What HUG does

HUG (legally operated under UKCI Holdings LTD, headquartered in New York) is a social marketplace that connects independent digital artists and NFT creators with current and prospective collectors. Founded in 2022 and acquired by .ART in 2025, the platform enables creators to showcase, list, and sell digital and tangible art through free-to-apply artist profile pages, with monetization occurring via marketplace commissions on sales rather than subscription or listing fees. The platform's product surface spans artist profiles, artist collectives, recurring Open Calls (grants/scholarships/exhibitions), a Banner Maker tool, an Innovation Laboratory, the Hug Studios program, a weekly creator newsletter, and post-acquisition .ART domain integration.

HUG's go-to-market is simultaneously product-led (self-serve, zero-fee artist onboarding), community-led (Hug Points/reputation, diverse creator-identity curation across women, LGBTQIA+, Black, Latin, Asian, Indigenous and chronically-ill artists, mentorship programs), and event-driven (Open Calls, gallery partnerships including Art on Tezos Berlin, global exhibition placements). Distribution combines digital self-serve (hug.art) with offline exhibition channels via gallery partners. The platform has awarded over $250,000 in artist grants and scholarships, mentored thousands of creators on blockchain and AI, placed thousands of artists in events globally, and received 150+ submissions for its Open Call 2025.

The business model is commission-based on art sales transacted through the marketplace. HUG raised $5 million in seed funding in April 2023 (led by DIGITAL with OKX Ventures and L'Oreal's BOLD fund) before being acquired by .ART in 2025. The platform is led by founder and CEO Randi Zuckerberg and operates with 11-50 employees across global geographies.

Name

HUG

Legal name

UKCI Holdings LTD

Website

https://thehug.xyz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HUG is a social marketplace for digital art and NFTs that enables independent creators to showcase, list, and sell work via free profiles, monetized through marketplace commissions, and serves individual artists, collectors, and artist collectives globally under .ART ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

NFT/Digital Art Marketplace

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Monetization Tools (Subscriptions, Tips, Merch) (BPAMALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Creator Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (MPACAGAB), Creator Digital Goods & Downloads (Templates, Presets, Files) (MPACAFAD)

Keywords

• Digital art marketplace
• NFT marketplace
• Creator community platform
• Web3 art collectibles
• Artist collective network

Headquarters

HQ city

New City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Marketplace Commission on Art Sales: HUG operates as a social marketplace where artists list and sell digital art and NFTs. The company earns revenue through transaction fees/commissions on art sales facilitated on the platform. The platform explicitly states 'zero monthly fees' for artists, indicating commission-based monetization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HUG operates a Web3-powered social marketplace connecting emerging digital artists and creator collectives with collectors worldwide. The platform enables artists to mint, list, and sell NFTs and digital/tangible artworks, while offering curated artist profiles, collectives, open calls, and creator tools such as a banner maker. Revenue is generated primarily through marketplace commissions on art sales.

Product overview

HUG is an inclusive social marketplace for digital art and NFT creators, functioning as a unified platform that enables artists to showcase, sell, and discover art. The core product consists of Artist Profiles and Artist Collectives that allow creators to monetize their work through direct sales. The platform is enhanced by Open Calls for global exhibitions and competitions, a Banner Maker tool for promotional materials, and partnerships with physical and digital galleries. Following its acquisition by .ART, the platform now also offers .ART domain integration. Additional resources include free guides, tools, and a Weekly Creator Newsletter focused on emerging technologies. HUG has awarded over $250,000 in artist grants and scholarships through its various programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Innovation Laboratory: Research and development hub referred to as studios.thehug.xyz/lab for creator innovation.
• Hug Studios

Products and services

• HUG Marketplace Platform A Web3-powered marketplace where emerging digital artists and creator collectives can list, mint, and sell NFTs and digital/tangible artworks to a global collector audience. Serves individual creators and art collectors.
• Banner Maker An in-platform design tool that enables artists to create promotional banners and artwork visuals for use in their HUG profiles, collectives, and listings.
• Open Calls Program A curated artist discovery program (e.g., HUG.ART Open Call 2025) that invites emerging digital creators to submit work for featured promotion and visibility to the HUG community and collectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $250,000 of artist grants and scholarships awarded to creators
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Art on Tezos BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025HUG.ART partnered with Art on Tezos Berlin for the Open Call 2025 exhibition, featuring over 200 artists across multiple locations in November 2025. The partnership provides HUG artists with physical exhibition space and blockchain-native art community exposure in Berlin.
• .ARTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner.ART domain registry acquired HUG, combining HUG's social marketplace for digital artists with .ART's premium domain infrastructure. The acquisition enables HUG creators to receive free .art domains and integrates HUG into the .ART ecosystem. The platform announcement states 'HUG has been acquired by .ART! More tools and opportunities are coming to our creative community.'
• Gallery Partners (Hug Studios)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHUG partners with galleries through its Hug Studios initiative (studios.thehug.xyz/gallery-partners), providing physical exhibition channels for digital artists on the platform. Galleries benefit from access to HUG's digital artist community while HUG extends its reach to offline art audiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OpenSea: The largest NFT marketplace, supporting trading of digital art and collectibles across multiple blockchains. Directly comparable to HUG as a primary venue where creators list and sell digital art, though OpenSea's scale and liquidity dwarf HUG's.
• Foundation: A curated NFT marketplace focused on digital art, with a community-driven onboarding model. Highly comparable to HUG's curated-creator approach and free-application onboarding flow for emerging artists.
• SuperRare: A curated NFT art marketplace with a gallery-style experience and emphasis on artist reputation. Comparable to HUG's curatorial stance and focus on showcasing individual artists rather than bulk listings.
• Zora: A Web3 marketplace protocol enabling creators to mint and sell digital media as NFTs. Comparable to HUG's marketplace mechanics and Web3-native infrastructure, though Zora leans more protocol-oriented and HUG more community-driven.
• fxhash: A generative-art marketplace on the Tezos blockchain — the same chain HUG is associated with via the Art on Tezos Berlin partnership. Highly comparable on-chain and audience overlap, particularly for generative and digital artists.
• Objkt: One of the largest Tezos-based NFT marketplaces for digital art and collectibles. Directly comparable given shared Tezos infrastructure and digital-art focus, though Objkt operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Rarible: A multi-chain NFT marketplace with community-governed features. Comparable as a marketplace platform serving digital creators, though Rarible's positioning is more generalist versus HUG's curated artist focus.
• MakersPlace: A curated digital art NFT marketplace focused on supporting independent artists with storytelling and provenance features. Comparable to HUG's emphasis on emerging creators and curated onboarding.
• KnownOrigin: A curated NFT marketplace supporting independent digital artists with authentication and limited-edition drops. Comparable to HUG in targeting independent creators with curated, reputation-driven discovery.

Broad incumbents

• Art Blocks: A leading platform for programmable generative art, primarily on Ethereum. Comparable as a destination for digital creators but operates more as an established incumbent and curatorial brand for generative art specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thehugxyz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thehugxyz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HUG