Wow – what a day! On June 24, 2025, the very first Swiss Software Festival took place in Basel – and it was absolutely fantastic. The atmosphere was inspiring, the conversations open and honest, and the program packed with top-tier content. At VSHN, we were proud to support the event as a Matterhorn Sponsor – and we’re already incredibly excited for the next edition!
Powerful Keynotes – Real Impulses for the Future
The two plenary sessions framed the day perfectly – with visionary perspectives on the future of software development and pressing questions around digital sovereignty.
Plenary 1 – The future of software development
- Beat Fluri (CTO, Adnovum)
- Staying Relevant in the Age of AI-Native Software Engineering
- How AI-native approaches are transforming software development practices.
- Egle Bronzini (Global Head of Informatics Chapters, Roche)
- Future Skillset for Software Developers
- What skills developers will need in the future.
- Claudio Hintermann (Co-CEO, Abacus / CEO, Deepcloud)
- Creating a New Breed of Business Software for a New Generation of Users
- What modern business solutions look like for today’s users.
- Marc Stöcklin (Principal Research Scientist & Head of Security Research, IBM Research)
- Cybersecurity in the Age of Quantum Computing
- What security risks emerge in the era of quantum computing.
- David Nüscheler (Adobe Fellow & VP Enterprise Technology, Adobe Systems)
- Taking Digital Experience to a Next Level – Chat with David Nüscheler
- How digital user experiences are evolving through new technologies.
Plenary 2 – Digital sovereignty versus global tech
This session explored the tension between local control and global technology dependence – and how Switzerland can secure its digital future through open standards, resilient infrastructure, and political will.
- Gerhard Andrey (Nationalrat, Grüne / Co-Founder & Verwaltungsrat, Liip)
- The Importance of Digital Sovereignty for Democracy and the Economy
- Why digital autonomy is strategically vital for Switzerland.
- Marcel Salathé (Professor & Co-Director, EPFL AI Center)
- Open Standards and Open Source as Foundations of Digital Independence
- How tech ecosystems must be built to remain sustainable, open, and independent.
- Safia Agueni (Präsidentin, Women in Tech Switzerland)
- Sovereignty Begins with Diversity
- Why true digital sovereignty is not possible without inclusion and diversity.
Panel Discussion with:
- Patrick Geiser (Managing Director, Phoenix Technologies AG)
- Özlem Civelek (COO, Basler Kantonalbank)
- Alain Gut (Public & Regulatory Affairs, IBM Switzerland)
The panel explored how businesses, politics, and society can jointly develop solutions for digital independence – and how realistic it is to establish Swiss alternatives to global platforms.
This session clearly demonstrated how Switzerland can shape its digital autonomy – balancing regulation, technological sovereignty, and international competition.
While Switzerland – like Europe as a whole – is unlikely to compete directly with hyperscaler clouds or global hardware and chip production in the next 5 to 10 years, our talent, innovative strength, and collaborative spirit can help us build focused, valuable alternatives.
Gerhard Andrey summed it up well – just like Airbus was Europe’s answer to Boeing’s dominance, ambitious visions can succeed when driven by cooperation.
Cloud Native Track – Curated by Aarno Aukia
We were especially proud of the Cloud Native Track, curated by our Co-Founder Aarno Aukia (VSHN) – featuring a strong program of real-world challenges and practical solutions.
Session 1 – Cloud-Native Software in Practice
- Aarno Aukia (VSHN) – Cloud Native in Switzerland 2025 – Definition, Benefits, and Outlook
- Corsin Decurtins (CTO, G+D Netcetera) – Business-Critical Applications in the Cloud
- Lena Fuhrimann (Founder, bespinian / Coalist) – Learnings from Ten Years of Cloud-Native and Serverless
- Andreas Ruppen & Daniel Hogg (Adnovum) – Application Modernization and Migration from Legacy Mainframes
Session 2 – Cloud Infrastructure and Organisational Transformation
- Mike Mannion (Senior Software Engineer, Karakun) – Organizational Shift to the Cloud
- Stephane Barbey (Head of Product Development & Partner, Opacc) – Cloud Platform Design for High Standards
- Michael Dudli (CEO, Xelon / Swiss Startup Association) – Swiss Cloud Sovereignty
- Ramon Bisswanger (Senior Software Engineer, Adobe Switzerland) – AEM as a Cloud Service – Seamless Upgrades at Scale
From platform building to sovereignty and modernization – these talks covered everything that truly matters in Cloud Native today.
Why VSHN Supported the Festival
At VSHN, it’s clear to us: the Swiss tech community is unique – and it deserves a stage like this. We had the opportunity to showcase VSHN, APPUiO, and Servala – Open Cloud Native Service Hub – while connecting with many inspiring new people. The Swiss Software Festival brings people together, sparks innovation, and strengthens Switzerland’s digital future. As a Matterhorn Sponsor, we were proud to support this mission – and thrilled by the energy, ideas, and open exchange throughout the event.
A Big Thank You ❤️
A huge thank you goes to the organizing team – you turned the Swiss Software Festival into a real highlight. From the carefully curated program to the smooth execution – everything was top-notch. The event clearly showed – there’s a genuine demand for formats like this.
We truly hope – and are confident – that there will be a sequel. Because when a premiere goes this well, the next step should be a no-brainer.
Looking Ahead to 2026 – And Staying Involved
Thank you to all the speakers, attendees, partners, and organizers – you made this day truly special. We’re already looking forward to the next edition of the Swiss Software Festival!
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