HBAR Foundation
HBAR Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that funds and supports builders developing on the Hedera public distributed ledger, providing open-source tooling (Asset Tokenization Studio, Hedera Guardian, Stablecoin Studio) and grants across RWA, DeFi, AI, DePIN, and enterprise segments globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersGrand Cayman, Cayman Islands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HBAR Foundation does
HBAR Foundation (legal name: Hedera Foundation) is a private non-profit foundation founded in 2021 and domiciled in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. It operates with a global team of 11–50 employees spanning engineering, marketing, business development, and finance, and functions as an ecosystem enabler for the Hedera public distributed ledger network — providing community, capital, and commerce to builders developing on Hedera.
The foundation's core offering is a builder funding program alongside a suite of open-source developer tools: Asset Tokenization Studio (for tokenizing real-world assets such as funds, real estate, and sustainable finance instruments), Hedera Guardian (a sustainability and carbon registry platform integrated with the UN Development Programme's Digital Public Goods National Carbon Registry), and Stablecoin Studio (for creating and managing stablecoins on Hedera). HBAR, the native cryptocurrency of the Hedera network, is used to pay transaction fees and access network services. The foundation supports builders across five primary segments: RWA Tokenization, DeFi, AI, DePIN, and Enterprise projects, with a horizontal segmentation approach.
The foundation's economic model is grant-/programmatic-investment-based rather than commercial — it does not directly sell products or charge platform fees. Underlying network economics rely on usage-based HBAR transaction fees accruing to the Hedera network itself. Strategic counterparties include Archax, Fidelity International, and Xeptagon, and the foundation joined the ERC3643 Association in 2024 to scale institutional RWA adoption. In April 2025 it partnered with Tim Stokely's Zoop platform to bid for TikTok's U.S. operations.
HBAR Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HBAR Foundation
- Legal name
- Hedera Foundation
- Website
- https://hbarfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HBAR Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that funds and supports builders developing on the Hedera public distributed ledger, providing open-source tooling (Asset Tokenization Studio, Hedera Guardian, Stablecoin Studio) and grants across RWA, DeFi, AI, DePIN, and enterprise segments globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HBAR Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Ecosystem Development
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- RWA Tokenization Platforms (asset onboarding, structuring, issuance) (FSAPAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Permissioned Blockchain Platforms & Frameworks (Hyperledger, Corda, Quorum) (FSAPAIAA)
Keywords
Where HBAR Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Cayman
- HQ country
- Cayman Islands
Offices1 record
Markets served
HBAR Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Network Utility Fees: HBAR is the native cryptocurrency of the Hedera network used to pay transaction fees and access network services. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on the network.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
HBAR Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The HBAR Foundation is a private foundation that supports the Hedera public distributed ledger network by providing community, capital, and commerce to builders and developers. It develops and maintains open-source software tools (Asset Tokenization Studio, Hedera Guardian, Stablecoin Studio) and runs funding programs that accelerate DeFi, enterprise, AI, DePIN, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization projects on the Hedera network.
Product overview
Hedera Foundation operates as a Web3 ecosystem enabler providing the community, capital, and commerce needed to build on the Hedera network. The organization offers a suite of open-source tools including Asset Tokenization Studio, Hedera Guardian, and Stablecoin Studio, which work together to enable real-world asset tokenization, stablecoin deployment, and sustainability impact tracking. The HBAR cryptocurrency serves as the native utility token for transaction fees and network services. Combined with funding programs for DeFi and enterprise projects, the Foundation supports builders across RWA tokenization, AI, DeFi, and DePIN sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Asset Tokenization Studio
Quantifiable outcome
- Fully auditable financial instruments
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use HBAR Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HBAR Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
HBAR Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Zoop (Tim Stokely)corePartnership with OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely's social media platform Zoop to submit a last-minute bid to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations. The proposal offers 80% of ad revenue directly to content creators, representing a radical departure from current creator compensation models. The bid was submitted following the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
- ERC3643 AssociationcoreHBAR Foundation joined the ERC3643 Association to help scale the adoption of ERC-3643 standard and institutional Real World Assets on the Hedera network. This supports the foundation's mission to accelerate deployment of tokenized assets.
- XeptagonmajorXeptagon integrated the Hedera Guardian into the United Nations Development Programme (UDPN) Digital Public Goods National Carbon Registry, enabling environmental outcome tracking and carbon registry functionality.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HBAR Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stellar Development Foundation: Foundation supporting the Stellar blockchain network with a strong focus on RWA tokenization, payments, and institutional financial use cases. Highly comparable as a non-profit foundation driving ecosystem growth around a permissioned-style distributed ledger.
- Algorand Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting the Algorand network, with comparable programs for developer grants, RWA tokenization, and CBDC/enterprise partnerships. Closely analogous mission and operating model.
- Solana Foundation: Foundation supporting the Solana blockchain, funding DeFi, RWA, and DePIN builders globally. Comparable as a layer-1 ecosystem foundation driving developer adoption through grants and tooling.
- Polygon Labs / Polygon Foundation: Foundation and development company supporting the Polygon network, with explicit RWA, ZK, and tokenization focus and a comparable grant-driven builder support model.
- Avalanche Foundation: Foundation supporting the Avalanche network with strong institutional and RWA tokenization positioning (e.g., SkyBridge, tokenized funds). Comparable mission and builder funding programs.
- NEAR Foundation: Foundation supporting the NEAR Protocol with grants and ecosystem programs targeting AI, DeFi, and RWA builders. Comparable as a layer-1 foundation funding developer adoption.
- Tezos Foundation: Swiss foundation supporting the Tezos blockchain with a long-standing grant program for tokenization, art, and enterprise use cases. Comparable non-profit foundation structure and builder support mission.
- DFINITY Foundation (Internet Computer): Foundation supporting the Internet Computer Protocol with grants and developer programs for enterprise-grade decentralized applications. Comparable as a non-profit foundation backing an enterprise-focused distributed ledger.
Broad incumbents
- Ethereum Foundation: The largest and most established blockchain ecosystem foundation, supporting Ethereum and its L2s. Comparable as a non-profit foundation backing a public distributed ledger, though Ethereum's ecosystem is far broader than Hedera's.
Emerging players
- Archax: UK-regulated digital securities exchange and RWA tokenization platform that is a direct partner of HBAR Foundation (tokenized Fidelity MMF). Comparable as an RWA tokenization infrastructure provider operating on Hedera.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
HBAR Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceHBAR Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HBAR Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
HBAR Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HBAR Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments16 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HBAR Foundation
What does HBAR Foundation do?
The HBAR Foundation is a private foundation that supports the Hedera public distributed ledger network by providing community, capital, and commerce to builders and developers. It develops and maintains open-source software tools (Asset Tokenization Studio, Hedera Guardian, Stablecoin Studio) and runs funding programs that accelerate DeFi, enterprise, AI, DePIN, and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization projects on the Hedera network.
Is HBAR Foundation a public or private company?
HBAR Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was HBAR Foundation founded?
HBAR Foundation was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HBAR Foundation based?
HBAR Foundation is headquartered in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
How does HBAR Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: network Utility Fees.
Who are HBAR Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stellar Development Foundation, Algorand Foundation, Solana Foundation, Polygon Labs / Polygon Foundation, Avalanche Foundation, NEAR Foundation, Tezos Foundation and DFINITY Foundation (Internet Computer). Ethereum Foundation is listed as a broad incumbent. Archax is listed as an emerging player.
Does HBAR Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for HBAR Foundation.
What industry is HBAR Foundation in?
HBAR Foundation's product category is Blockchain Ecosystem Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAIAC, RWA Tokenization Platforms (asset onboarding, structuring, issuance), with a secondary code of FSAPAIAA, Permissioned Blockchain Platforms & Frameworks (Hyperledger, Corda, Quorum). Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 6199.