Font Awesome has acquired Eleventy (11ty), a widely-used static site generator, and is rebranding it as "Build Awesome" via Kickstarter to create a commercial product. Creator Zach Leatherman joined Font Awesome in 2024 seeking sustainable funding for the open-source project. The move reflects broader industry challenges: prior attempts (Gatsby, Stackbit) raised tens of millions but failed to monetize, forcing founders to monetize hosting infrastructure instead of the tools themselves.
Strategy
The End of Eleventy
Font Awesome acquires Eleventy for "Build Awesome" Kickstarter campaign, marking another attempt to monetize a beloved open-source tool after Gatsby and Stackbit's high-profile failures to achieve sustainable business models.
Sunday, April 12, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: Hacker NewsBY sys://pipeline
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strategy