Protocol Labs is an innovation network uniting startups, researchers, investors, and builders working across frontier technologies. Its ecosystem spans web3, AI, extended reality, computational hardware, and more. The company acts as a catalyst, enabling organizations to collaborate, share knowledge, test new ideas, and accelerate R&D at scale. Through open-source tooling and distributed computing protocols such as IPFS, Protocol Labs has become one of the most influential forces driving the decentralized internet and next-generation computing frameworks.
What Is Protocol Labs and What Does It Do?
Protocol Labs, founded in 2014 by Juan Benet, is a Palo Alto–based platform offering advanced research, development, and deployment capabilities across frontier technologies. The company develops distributed systems, open-source protocols, and tools that redefine how data is stored, accessed, and shared globally.
Protocol Labs is known for breakthroughs such as the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), Filecoin, and other decentralized computing frameworks.
With a team of 501-1000 employees, the company empowers over 600 organizations to collaborate, innovate, and solve complex computing challenges across AI, web3, AR/VR, BCI, and advanced hardware.
How Much Funding Has Protocol Labs Raised?
1. Funding Round 1
- Amount Raised: $120,000
- Date: August 2014
- Motivation: To fund early development of distributed file systems and open-source tools.
2. Funding Round 2
- Amount Raised: $3,000,000
- Date: March 2016
- Motivation: To further develop IPFS and expand research into decentralized computing.
3. Funding Round 3
- Amount Raised: $7,800,000
- Date: August 2017
- Motivation: To scale infrastructure, research, and ecosystem collaboration across distributed networks.
Total Funding Raised: $204 Million
Latest Funding Date: August, 2017
Key Investors
1. Not Publicly Disclosed
- Details: Protocol Labs’ funding rounds involve investors who support distributed systems, decentralized storage, and frontier computing infrastructure.
- Investment Focus Areas: Web3, distributed computing, AI, open-source technologies.
- Notable Investments: Filecoin ecosystem companies, IPFS-related projects, decentralized storage startups.
Where Is Protocol Labs’ Headquarters?
Protocol Labs is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, a global hub for deep-tech innovation, enabling the company to collaborate closely with research institutes, startups, and technology leaders in the heart of Silicon Valley.
What’s Next for Protocol Labs?
Protocol Labs aims to expand its innovation network and deepen its impact across decentralized computing, AI-driven systems, and next-generation research frameworks. Future initiatives include strengthening IPFS adoption, enabling more startups to build within its ecosystem, and accelerating R&D collaborations across web3, AI, and distributed infrastructure. As the company scales globally, Protocol Labs remains focused on building resilient, open-source technologies that shape the future of the internet.
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