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Etherlaken: from Mystery to Regeneration

In the heart of the Bernese Oberland, beneath the soaring Jungfrau peaks, a new vision is rising. On the grounds of the former Mystery Park, once dedicated to humanity's past, Etherlaken is emerging as a Regenerative Living Lab for Europe and the world.

This is not a redevelopment. It is a living experiment in the future of civilization, where Switzerland steps forward as host to innovation rooted in ecological wisdom, advanced technology, and community co-creation.

A regenerative campus at scale

Etherlaken is being transformed into a real-world laboratory where the systems of tomorrow are prototyped and tested. With capacity to host 8,000 people, the site will welcome conferences, exhibitions, festivals, and immersive gatherings of global significance.

But it goes further than hosting. Startups, researchers, and artists will live on site, co-creating alongside Swiss locals and international collaborators. Together they will experiment with housing, food, energy, mobility, circular economy, governance, and culture, developing blueprints that can be replicated worldwide.

The leadership of Etherlaken

The transformation of Jungfrau Park into Etherlaken is being led by a coalition of genuine pioneers:

Jürgen Wowra, entrepreneur and investor, provides the financial foundation and global networks to secure Etherlaken's long-term future. Mihai Alisie, co-founder of Ethereum and steward of the AKASHA Foundation, helped seed Switzerland's Crypto Valley and brings the ethos of decentralization and digital commons into regenerative living. Ralph Horat, CEO of Etherlaken and co-founder of SEED Design, is an architect of innovation ecosystems with the expertise to turn a venue into a cultural and technological hub. Meng Li, founding partner of Studio Pararaum and researcher at ETH Zurich, is internationally recognized for sustainable architecture and participatory design.

Together, they embody the intersection of finance, technology, architecture, and ecosystem design, positioning Switzerland as host to one of the most ambitious regenerative projects on Earth.

Switzerland as the living laboratory

Switzerland is uniquely suited for this role. Neutral and trusted, yet relentlessly innovative, it has already given the world decentralized finance, precision engineering, and agricultural breakthroughs. With an airport directly connected to the campus, Etherlaken can also become a hub for mobility innovation, from electric aircraft and vertiports to shared micromobility. Coupled with Swiss leadership in renewable energy, food innovation, and participatory governance, Etherlaken is the next logical step: turning Swiss ingenuity into a global proof-of-concept for regenerative civilization.

Shared ownership, shared future

At the heart of Etherlaken lies a principle I know well: shared ownership. Rather than extractive investment models, Etherlaken champions structures where those who live, build, and contribute also co-own the outcomes.

At Geoship, I've spent years building exactly this. Our customers are shareholders. They co-create not just homes but the company itself. Etherlaken extends this principle across entire systems, ensuring innovation stays accountable to the people and places it serves.

As a Swiss Canadian, my career has moved through living labs, smart cities, and innovation centres on multiple continents: from one of the world's first smart community programs and equity crowdfunding platforms to regenerative housing and community ownership models in the Kootenays. Etherlaken feels like a convergence of all of it. A chance to bring together decades of work in housing, energy, food, and mobility into one experimental zone on Swiss soil.

Why regeneration matters

Regeneration goes beyond sustainability. It asks not how we can do less harm, but how we can actively heal ecosystems, strengthen communities, and restore balance. At Etherlaken, this means:

• Affordable, climate-resilient homes that strengthen community ties
• Food systems that regenerate soil and nourish people
• Renewable, decentralized energy networks built for resilience
• Mobility systems that complement the best transportation infrastructure in the world
• Governance frameworks where citizens are empowered co-stewards
• Cultural ecosystems where art and storytelling guide collective imagination

Regeneration is not utopian. It is practical, possible, and ready to scale.

Activate the ecosystem

Etherlaken is now actively building its partner ecosystem, and I'm personally leading that work as Ecosystem Activation Partner on the team. We are looking for pioneering organizations ready to prototype, demonstrate, and scale their solutions in one of the world's most compelling regenerative contexts. The first priority tracks are:

• Food technology: vertical farms, regenerative agriculture, and closed-loop food systems
• Automated homebuilding: affordable, climate-resilient construction using biological and earth-based materials
• Waste recovery: universal cycler systems that close the loop on organic, industrial, and community waste streams
• Shared mobility: micromobility networks and eVTOL integration with world-class Swiss transit infrastructure
• Decentralized energy: autonomous renewable systems designed for community resilience and grid independence

If your organization is working at the frontier of any of these domains and you're looking for a real-world testbed with European reach, global visibility, and a values-aligned ownership model, I want to hear from you.

This is not a call for sponsors. It is a call for co-creators.

Reach out directly: jam@smartvillage.ca

Originally published on smartvillage.ca