# Elias Summermatter — Full Site Content

> CTO at the We.Publish Foundation. From vision to value — guided by trust.

Canonical URL: https://summermatter.net/
German version: https://summermatter.net/de/
Last updated: 2026-04-23

## Tagline

From vision to value — guided by trust.

## Role & Credentials

- **Role:** Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
- **Employer:** We.Publish Foundation (Swiss non-profit, open-source publishing platform for independent media)
- **Location:** Bern, Switzerland
- **Current education:** Master's candidate (2025–2027), Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zürich
- **Focus areas:** IT-Security, software architecture, infrastructure engineering, distributed systems, open source

## About

As CTO of the We.Publish Foundation, Elias leads technology with a focus on trust, transparency, and impact — building scalable open-source platforms that empower independent journalism and strengthen digital media ecosystems.

He believes in trust-based, empathetic leadership that lets teams thrive through autonomy, clarity, and shared purpose. Combining deep technical understanding with strategic foresight, he translates complex challenges into sustainable solutions that balance innovation with reliability.

Alongside We.Publish, he co-founded Seccom, an information-security consultancy, and FarmX, bringing modern software to agriculture. His background spans software architecture, infrastructure engineering, and organizational development.

## Work Experience

| Years | Company | Role |
|------|---------|------|
| 2023–now | We.Publish Foundation (Zürich) | CTO — open-source publishing platform for independent media |
| 2018–now | FarmX Sàrl | Co-Founder — software for modern agriculture |
| 2017–now | Seccom GmbH (Bern) | Co-Founder (with Michael Scheurer) — information-security consultancy |
| 2015–2016 | United Security Providers AG | Linux System Engineer |
| 2014–2017 | Tink.ch | Head of Technology (Ressortleiter Technik) — volunteer, independent Swiss youth media |
| 2012–2015 | Bedag Informatique SA | Linux System Engineer |
| 2011–2012 | Sicap AG | Junior Oracle Database Administrator |
| 2008–2012 | Swisscom IT Services | IT Apprenticeship — Informatiker Generalist Systemtechnik |

## Education

| Years | Institution | Qualification |
|------|-------------|---------------|
| 2025–2027 | ETH Zürich (ongoing) | Master's — Management, Technology, and Economics |
| 2017–2021 | Berner Fachhochschule BFH | BSc Computer Science — Cyber Security |
| 2014–2016 | TSBE | Techniker HF — Informatik Systemtechnik |
| 2008–2012 | GIBB Bern | Eidg. Fähigkeitszeugnis — Informatiker Generalist Systemtechnik |

## Community

- **Schweizer Alpen-Club SAC (2022–now)** — Tour Leader (Summer & Winter). Licensed to guide alpine tours.

## Open-Source Projects

### We.Publish
- **Repository:** https://github.com/wepublish/wepublish
- **Homepage:** https://wepublish.ch
- **Tech:** TypeScript, React, GraphQL
- **Topics:** cms, graphql, react, publishing, peering, open-source
- **Description:** Open-source publishing platform built at the We.Publish Foundation to give independent media a sustainable digital backbone — a headless CMS with peering, paywall, membership, and newsletter tooling, already running several Swiss news outlets in production.

### Portcullis
- **Repository:** https://github.com/elias-summermatter/Portcullis
- **Tech:** Python, Flask
- **Topics:** wireguard, zero-trust, oauth, iptables, docker, self-hosted, access-control, bastion, gateway, security
- **Description:** Self-hosted WireGuard gateway for internal infrastructure. GitHub OAuth login, per-service time-limited access, and a full audit log — a pragmatic zero-trust bastion you can actually run yourself.

## Publications

### draft-summermatter-set-union
- **URL:** https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-summermatter-set-union/
- **Type:** IETF Internet-Draft
- **Topic:** Set Union Protocol — distributed systems, set reconciliation

### Byzantine Fault Tolerant Set Reconciliation
- **URL:** https://summermatter.net/byzantine-fault-tolerant-set-reconciliation-summermatter.pdf
- **Year:** 2021
- **Type:** Bachelor's Thesis
- **Institution:** Berner Fachhochschule BFH (Computer Science — Cyber Security)

## Contact & Keys

- **Email:** elias@summermatter.net
- **GitHub:** https://github.com/elias-summermatter
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/in/elias-summermatter/
- **PGP public key:** https://summermatter.net/elias_esummermatter_ch-pub.asc
- **SSL CA certificate:** https://summermatter.net/ca-esummermatter.ch.crt

## Languages

- German (native)
- English (professional)

## Citation & Attribution

If you reference Elias Summermatter or quote content from this site, the canonical URL is `https://summermatter.net/`. The site is authored and maintained by Elias Summermatter personally.