. It’s why organizations like UNICEF and the UNDP choose to partner with us. They don’t have to guess what’s inside our technology; they can see it for themselves.

This trust has led to incredible projects. In Laos, we worked with the UNICEF country office and data scientists to deploy 160 Open Air monitors in public schools. For the first time, 7 million people can access local air quality information. Even better, data scientists from UNICEF are collaborating directly with our scientists to improve the calibration and compensation algorithms—work that will benefit every single user of our platform, a true win-win.

3. Building a Movement

Look at our company structure. We have over 20 passionate employees in engineering, science, and outreach. What don’t we have? A sales team.

We don’t need one. Our community is our advocate. Our open-source hardware and software are our best sales pitch. People join us because they believe in the mission. Our community forum is full of activity, not because of a marketing campaign, but because people are genuinely engaged in solving problems together. This grassroots energy extends to philanthropy, like our work with the Meechai Bamboo School in Thailand, our commitment to “1% for the Planet”, and countless other projects we support.

4. Maximizing Impact by Maximizing Accessibility

The greatest barrier to fighting air pollution is cost. Expensive monitors have left the hardest-hit communities without actionable AQ data, forcing people to fight an invisible threat. Our open-source hardware model shatters this barrier. By making quality monitors at low-cost, we enable dense data networks where they’re needed most.

This explosion of data creates powerful awareness. The invisible threat becomes a real, local number, making the problem personal and impossible to ignore. And awareness is the catalyst for action, from a family closing their windows to a community advocating for clean air policies.

5. True Empowerment Through Capacity Building

Shipping a black box to a community isn’t empowerment. Empowerment is teaching people how to build the box themselves. Open source hardware is the ultimate tool for capacity building. We run workshops worldwide where we don’t just talk about air quality; we sit down with students, community advocates, and local leaders and build monitors together. They learn about the sensors, the electronics, and the software. They become owners of the technology, not just consumers. This creates local expertise and a sustainable, long-term impact that a closed product never could.

A Call to Action

Some people ask me if I’m afraid of “cloners” stealing our designs. My answer is No. Being open forces us to be better. We must always be ahead on cost, on innovation, and the strength of our community. It keeps us honest and keeps us hungry.

This model works for us because it’s authentic. We are self-funded, so we answer to our mission, not to venture capitalists demanding hockey-stick growth at any cost. We are obsessively focused on impact and running an efficient, sustainable organization.

I’m sharing this not to brag, but to issue a challenge. To every entrepreneur, engineer, and leader working on a mission-driven company: Open up.

Share your designs and data. Invite your community in. Build partnerships based on transparency. Trust that a shared mission is a more powerful motivator than a proprietary secret. The problems we face are too big for any one company to solve alone. It’s time we stop building walls and start building bridges.

Together, we can accelerate the journey from data to real-world impact. Together, we can build a cleaner, healthier planet.

Thank you.

Achim Haug
CEO, AirGradient