Open worlds with infinite possibilityfor digital communities and the creators that serve them.
Dapper Labs Vision Statement
What this is really about
The point isn't the technology. The point is what we can accomplish with the technology.
Mission
Build delightful products and communities where ownership is real and the technology stays out of the way.
Who we are
A venture studio shaping the future at the intersection of culture and emerging technology. Every person here is a founder or founder-in-training.
Who we serve
We build for owners, not consumers.
Collectors. Fans. Creators. Savers. The people who hold up the digital communities everyone else wants to be part of. When the community is the reason something works, the upside should flow back to the community.
Why this matters
NFT is just a file format. People used to talk about MP3s; now they just say songs. The label went away, but the cultural impact endured.
Roham Gharegozlou
The Open State Thesis
Crypto is a set of technologies that enables software state to be open: accessible by anyone, controlled by no-one, and trusted by everyone. A computing platform built for software with open state (data) as well as source (code).
The API fiefdoms problem
Today's digital realities exist as isolated fiefdoms, completely incompatible with each other other than through restricted gates we call APIs. Citizens of one world do not own their own land (data) and all of the value they create belongs to the owner of said world.
Imagine if you could only wear Nike shoes in the Nike store. That doesn't work. But that's how all digital systems work today without web 3 / crypto.
Why entertainment is the entry point
If people play with an open and free future, we don't have to teach them about the benefits of decentralization; they will come to know them in their hearts.
The four pillars
- 01
Digital Ownership
Ownership of unique digital assets like art, music, and collectibles. Verifiable proof of authenticity. The ability to trade, sell, and pass them down.
- 02
Control over personal data
In an age dominated by AI, control over your data matters more than ever. You decide how it's used, shared, or monetized.
- 03
Composability and platforms without platform risk
Open primitives that combine to make something new. Creators build for their communities without depending on a platform that can change the rules underneath them.
- 04
Governance without government
Decision-making structures where people who hold the upside also hold the say. Intermediaries by choice, not by default.
Where this goes next
Software agents are starting to act for people: planning, transacting, optimizing. Most of what makes crypto awkward for humans (keys, gas, smart contracts) is trivially easy for agents. Most of what an agent needs to act on your behalf (programmable value, transparent state, autonomous execution) is exactly what blockchains provide.
The everyday version is simple. Your collectibles can have a curator that watches the market while you sleep. Your savings can have an agent that moves between investment strategies and bets inside the limits you set. The technology stays out of the way. The ownership stays with you.
The crypto progress pattern
Progress in technology has always followed a sigmoid pattern, but in crypto, the incredible tumorous growth we see due to the power of financial speculation leads to a much spikier pattern that many of you are quite familiar with at this point. Higher highs, lower lows, and progress lurching along, relentlessly. No-one can stop progress, but the people building on the front lines can and do shape its impact. That's why we're here.