Unlock
Unlock is an open-source blockchain protocol providing purpose-built smart contracts for membership NFTs and recurring subscriptions. It serves creators, DAOs, event organizers, and web3 developers across 14+ chains via a self-serve dashboard and 20+ platform integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Unlock does
Unlock is an open-source blockchain protocol that provides purpose-built smart contract infrastructure for membership NFTs and recurring subscriptions. The core product, PublicLock, is designed specifically for time-bound memberships — supporting native expirations, renewals, recurring payments, and token gating — capabilities that general-purpose NFT contracts cannot deliver without workarounds. The protocol is deployed across 14+ blockchain networks including Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, BNB Chain, Gnosis Chain, and zkSync Era, with membership Keys (ERC721 NFTs) that automatically appear on OpenSea's secondary market. Supporting products include the Creator Dashboard (self-serve web app for deploying locks), EVENTS by Unlock Labs (onchain event ticketing), email-based and walletless onboarding with Apple/Google Wallet integration, Stripe Connect credit card payments with a ~10% cost-recovery surcharge, and a hook mechanism for custom membership logic.
The company operates a hybrid go-to-market: product-led growth via self-serve dashboard and SDK for developers, combined with community-led growth through the Unlock DAO (governed by the UDT token), a grant program (100/200/300 UDT grants), the Locksmith Ambassador Program, and retro-active funding of 100 UDT monthly to community contributors. Distribution is amplified by 20+ platform integrations spanning WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Drupal, Discourse, Discord (via Guild.xyz, Collab.Land, SwordyBot), Notion, Cal.com, Huddle01, Decentraland, OpenSea, and thirdweb. Customer concentration is diffuse — named adopters include thirdweb, DappCon, Consensys, PlannerDAO, Web3 Academy, Kazm, and Pixels Online — reflecting the protocol's horizontal utility across creators, DAOs, event organizers, brands, and credentialing programs rather than any single anchor account.
The underlying business model is best characterized as freemium infrastructure with thin transaction-layer monetization: the protocol itself is free to deploy, the dashboard is free, and the disclosed revenue lever is a ~10% surcharge on credit card transactions that is explicitly framed as cost recovery for Stripe, gas, and development. Corporate entity Unlock, Inc. (New York) supports protocol development while the Unlock DAO governs the protocol. Total disclosed funding is approximately $5.675M across a 2018 seed ($1.675M, Cherry Ventures / General Catalyst lead) and a 2021 round ($4M, Mercuri lead). Headcount is 1–10 employees, making Unlock a small, lean team that relies heavily on its open-source community and DAO for ongoing development and ecosystem growth.
Unlock firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unlock
- Legal name
- Unlock, Inc.
- Website
- https://unlock-protocol.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Unlock is an open-source blockchain protocol providing purpose-built smart contracts for membership NFTs and recurring subscriptions. It serves creators, DAOs, event organizers, and web3 developers across 14+ chains via a self-serve dashboard and 20+ platform integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Unlock industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Web3 Membership Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Authentication & Access Control (Web3 login, SIWE, passkeys, MFA, policy engines) (FSAPACAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Authorization & Permissions (delegation, allowances, capability-based access, session keys) (FSAPACAJ), Smart Contract Wallets / Account Abstraction (MPC/AA, social recovery, paymasters) (FSAPACAB), Wallet Connectivity & Session Protocols (WalletConnect, deep links, QR, auth sessions) (FSAPACAF)
Keywords
Where Unlock is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Unlock business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Protocol Usage Fees: The protocol itself is open-source and free to use. Unlock Labs, the company behind the protocol, may generate revenue through premium services, consulting, or enterprise support offerings built on top of the free protocol infrastructure.
- UDT Token Economics: Unlock Tokens (UDT) are governance tokens minted for every Unlock transaction. New UDT is created with each key purchase (referrer rewards), creating an inflationary mechanism that distributes value to protocol participants. The protocol belongs to UDT holders through DAO governance.
- Events Platform: EVENTS by Unlock Labs is a product for creating and managing onchain events, potentially generating revenue through transaction fees on ticket sales or premium features for event organizers.
- Stripe Credit Card Processing: When credit card payments are enabled for locks, Unlock adds 10% to the price to cover Stripe processing fees, gas costs, and development costs. This is a cost-recovery mechanism rather than profit center.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Protocol Access |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Creator Dashboard |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Credit Card Processing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels13 records
Unlock product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Unlock Protocol is an open-source, decentralized blockchain protocol that provides purpose-built smart contracts (PublicLock) for creating time-bound membership NFTs with built-in support for expirations, renewals, recurring payments, and token gating. The protocol is delivered through a self-serve Creator Dashboard, an SDK, and supporting products including EVENTS by Unlock Labs (onchain ticketing), and operates across 14+ blockchain networks.
Product overview
Unlock Protocol is an open-source, decentralized blockchain protocol for memberships and subscription NFTs. The platform consists of the core Unlock Protocol smart contracts (PublicLock) for time-bound memberships, recurring payments, and token gating, combined with the Creator Dashboard for deployment and management. Additional products include EVENTS by Unlock Labs for onchain ticketing, the Onchain Creator Toolkit, the Unlock Grant Program for developer funding, and the Locksmith Ambassador Program for community growth. The protocol supports over 14 blockchain networks including Ethereum, Polygon, Optimism, Arbitrum, and Base, enabling creators to issue membership NFTs (Keys), manage recurring subscriptions, token-gate content, and sell NFT tickets. The platform is governed by the Unlock DAO using UDT tokens.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Unlock Protocol (PublicLock smart contracts) Open-source, decentralized blockchain protocol providing purpose-built smart contracts (PublicLock) for time-bound membership NFTs with built-in support for expirations, renewals, recurring payments, hooks, and token gating. Deployable across 14+ networks including Ethereum, Optimism, Polygon, Arbitrum, Base, Gnosis Chain, and zkSync Era. Targeted at web3 developers, creators, DAOs, and platforms that need membership and subscription infrastructure.
- Creator Dashboard Self-serve web application at app.unlock-protocol.com where creators and operators deploy locks, configure membership contracts, manage subscriptions, sell NFTs, enable credit card payments, and track analytics without writing code. Targeted at creators, community managers, and event organizers.
- EVENTS by Unlock Labs Dedicated onchain ticketing application for creating and managing events with NFT-based tickets and passes, including commitment staking features such as 'I'm Going' for free events. Targeted at event organizers, conferences, meetups, and community event hosts.
- Onchain Creator Toolkit Curated collection of tools enabling creators to operate and monetize using emerging onchain technology built for and by creatives. Targeted at creators and community builders.
- Unlock Grant Program Developer grant program offering UDT token grants (100, 200, or 300 UDT), technical guidance, marketing support, and community connections to teams building on Unlock Protocol. Targeted at developers and builders in the Unlock ecosystem.
- Governance Portal Self-hosted governance interface for Unlock DAO members to submit and vote on protocol proposals using UDT tokens, with a 15,000-vote quorum and one-week timelock. Targeted at UDT holders and DAO participants.
Quantifiable outcome
- 31,946 locks deployed all time
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Unlock
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Unlock technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration20 records
Feature8 records
Unlock partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ThirdwebcoreThirdweb integrates Unlock Protocol into its web3 development platform, allowing developers building with thirdweb to easily incorporate membership and subscription NFT capabilities. Ciara Nightingale from thirdweb noted they built and launched a membership feature in 2 weeks using the protocol.
- Guild.xyzcoreGuild.xyz provides token gating capabilities that work with Unlock Protocol NFTs. The integration allows Discord administrators to automatically grant or limit access to channels based on Unlock Key ownership.
- DappConcoreDappCon uses Unlock Protocol for their conference ticketing system. Mareen Glaske from DappCon noted it was a no-brainer to use Unlock for onchain ticketing, and setup was completed in under two weeks.
- MetaCartelminorListed as a trusted partner and community member in the Unlock ecosystem.
- ETHTaipeiminorListed as a trusted partner in the Unlock ecosystem.
- Web3 AcademycoreKyle Reidhead from Web3 Academy uses Unlock Protocol for their subscription services and member management. Web3 Academy Pro was highlighted as a project built with support from the grant program. Unlock serves as the technical connector for their membership NFTs.
- ETHSafariminorListed as a trusted partner in the Unlock ecosystem.
- FarconminorListed as a trusted partner in the Unlock ecosystem.
- Onchain SummitminorListed as a trusted partner in the Unlock ecosystem.
- KazmcoreKazm is a web3-based CRM system that integrates with Unlock Protocol. Ben Turtel noted the combination of Unlock Protocol and Kazm's member management makes it easy to deliver web3-enabled experiences to existing audiences.
- PlannerDAOcorePlannerDAO uses Unlock Protocol NFTs for their Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDAA) certification. Adam Blumberg noted the CDAA certification powered by Unlock is their biggest opportunity to grow community participation.
- Pixels OnlinecorePixels Online uses Unlock Protocol for their membership and access control features in their web3 gaming platform. Luke Barwikowski noted the integration makes it easy to deliver web3-enabled experiences.
- MetopiacoreMetopia ran a learning and engagement campaign for Unlock. The campaign grew participants from 8 to ~3,800 active participants, increased website users by 134%, and drove traction in China, Singapore, and India. A Season 2 is being explored.
- WordPresscoreOfficial WordPress plugin allowing creators to integrate Unlock memberships and token gating into WordPress websites.
- Discord (Collab.Land)coreDiscord integration through Collab.Land and Guild.xyz allows token gating of Discord servers and channels based on Unlock Key ownership.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Unlock competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Unlock social profiles
Digital presenceUnlock financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unlock leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Unlock funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unlock 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 Unlock
What does Unlock do?
Unlock Protocol is an open-source, decentralized blockchain protocol that provides purpose-built smart contracts (PublicLock) for creating time-bound membership NFTs with built-in support for expirations, renewals, recurring payments, and token gating. The protocol is delivered through a self-serve Creator Dashboard, an SDK, and supporting products including EVENTS by Unlock Labs (onchain ticketing), and operates across 14+ blockchain networks.
Is Unlock a public or private company?
Unlock is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Unlock founded?
Unlock was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Unlock based?
Unlock is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Unlock make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Protocol Usage Fees are the primary driver. The others are UDT Token Economics, events Platform and stripe Credit Card Processing.
Does Unlock have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unlock.
What industry is Unlock in?
Unlock's product category is Web3 Membership Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPACAI, Authentication & Access Control (Web3 login, SIWE, passkeys, MFA, policy engines), with a secondary code of FSAPACAJ, Authorization & Permissions (delegation, allowances, capability-based access, session keys). Its NAICS code is 522320 and its SIC code is 6199.