Niche
Niche Protocol operates a pre-revenue, blockchain-based social networking platform built on NEAR where consumers create and join exclusive interest-based communities called Clubs by minting non-transferable Membership Card NFTs, with no advertising or data selling.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Niche does
Niche Protocol, Inc. is a blockchain-based social networking platform founded in 2022 and headquartered in Los Angeles, with the legal entity incorporated in Delaware. The platform enables users to create and join exclusive social communities called Clubs, which are deployed as self-executing smart contracts on the NEAR blockchain. Users access these communities by minting Membership Card NFTs into a proprietary Niche Wallet; the cards are explicitly non-transferable and non-sellable, and members exit a Club by burning their card. The platform targets consumers seeking interest-based, ad-free social communities, with stated differentiators including no advertising, no third-party data selling, and no use of cookies, beacons, pixels, or fingerprinting.
The product surface comprises the iOS Niche mobile app, the Clubs (smart-contract-based communities with preset membership caps), Membership Card NFTs, and the Niche Wallet. Club Creators deploy smart contracts defining membership limits and governance, while designated Administrators can kick members or initiate votes. Clubs may offer extrinsic benefits such as early access to creator content, merchandise discounts, and gated access to physical or virtual events. Content policy prohibits investment clubs, gambling, mature content, MLMs, and hateful or illegal activity.
The company is pre-revenue and in a public Beta test phase. The stated forward revenue model allows Club Creators to charge one-time or recurring fees for minting and holding Membership Cards, but this feature is not yet active and pricing has not been publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led with organic presence on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, supplemented by newsletter-based outreach. Cumulative disclosed funding is approximately $5 million across a 2022 seed round led by MetaWeb Ventures and a 2023 SEC Form D exempt offering (with Basecamp Fund participation), plus a 2025 Keiretsu Forum Spain investment.
Niche firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Niche
- Legal name
- Niche Protocol, Inc
- Website
- https://niche.club
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Niche Protocol operates a pre-revenue, blockchain-based social networking platform built on NEAR where consumers create and join exclusive interest-based communities called Clubs by minting non-transferable Membership Card NFTs, with no advertising or data selling.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Niche industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Networking Platform
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (523210)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metaverse Virtual World Platforms (social worlds, land, UGC) (FSAPAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Consortium Networks & Governance (network setup, onboarding, rules, node operations) (FSAPAIAB)
Keywords
Where Niche is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Niche business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Club Creator Fees: Club Creators will be entitled to set one-time or recurring fees in connection with minting and holding a Membership Card NFT. This feature is not yet available during the Beta test phase. Additional terms will apply to monetized Club Creators in the future.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Niche product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Niche Protocol operates a social networking platform built on the NEAR blockchain where users create and join exclusive communities called Clubs. Access to each Club is gated by minting a Membership Card NFT deployed through self-executing smart contracts on the NEAR blockchain. The platform distributes through an iOS mobile application and web presence.
Product overview
Niche is a social networking platform built on the NEAR blockchain that enables users to create and join exclusive communities called Clubs. The platform operates through a mobile app where users mint Membership Card NFTs to gain access to Clubs. Club Creators deploy smart contracts to the NEAR blockchain that define Club parameters including membership limits. The ecosystem includes the Niche App (iOS mobile application), Clubs (the core community product), Membership Card NFTs (blockchain-based access tokens), and the Niche Wallet (for NFT management). The platform does not currently support selling or transferring Membership Cards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Niche App A mobile application for iOS that enables users to discover and join exclusive social communities called Clubs, mint Membership Card NFTs, and access Club forums and content.
- Clubs Exclusive social communities deployed as smart contracts on the NEAR blockchain that allow members to share content, connect with people sharing interests, and support creators. Each Club has a pre-set number of Membership Card NFTs that grant access.
- Membership Card NFTs NFT-based membership tokens deployed on the NEAR blockchain that grant holders access to Club forums, content, and other member benefits. Cards must be burned to leave a Club.
- Niche Wallet A digital wallet integrated within the Niche app for storing and managing Membership Card NFTs, used to mint new memberships and access Club features.
Companies that use Niche
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Niche technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Niche partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Niche competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Farcaster: Decentralized social protocol that uses on-chain identity (NFT-based profiles/hubs) to enable user-owned social graphs and interest-based communities. Direct competitor in the Web3 social networking category with similar target users (creators and community builders).
- Lens Protocol: Open-source Web3 social graph built on NFT-based profiles and follows, enabling portable social identities and community building. Directly comparable to Niche's NFT-membership, on-chain social model and creator/community target audience.
- Phaver: Web3 social application that uses tokenized profiles and communities to enable content sharing and monetization. Comparable as a mobile-first, blockchain-based social platform targeting Web3-native creators and users.
- Mirror: Web3 publishing and social platform built on on-chain primitives with tokenized membership and creator monetization. Comparable business model around NFT-gated content and community access, targeting similar creator-driven audience.
- DeSo (Decentralized Social): Decentralized social blockchain purpose-built for social applications with tokenized profiles and creator coins. Direct competitor as a Web3-native social infrastructure layer with comparable NFT-based identity and content distribution.
- CyberConnect: Web3 social graph protocol enabling portable NFT-based identities, content, and connections. Direct peer in the on-chain social networking category with similar architecture and creator/community target market.
- Geneva: Group-based community platform offering interest-driven spaces with member management. Comparable in offering exclusive, group-centric social experiences for niche communities, though without Web3/NFT architecture.
Broad incumbents
- Discord: Largest community-centric social platform with servers/channels organized around shared interests. Comparable use case (interest-based communities) but a much broader incumbent with server-based (non-Web3) architecture and ad/community monetization.
- Reddit: Interest-based community platform with subreddit structure and creator monetization via awards/coins. Comparable at the user-experience layer (community membership around interests) but a broad incumbent without blockchain or NFT-based membership.
Emerging players
- Bluesky: Decentralized social network built on the AT Protocol with portable user identities and community feeds. Comparable as an emerging decentralized social platform targeting users seeking alternatives to ad-driven incumbents, though not NFT-based.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Niche social profiles
Digital presenceNiche financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Niche leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Niche funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Niche M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Niche
What does Niche do?
Niche Protocol operates a social networking platform built on the NEAR blockchain where users create and join exclusive communities called Clubs. Access to each Club is gated by minting a Membership Card NFT deployed through self-executing smart contracts on the NEAR blockchain. The platform distributes through an iOS mobile application and web presence.
Is Niche a public or private company?
Niche is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Niche founded?
Niche was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Niche based?
Niche is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Niche make money?
One revenue line is on record: club Creator Fees.
Who are Niche's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Farcaster, Lens Protocol, Phaver, Mirror, DeSo (Decentralized Social), CyberConnect and Geneva. Broad incumbents are Discord and Reddit. Bluesky is listed as an emerging player.
Does Niche have an API?
No public API is recorded for Niche.
What industry is Niche in?
Niche's product category is Social Networking Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAGAD, Metaverse Virtual World Platforms (social worlds, land, UGC), with a secondary code of FSAPAIAB, Consortium Networks & Governance (network setup, onboarding, rules, node operations). Its NAICS code is 523210 and its SIC code is 6200.