Protocol Labs

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Protocol Labs makes internet protocols: IPFS, Filecoin, and more.

Backed by Y Combinator · a16z (portfolio)

Summer 2014Founded 2014130 peoplePalo Alto, CA, USA; Remote

protocol.ai/ ↗LinkedIn ↗X ↗GitHub ↗Crunchbase ↗See on the Idea Map B2B momentum

About

Protocol Labs is an open-source research, development, and deployment laboratory. Our projects include IPFS, Filecoin, libp2p, and many more. We aim to make human existence orders of magnitude better through technology. Some of our projects. IPFS makes the web work peer-to-peer. IPFS is a protocol for storing, addressing, and transferring data, designed to replace HTTP in many contexts. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely identify and link to information. IPFS is one of the leading protocols of Web3, crypto, and the decentralized web movements. IPFS serves millions of end users and tens of thousands of developers. It powers the websites and applications of small startups, large enterprises, and even blockchains. Filecoin is a decentralized storage network, designed to store humanity's most important information. Filecoin is a cryptocurrency incentivized decentralized market, where storage providers earn filecoin tokens for renting out storage space. (Think airbnb for cloud storage). Filecoin is one of the leading projects in the cryptocurrency/blockchain space.

From their website

as of Jun 7, 2026protocol.ai ↗

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Protocol Labs is an innovation network and research organization focused on building next-generation internet technologies. Its history includes IPFS and Filecoin, and its current focus spans web3, AI, robotics, neurotechnology, and digital human rights.

Protocol Labs operates as an ecosystem that connects startups, funds, accelerators, foundations, open source projects, service providers, and other organizations. It supports projects across web3, AI, AR/VR, BCI, hardware, and emerging technologies through field-building, mentorship, funding, and network support, enabling teams to advance research, development, and production-scale efforts within a collaborative network.

Who it’s for: Tech startups, research teams, accelerators, foundations, open source projects, and service providers seeking funding, mentorship, collaboration, and infrastructure for web3, AI, robotics, neurotech, and related frontier technologies.

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