We engineer tools and opportunities for revolutionary coordination systems
Protocol Labs is an open-source research and development lab, driving breakthroughs in computing technology to push humanity forward.
In mid 2021, focus shifted toward developing and growing the Protocol Labs Network, an ecosystem of companies jointly improving computing technology. Having built fundamental web3 infrastructure and funded cutting-edge research, we found a dire need for better tools to support the creation of network goods: non-excludable goods like digital infrastructure or open-source software that have value in the context of a network. These goods create immense value for their respective networks, but often cannot capture value without perverting the nature of the good provided.
To address this need, the Network Goods team was formed to design new mechanisms that support the creation and fostering of these network goods.
This may be the world's first network goods team, but we hope to prompt every network-adjacent company to form a network goods team, from computer networks to social networks, and local communities to cryptocurrency communities.
We are a group of researchers, builders, and funders working on multiple projects to achieve our shared mission…
01
The vision
We envision a world where groups of people of any size have tools and systems that help them quickly and easily identify and achieve shared goals, leveraging both historic and recent advances across all fields of knowledge.
02
The path
We are beginning by creating new affordances for funding non-excludable goods, like public goods, commons, knowledge, and digital infrastructure.
03
The motivation
We believe these areas are under-supported and underfunded, not because of a free-rider problem, but simply because contributing can be opaque and inconvenient. Funding infrastructure is especially important for the Internet, as life is increasingly online, and cyberspace has no government.
Learn about our projects
Our projects
