Protocol Labs
“Can Protocol Labs evolve from a protocol R&D lab into the foundational innovation network that accelerates the next generation of decentralized computing infrastructure?”
Founded in 2014 by Juan Benet as a research, development, and deployment lab for network protocols, Protocol Labs initially focused on building IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) as a decentralized alternative to HTTP. The Filecoin token sale in 2017 raised $205.8M, funding the development of a decentralized storage marketplace. By 2024, Protocol Labs had evolved from a focused protocol R&D lab into a broad innovation network connecting 600+ organizations across web3, AI, AR/VR, BCI, and hardware — operating more as an ecosystem orchestrator than a product company. The embedded finance angle is minimal: Protocol Labs uses Toku for crypto payroll/token compensation, reflecting its web3-native workforce compensation needs.