I suppose... though other package managers exist without funding... but hey, I wouldn't turn down 2.6 mil to make my project better either.

I don't understand how they intend to monetize this, but whatever.

Canonical hosts packages for Ubuntu, and they pay for that by charging for other services. Free packages means more people using Ubuntu means more people seeking enterprise support.

There is always funding for everything that lives. Even if you're hosting something for "free" yourself, your job is the funding.

Well, sure, but $2.8m? Seems like a bit much for this sort of thing.