Prototype Fund CH

🇨🇭 WAI Switzerland Spotlight Series Championing Tech for Good, Governance, and Public Value in AI and Innovation: Spotlight on Dr. Verena Kontschieder Switzerland’s AI and innovation ecosystem is rich in research, talent, and ambition. What strengthens it even more are the people who bring purpose and humanity into technology. Dr. Verena Kontschieder is one of those people. As Co-CEO of Opendata.ch and Program Lead of the Prototype Fund CH, Verena works at the intersection of societal innovation, governance, and emerging technology, turning high-level ideas about ethical tech into real-world practice. Her work shows how Tech for Good becomes tangible through human-centric design, public interest technology, and responsible approaches to AI and data. Before joining Opendata.ch or taking on advisory roles for startups such as Plural, Verena built extensive global experience in AI policy and innovation strategy, leading programs focused on governance and digital transformation across the tech sector and international institutions such as the World Economic Forum, European Commission, The World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and African Development Bank Group. At Meta, she launched and scaled Open Loop, an award-winning global program that pioneered experimental, human-centric design-led multi-stakeholder approaches to AI governance. Verena’s contribution to the Swiss AI ecosystem transcends leadership roles. She brings strategic clarity to a central question: how can emerging technologies truly serve people and society, alongside market interests? Through her work, Verena strengthens critical connections between: ▫️ Technology and public interest, ensuring digital projects create societal value ▫️ Governance and innovation, building frameworks for responsible AI and data use ▫️ Swiss and international dialogue, contributing to global conversations grounded in shared values Verena’s leadership reminds us that technology’s future is a human story, and building it well requires intention, integrity, and care. WomenInAI #SwissAI #ResponsibleAI #TechForGood #AILeadership #Innovation #Governance #HumanCentricAI

Excited to share these survey insights with our Prototype Fund and Opendata.ch community:

"Technology's future is rooted in our shared story of what it means to be human. And telling it well takes integrity, care, and a lot of collaboration." Wise words from our Program Manager and Opendata.ch Co-CEO, Verena Kontschieder!

💻 𝗝𝗲𝘁𝘇𝘁 𝗶𝗺 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗯-𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴: Digitalisierung kann helfen, unsere Welt nachhaltiger zu machen – aber nur, wenn wir sie bewusst gestalten. Die Digitalisierung treibt seit Jahren Innovation und Effizienz voran. Doch immer deutlicher zeigt sich: Dieser Fortschritt allein macht unsere Zukunft nicht nachhaltiger. Im Gegenteil: Ohne bewusste Gestaltung kann die digitale Transformation selbst zum Treiber von Umweltbelastung, Ressourcenverbrauch und Ungleichheiten werden. Das Konzept der 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘇 setzt genau hier an. Es fragt: Wie viel Digitalisierung brauchen wir wirklich? Und wie lassen sich digitale Technologien so gestalten, dass sie mit möglichst wenig Ressourcen auskommen und dem Gemeinwohl dienen? Unser neuer 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹 zeigt, warum digitale Suffizienz jetzt entscheidend ist und stellt konkrete Projekte vor, die diesen Ansatz bereits in die Praxis bringen. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e7empDs3 Prototype Fund CH Hannah Bast Camille Ory GaudiLabs Leonard Creutzburg Elodie Auer Laurène Descamps Hannes Gassert Dr. Verena Kontschieder Hugues Ferreboeuf #DigitalSufficiency #Digitalisierung #Suffizienz #Nachhaltigkeit

In an increasingly networked world, efficiency gains alone are not enough if they are accompanied by growing resource consumption. We must reckon with the reality that digitization is not inherent progress. Last Thursday marked a magnificent moment: together with One Planet Lab Schweiz, we gathered for a dynamic exchange on the topic of digital sufficiency at Stellwerk Bern. Our speakers contributed to this discussion from beautifully diverse perspectives: Gerhard Andrey showed that the digital sector has not yet succeeded in decoupling its strong growth from energy and material consumption. Rebound effects, increasing data volumes and an increasingly intensive use of digital services are leading to a continuously growing demand for energy. This is particularly visible through AI-generated content, endless scrolling, and platform design geared toward maximum attention rather than genuine societal benefit. Digital infrastructures already account for around 11% of global electricity consumption. Hugues Ferreboeuf also impressively illustrated why change is needed: greenhouse gas emissions from the digital sector have risen by around 50% in the last ten years, and has now exceeded that of global aviation. Meanwhile, hardware supply chains often remain opaque, and dependence on a few large technology companies continues to grow. Digital sufficiency is something we can view not as a sacrifice, but as a conscious business and lifestyle design: using technologies in a targeted way, where they create real added value for society – such as in medicine, research, or nature conservation. The Prototype Fund CH projects used their moment onstage to tangibly demonstrate that the moment for this possibility is NOW: ▪️ impACT Camille Ory Motivates institutions and companies to adopt climate-friendly behavior shifts through collective challenges, making sustainability feel genuinely possible at an organizational level. ▪️ QLever Federation Hannah Bast Adrian Gschwend Reduces redundant data storage in research by allowing large data sets to be queried remotely – an important contribution to sustainable data infrastructure. ▪️ WildCamera Will Robertson  Working closely with nature conservation organizations, Will develops open source and resource-saving hardware design for wildlife observation, shifting away from conventional hunting camera technologies which counteract both the ethos and the aim of conservation. ▪️ Zero-Power Indicator (ZPI) GaudiLabs Urs Gaudenz Develops a visual indicator with no energy consumption at all as a replacement for classic LEDs in electronics – and thus fundamentally questions the role of signals in technology design. Many thanks to Hannes Gassert and Verena Kontschieder for their stellar moderation, and to all participants and guests for this inspiring exchange! Christoph Merian Stiftung Mercator Foundation Switzerland #digitalsufficiency #techforgood #sustainability

Our dynamic speakers will share the stage TONIGHT at Stellwerk Bern! For the first time, the Prototype Fund CH and One Planet Lab Schweiz (WWF) are joining together to bring sufficiency and digital innovation onto one stage, for a night of pure inspiration. "Towards Digital Sufficiency" features delegates from: Mercator Foundation Switzerland Christoph Merian Stiftung Jury President Hannes Gassert and a video message from National Councillor Gerhard Andrey. Our keynote speaker is Hugues Ferreboeuf, a leading voice on sustainable digitalization, expert in technological and environmental challenges, researcher, engineer, and entrepreneur. Our Prototype Fund teams are working hard in preparation to present what they’ve built over the last six months: fresh, open-source prototypes designed to reduce ecological footprints through digital means. 📅 22 January 2026 📍 Stellwerk Bern 🕕 Doors open 17:45 · Start 18:15 · Apéro 20:00 Expect an evening of ideas, debate, and impact, as we explore how and in how far (open) technology, sufficiency, and systemic change can drive Switzerland toward a resilient, resource-light future. Register now at https://lnkd.in/eDH4SzAm