GenoDigital is a Berlin-based initiative hosted at Impact Hub Berlin, emerging in 2020 from a working group within the Social Entrepreneurship Netzwerk Deutschland. Founded by young activists including Johanna Kühner and Matti Pannenbäcker, with Fabian Gebert as a key figure, it originated during the pandemic to push for modernizing Germany's 150-year-old cooperative laws.
Over four years, the project lobbied successfully for reforms effective January 1, 2025, enabling digital membership via apps, video-based founding without handwritten signatures, and electronic register entries—making cooperatives Germany's most digitally enabled legal form. It has built a cross-sector network of over 1,000 founders, managers, and members from more than 250 cooperatives and associations.
Activities center on community events like barcamps and calls, sharing practical knowledge on governance, financing, and digital tools. Recent examples include the 2025 CoopCamp Energiewende in Weimar, launching the openGeno platform for cooperative administration, and sessions on platform co-ops and energy transitions with groups like Barnimer Energiewandel eG. While not a formal organization, it sustains through grants like those from Datev-Stiftung, fostering alliances beyond traditional silos.