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WHO WE ARE

We live in a world we don’t understand. We know more and more about less and less. We have hunkered down in our own silos. In 2008 Rolf Dobelli decided to do something about it. He rented a bar in Zurich, Switzerland, invited twenty scientists – from Nobel Prize winners to young stars – and twenty CEOs. He then asked the scientists to present their most breathtaking research findings. It was a glorious afternoon and evening under the banner of ZURICH.MINDS.

What was meant to be a one-off-gathering took off, and the result is what is now known as WORLD.MINDS. Today, we are an invitation-only community of 1500 individuals from a wide range of countries who are making proven contributions in science, the arts, government and business.

WORLD.MINDS members strive for deep understanding. Our goal is to improve the quality of our decisions as private individuals and as citizens of this planet.

Yes, WORLD.MINDS is an invitation-only community. Deliberately. Because we would lose the community spirit by opening the gates indiscriminately. You cannot buy your way into WORLD.MINDS. The term “community” is essential. WORLD.MINDS is a real community of real people sharing real insights. Since we meet in person at our symposia, events and Jeffersonian dinners – be it in Zurich, Berlin, Belgrade, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Princeton, Warsaw or online at our regular WORLD.MINDS ESPRESSO calls – we know each other personally to a high degree. It feels like a family. Indeed, we are a community, not a series of events. Most importantly, we are “jerk-free”. We have no place for big egos. What counts are not titles, positions or wealth, but a willingness to share insights that are important but not widely disseminated. And a willingness to cooperate and help each other.

Our charter limits the number of business members to 500 globally. It also stipulates that at least 51% of our community members have to be scientists, so we never devolve into a business club.

The not-for-profit WORLD.MINDS FOUNDATION is based in Switzerland and regulated by Swiss law. Funding is provided by our international business community and generous individuals. WORLD.MINDS Management Ltd. is the event management company that organizes our events on an international level. The event management company is jointly owned by the WORLD.MINDS-team and Axel Springer.

WORLD.MINDS is run by an outstanding board of trustees, with strategic input from our first-class executive advisory board.