Program guide

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Build something people use.

Apply to the OpenRoot Developer Program.

Applications are open for review.Submissions are stored privately for manual review. Applying does not create a portal account, grant GitHub access or guarantee a reward. The private portal is available to approved accounts.
  • You need your own GitHub account.
  • After approval, accept an invitation to the OpenRoot GitHub organization.
  • Bring your own idea or existing project, in any category and programming language. Repository content and documentation can use any language, including non-English languages.
  • Accepted projects must be hosted under OpenRootdev. Create a new project there, or bring an existing project by reviewed transfer or by copying its code into a new organization repository. You can keep it private during development.
  • Get repository-level Admin for your own approved project, not organization-wide Admin.
  • Transfers, additional accounts and reward eligibility require manual approval.

Your project stays yours.

The intended program policy is that you retain ownership of your own code and lead your project. GitHub hosts the repository under OpenRoot's organization, and organization owners retain administrative access. Licensing and departure/transfer terms must be agreed before enrollment.

Read the project and access model

No project idea yet?

You can apply while you are still exploring. Check the option in the form and leave an optional note about your interests. Project and milestone approval still come before reward eligibility.

Your idea, your direction.

Choose the category, stack, roadmap and language of your repository. Your code remains yours. You can build privately for a period; any public-release conditions are agreed before enrollment, not applied by an automatic timer.

Already have a project?

Your accepted project must be hosted under OpenRootdev. After project review, transfer the original repository or create an empty repository in the organization and copy your existing code into it with Git. Simply linking a repository outside the organization is not enough. Do not transfer or copy it before agreeing the migration with us.

Transferring can preserve stars, issues and pull requests; copying code creates a separate repository without those GitHub records. Existing adoption is reviewed against an agreed baseline and never guarantees a reward. You retain rights to your own code; organization owners keep administrative access.

Read the step-by-step options →

Your GitHub identity
For application review and approved account onboarding. Not a newsletter signup.
Enter the username, not your display name or profile URL. Account control is verified after approval.
Your project

You can apply before choosing a project. Share your interests below if you like. A specific project and its milestone terms still need approval before reward eligibility.

You choose your build phase. Public-release timing, if required for your funded cohort, is agreed with you before enrollment. We do not automatically publish your private repository.
Project route
Choosing an existing project means transferring it after review or copying its code into a new OpenRootdev repository. Do not migrate before approval. Read the step-by-step options above.
Pre-existing metrics are reviewed against an agreed baseline. They do not create automatic reward eligibility.
Collaboration and automation
For separate human accounts, machine accounts or integrations. GitHub Apps are preferred for automation. Never include passwords, tokens, private keys or client secrets. Each request is reviewed.
Request a project team or collaborate across approved projects. Access is scoped to the named repositories; team membership does not grant access to every organization repository.
How you found us (optional)
Optional. Helps us understand which places bring builders here. No tracking cookies.
Please do not include private messages or personal details about other people.
Referral (optional)
Attribution is reviewed separately. A referral only qualifies after approval and a verified milestone under funded referral rules. Read the planned referral program.

Submitting saves an application for review, not an account, organization invitation, repository transfer or reward claim. Final enrollment and reward terms are agreed before membership. Read the FAQ

Application Terms

Current application terms, 12 October 2026 (version 2026-10-12-1).

  • Provide truthful information and only material you have permission to share. Do not include credentials, private source code or sensitive personal information.
  • You may apply without a project idea. A submission requests manual review; it does not create a portal account, grant organization membership or promise a reward.
  • If accepted for later enrollment, projects must respect others’ rights and the published builder policies. No project, code rights or repository is transferred by submitting this form.
  • Project approval, repository access, milestones, reward availability and any transfer require separate review and agreed terms. Published reward policies apply; signing up alone does not qualify you for a reward.
  • Enrollment, project/departure and funded reward agreements are separate. You are not accepting unpublished future terms or unannounced reward thresholds through this application.

Privacy consent and the 90-day application retention policy are explained below. Questions or correction requests: hello@openroot.dev.

Application privacy

Privacy notice version 2026-10-12-2. The optional discovery-source field was added on 12 October 2026; program eligibility and Application Terms are unchanged.

OpenRoot, operated by Kristofer Jussmann, collects your email, exact GitHub username, project proposal, optional evidence, collaboration/access requests, referral details, optional discovery source and consent record to review your application and communicate about it. Applicant-declared discovery source helps us understand where builders find OpenRoot; it is optional and does not use tracking cookies. Do not include credentials, private source code or sensitive personal information; list other accounts only with their permission.

Submissions are stored in a private Google Cloud database in Finland. They are accessible only to authorized administrators, not other applicants or the public. Application records are scheduled to expire after 90 days; automated deletion is asynchronous. Approval creates a pending portal record that keeps the application’s original expiry. Active enrollment profiles will have separate terms before activation; read the pending-portal privacy notice before signing in.

Applying does not subscribe you to the newsletter. Ask to access, correct or delete your submission, or withdraw consent, by emailing hello@openroot.dev. We may need to verify your identity before acting on the request. Hosting infrastructure handles technical request logs; application content is not deliberately logged by this service. See the program guide.