Israeli startup xscode international Ltd. is exiting stealth mode today with $500,000 in seed funding and the launch of a new platform that enables open-source software developers to monetize their work via private repositories on GitHub.

The company, which does business as xs:code, said its platform is all about encouraging developers to keep maintaining open-source code by charging companies to use the most up-to-date versions of it.

Xs:code reckons there’s a need for this as it says many developers lack the motivation or are simply too busy to keep their open-source projects secure and up-to-date. It’s a critical issue because 90% of all software relies on at least some open-source components, even in the case of commercial software.

The company’s answer is to give developers a way to offer subscription-based access to their code via a private repository on GitHub, which is the most popular site for hosting open source software. The idea is that they can maintain a free version of their code in public, while selling access to a more fully featured and current version, the company said. Developers can set up various licensing options for users, and also choose how the paid version of their code differs from the free version.

For example, open-source developers can put a project with a co-called “copyleft” licensed version of their code on GitHub that can be used for free by other open-source projects. Companies looking to use that code in a commercial product can buy a subscription xs:code’s platform. Yet another option: a “freemium” or “open core” model in which the paid version has more features than the free public code.

Subscriptions and payments are handled by xs:code, which also supports profit-sharing in cases where there are multiple contributors to a project. In addition, xs:code helps promote its developer’s open-source projects to ensure they reach a wider audience.

Company co-founder Chen Ravid told SiliconANGLE he founded the company alongside its Chief Executive Officer Netanel Mohoni after struggling with outdated open-source software while working at his previous employer.

“It was frustrating when an open-source project we needed was unmaintained,” Ravid said. “Equally, I knew that I was using something that people built out of passion and without any compensation. There had to be a way for the open-source developers to get compensated that could keep them engaged in their projects.”

Image: xs:code