Sovereign Tech Fund – Investing in the Future Today
Dec 20, 2023
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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.
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.
Invisible Maintenance Work
The STF recognizes the invisible labor and maintenance work required to sustain open source projects. It supports projects that focus on maintaining and updating components, ensuring their reliability and functionality. This includes funding maintainers who often work on these projects during their spare time. By highlighting these components and the work behind them, the STF aims to create awareness and support for maintaining the open source ecosystem.
Engaging the Industry and Corporate Interest
While the STF is currently supported by the German government, it aims to engage the industry and corporate sector to increase sustainable investment in open source. The fund encourages companies to contribute to the ongoing maintenance and development of open source projects, providing financial support to sustainers and creating a more robust ecosystem. It also seeks to raise awareness among companies about the importance of open source in driving innovation and economic growth.
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.
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.