The Open Source Way

Sovereign Tech Fund – Investing in the Future Today

Dec 20, 2023

In this episode, our host talks to Powen Shiah and Mirko Swillus about the Sovereign Tech Fund, which focuses on critical infrastructure in the public interest. They discuss the types of technologies the fund invests in, the criteria for applying, and the importance of maintenance and security updates. The goal is to strengthen innovation, economic competition, and democracy.

31:59

Creator website

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The Sovereign Tech Fund supports the development and maintenance of open-source components in digital infrastructure to ensure economic growth and innovation.

The fund recognizes the importance of maintenance work in sustaining open source projects and aims to create awareness and support for ongoing maintenance efforts.

Deep dives

Overview of the Sovereign Tech Fund

The Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) was established by the German government in 2022 to support the open source ecosystem, focusing on critical digital infrastructure. It aims to safeguard components necessary for economic growth and innovation. The STF is currently hosted by Shpwint, a government-owned corporation, but will soon become an independent entity. The fund funds a wide range of open source digital infrastructure technologies, including projects like Coral, OpenMLS, Pendulum, Fortran, Sequoia PGP, and Rust-D-S-Bombs.

Introduction

2min

Thanksgiving plans and introduction to the Sovereign Tech Fund (STF)

2min

Investing in Open Source Digital Infrastructure

6min

Criteria and Application Process

19min

Staying Updated and Key Takeaways

3min

In this episode, our host Karsten Hohage talks to Powen Shiah and Mirko Swillus about the Sovereign Tech Fund. Established in 2022, it focuses on critical infrastructure in the public interest with the goal of supporting development, improvement, and maintenance of open-source components in digital infrastructure. The funding comes from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz), as investing in digital commons strengthens innovation, economic competition, and democracy.

Guests:

Powen Shiah

Powen handles communications at the Sovereign Tech Fund. He’s worked in product marketing, communications, and internationalization at technology startups in Germany and the US and really enjoys thinking about how technologies impact our lives. His latest passion is a growing collection of (savory) popcorn seasonings.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/polexa
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/powenshiah/
Mastodon: https://tech.lgbt/@polexa

Mirko Swillus

Mirko has 15 years of professional experience in software engineering, working in different setups and roles. He’s specifically interested in the question of how engineering communities organize to achieve sustainable productivity. While Powen lives in Berlin, Mirko is based in Dresden.