Why startups win by building on open standards

The Open Data Institute’s Blueprint: Empowering Startups with Open Standards and Data

Ms. Louise Burke, CEO of The Open Data Institute (ODI), addressed Web Summit Lisbon 2025, detailing ODI’s support for startups via open standards and data. Founded in 2012 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Professor Sir Nigel Shadbolt, ODI initially opened UK government data. Their vision is an open, trustworthy data ecosystem benefiting everyone.

ODI was pivotal in data.gov.uk, incubating 34 startups. Open Corporates, a notable success, built a global platform on open company data, demonstrating how accessible public data enables successful ventures. This early work established a strong foundation for data-driven innovation and entrepreneurial growth.

Since 2014, ODI has championed open standards. The Open Active standard, for example, helps individuals find physical activities, supporting 40 innovative products. This strategy enables startups to build and thrive on existing frameworks, accelerating market entry and avoiding development from scratch.

In shared data, ODI achieved significant success with Open Banking, an internationally adopted standard fostering a £4 billion ecosystem. Currently, ODI develops “Croissant,” a standard ensuring data is AI-ready. It focuses on quality and provenance for data used in artificial intelligence models.

Addressing privacy concerns, Ms. Burke introduced “Solid,” Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s project. Solid empowers individuals to control personal data, storing it in “pods” and granting/revoking application access. This open standard ensures data is AI-ready and mitigates GDPR issues by placing users firmly in control.

Solid is actively implemented. Vito, a Belgian health research institute, uses Solid for individuals to share personal health data for innovation. The Dutch data vault, a collaboration of five media companies, leverages Solid to enhance customer experiences and understand behavior without traditional cookies.

For startups, building on open infrastructure—open data, open standards, and Solid—offers substantial benefits. It reduces development overheads and provides smart market entry. This approach enhances customer knowledge through personalized data access and leverages network effects, allowing innovation to flourish on established, trustworthy foundations.

Utilizing open protocols like Solid minimizes the need for numerous adapters for AI agents, reducing data integrity risks. ODI’s ongoing support, through incubation programs, EU-funded initiatives (ODINE, Data Pitch), and Solid stewardship, provides a robust framework for entrepreneurial success in the evolving data economy.