Small businesses in Appalachian Ohio pay $200–400 a month for software they don't own, can't control, and can't afford. We're building something better — and giving it away.
47% of our counties are classified as Distressed or At-Risk. Per capita income sits 28% below the Ohio average. And every month, small businesses send hundreds of dollars out of the region for software subscriptions.
See the data →OpenAngus is a complete business management system — POS, inventory, accounting, payroll — that runs on local hardware with no monthly fees. Free and open source. Built for the businesses that need it most.
Learn about OpenAngus →Free software isn’t enough if you don’t know how to run the business side of your business. OpenAngus includes guides, education, and a community of owners helping each other.
More than software →We track economic conditions across all 32 Appalachian Ohio counties — income, employment, distress classifications, government spending. The data drives the mission.
Explore the data →A bakery doing $15,000 a month in revenue might pay $300 or more for the software stack just to operate: point of sale, inventory tracking, accounting, payroll, scheduling. That's money leaving the community every month for tools the business will never own.
OpenAngus replaces that entire stack with software that runs on a $600 tablet in the back room. No subscriptions. No per-transaction fees. No data leaving the building. The business owns its tools and its data.
We're forming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to own and maintain OpenAngus — ensuring the software stays free, open source, and focused on the communities that need it. Our goal is to deploy across all 32 Appalachian Ohio counties, starting with our first business in Logan, Ohio in 2026.
The Foundation will own the code, the license, and this platform. The economic data you see on this site drives the mission — every county classified as Distressed or At-Risk represents businesses paying software fees they can't afford.
Ohio's Appalachian region encompasses 32 counties of rolling hills, dense forests, and communities that have been underserved by the technology economy. We're not waiting for that to change on its own.
Whether you're a small business owner, a developer, an economic development professional, or someone who believes Appalachian communities deserve better tools — there's a way to be part of this.