Received a $500,000 donation from Vitalik, learn about the network state sandbox Zuitzerland in this article.

Author: Scof, ChainCatcher

Compiled by: TB, ChainCatcher

On April 3rd, Vitalik Buterin once again took action to support the future he believes in. 274 ETH, approximately $500,000, was directly transferred by him to the developers of a project in Switzerland. There was no overwhelming publicity, nor was it a grand financing event—just his usual style: when he sees something worth supporting, he acts.

What is Zuitzerland? What is its relationship with Zuzalu and Edge City, which were previously supported by V God? Why are so many builders, researchers, and creators paying attention to it?

What is Zuitzerland?

Zuitzerland is an experimental project dedicated to exploring possible paths for future society. It combines cutting-edge technology, decentralized governance, and the advantages of real-world systems to construct a “network state sandbox,” providing a real social experimentation space for builders, researchers, and creators worldwide.

The project originates from Switzerland, which is known for its over 700 years of tradition in local autonomy and direct democracy. It has a stable system and high social trust, making it a rare example of “sustainable governance” in reality. Zuitzerland hopes to leverage this institutional soil, combined with Web3 technology, to practice a replicable and verifiable new type of social structure.

It can be said that Zuitzerland is a continuation and evolution of the Zuzalu concept. Zuzalu is a pop-up city experiment initiated by Vitalik in 2023, attracting pioneers from the global Web3, AI, and biotechnology sectors within two months. Its impact far exceeded expectations, giving rise to extended projects such as Edge City, while Zuitzerland takes a further step — establishing a long-term permanent node to bring the spirit of Zuzalu into the reality of governance systems.

The project provides a co-creation and testing platform for participants through residency programs, pop-up events, hackathons, and other forms, focusing on cutting-edge directions such as Web3, AI, biotechnology, privacy computing, and brain-computer interfaces. It attempts to answer a key question: Can a technology-driven, distributed yet resilient society truly operate in the real world?

The practical path of Zuitzerland

1. Turn “governance” from concept into reality

Currently, many decentralized projects and organizations face governance challenges: advanced concepts but lacking practical application scenarios and effective testing platforms. Zuitzerland provides a small-scale, controllable real environment where new social structures and governance mechanisms can be tested in reality. This is not just about discussing how “DAOs” operate, but about allowing people to live, collaborate, and self-govern in a real space, constantly optimizing the systems.

The institutional foundation of Switzerland provides a solid reference here. Zuitzerland draws on the experiences of Swiss democracy, such as referendums, local autonomy, and small-scale trust networks, to offer a practical template for decentralized governance.

2. Provide a landing platform for innovators from different backgrounds

Zuitzerland targets three core groups:

Builders and doers: such as Web3 developers and DAO participants, who can test new tools and build communities here.

Experts and researchers: policymakers, economists, and sociologists can observe or participate in real-world prototype experiments.

Creators: Artists, philosophers, and cultural narrators inject humanistic depth into the construction of technology.

Zuitzerland does not pursue “popularity”, but rather provides a space for “deep enthusiasts” who are willing to personally participate in future experiments.

3. Promote “Safe Technology Acceleration”

Switzerland advocates the concept of “Defensive Accelerationism (d/acc)” which emphasizes that technological acceleration must simultaneously focus on safety, boundaries, and long-term resilience. In the current rapidly changing technological environment, how to maintain basic order while innovating and avoid systemic risks is a core issue. The stability of Switzerland makes it an ideal testing ground for d/acc experiments.

4. Provide limited but genuine support and opportunities

Applications will be open for the program, with preference given to applicants who are willing to participate but have limited financial resources. Some of the scholarships support accommodation and other expenses (excluding transportation), and applicants need to have the willingness and ability to participate in the long term.

In addition, Zuitzerland uses NFT holders as part of the support screening, where participants can support projects through Juicebox and gain priority, which aligns with the community-driven logic advocated by the project.

Project Follow-up Plan

The activities in Zuitzerland will start on May 1 and continue throughout May, featuring a series of themed weeks, workshops, summits, and hackathons, focusing on core themes such as community co-construction, Swiss governance, network states, cutting-edge technology, and future lifestyles. The participation fee for the project is approximately 650-2500 Swiss francs per week.

Participants will jointly explore social prototypes, technological applications, and institutional innovations, and conduct project development and成果展示 in the final week. The entire process progresses step by step from concept exploration to practical prototyping, forming a complete experimental closed loop.

( This article only introduces early projects and does not constitute investment advice. )