Matrix
The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C. is a UK non-profit that governs the open Matrix protocol for decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging and VoIP, serving governments pursuing digital sovereignty, open-source communities, and privacy-conscious users via tiered memberships, an annual conference, and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Matrix does
The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C. is a UK-registered non-profit Community Interest Company (Company #11648710) founded in 2013 by Matthew Hodgson and Amandine Le Pape, which serves as the neutral legal custodian of the open Matrix communication protocol. Its core product is the Matrix specification—an open, federated protocol for decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging and VoIP—governed through a formal Matrix Spec Change (MSC) process under a Spec Core Team and a Guardian-led Board of Directors. Commercial implementation, large-scale homeserver development, and most day-to-day development are executed by Element (Element Creations Ltd.), the Platinum-tier member whose staff are largely seconded to the Foundation under contract.
The Foundation's revenue model is a tiered community/membership economy rather than a transactional SaaS model. Pricing is structured as four annualized membership tiers—Individual at $60/year, Silver at $2k–$80k/year (scaled to organizational size), Gold at $200k/year, and Platinum at $500k/year—each unlocking logo placement, conference benefits (including a dedicated Matrix Live episode at Platinum), blog posts, sponsorship discounts, and premium homeserver access. Supplementary revenue comes from The Matrix Conference (held in Malmö, Sweden), merchandise sales through an online shop, and direct donations. Public member counts disclosed include 25+ Silver members, 14 Ecosystem members, and 5 Associate members; Element is the only publicly named Platinum member.
The Foundation's go-to-market is community-led and ecosystem-driven, layered around digital sovereignty and interoperability narratives. Five government and intergovernmental customers are publicly identified—United Nations, International Criminal Court, the German government (via ZenDiS), France (La Suite / DINUM), and Ukraine—with approximately 35 countries reported to be in active discussions about adopting Matrix-based FOSS communications infrastructure. Distribution happens through multiple surfaces: the official matrix.org homeserver and premium accounts, third-party hosting providers, client apps (Element, Cinny, FluffyChat, Nheko, NeoChat), bridge integrations to other platforms, and Element's enterprise sales channel for Matrix deployments.
Matrix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Matrix
- Legal name
- The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C.
- Website
- https://matrix.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Matrix.org Foundation C.I.C. is a UK non-profit that governs the open Matrix protocol for decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging and VoIP, serving governments pursuing digital sovereignty, open-source communities, and privacy-conscious users via tiered memberships, an annual conference, and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Matrix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Communication Protocol
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Privacy-First & Decentralized Social Networks (BPAMABAN)
Keywords
Where Matrix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Matrix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Organizational Memberships: Tiered membership program with Individual ($60/year), Silver ($2k-$80k/year), Gold ($200k/year), and Platinum ($500k/year) tiers offering escalating benefits including logo placement, conference tickets, press releases, and Matrix Live episodes.
- The Matrix Conference: Annual conference held in Malmö, Sweden (October 20-23) generating revenue through ticket sales and sponsorship opportunities.
- Merchandise Store: Online shop selling Matrix branded merchandise including apparel and accessories.
- Donations: Direct financial support option for individuals wanting to support the Foundation's mission.
- Premium Homeserver Accounts: Free premium account on Matrix.org offered to Individual members; paid hosting services available through the ecosystem.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Individual membership for personal supporters |
| Subscription | Annual | Silver membership for small organizations |
| Subscription | Annual | Gold membership for larger organizations |
| Subscription | Annual | Platinum membership for major sponsors |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Matrix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Matrix.org Foundation stewards an open, decentralized communication protocol (Matrix) that enables federated, end-to-end encrypted messaging and VoIP across heterogeneous servers and clients. The Foundation provides the open specification, the official homeserver hosting service, Element Call for voice/video conferencing, and a tiered membership program for organizations and governments seeking open communication infrastructure.
Product overview
Matrix is an open communication protocol for decentralized, secure messaging and collaboration. The ecosystem consists of the Matrix.org Foundation (the nonprofit custodian of the standard), the Matrix Specification (the open technical protocol), the Matrix.org Official Homeserver (hosted infrastructure), and client applications like Element Call (VoIP conferencing). The protocol enables interoperability through bridges and supports various clients, servers, integrations, and SDKs across the ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Element: The commercial company that operates alongside the Matrix.org Foundation. Element was formed in 2017 to let the core Matrix dev team work on Matrix full-time.
Products and services
- Matrix Specification
Quantifiable outcome
- ~35 countries in discussions for FOSS communications infrastructure
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Matrix
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Matrix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature6 records
Matrix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Element (Element Creations Ltd.)coreElement is the primary commercial company behind Matrix, formed in 2017 to let the core Matrix dev team work on Matrix full-time. Most Foundation staffers are employees of Element working under contract. Matthew Hodgson is CEO/CTO of Element and co-founder of Matrix. Element is the Platinum member of the Foundation.
- ZenDiS (Germany)flagshipGerman government entity via ZenDiS is in discussions with Matrix for FOSS communications infrastructure as part of digital sovereignty initiatives.
- La Suite (France)flagshipFrance's national digital workspace La Suite is utilizing Matrix for communications infrastructure as part of the French government's digital sovereignty strategy.
- United NationsflagshipThe United Nations is in discussions with Matrix regarding FOSS communications infrastructure adoption.
- International Criminal CourtflagshipThe International Criminal Court is in discussions with Matrix regarding FOSS communications infrastructure adoption.
- UkraineflagshipUkraine has adopted Matrix for FOSS communications infrastructure as part of their digital sovereignty and communication resilience efforts.
- AutomatticcoreAutomattic is a Gold member of the Foundation. Nick Mills-Barrett represents Automattic on the Governing Board.
- Blender FoundationcoreBlender Foundation is a Silver member of the Foundation, demonstrating support for open-source communication standards.
- FamedlycoreFamedly is a Silver member of the Foundation. Niklas Zender represents Famedly on the Governing Board.
- DINUM (France)coreDINUM (Direction Interministérielle du Numérique) is France's digital government agency and a Silver member of the Foundation. Yoan Pintas represents DINUM on the Governing Board.
- Rocket.ChatcoreRocket.Chat is a Silver member of the Foundation and offers Matrix integration in their communication platform.
- ThunderbirdcoreThunderbird is an Ecosystem member of the Foundation, integrating Matrix protocol into their email client.
- LiveKitcoreLiveKit is a Silver member of the Foundation and provides WebRTC infrastructure for Matrix's voice and video calling capabilities.
- Eclipse FoundationcoreEclipse Foundation is an Associate member of the Foundation, representing alignment with major open-source foundations.
- GNOME FoundationcoreGNOME Foundation is an Associate member of the Foundation, representing alignment with major open-source desktop ecosystem.
- KDE e.V.coreKDE e.V. is an Associate member of the Foundation. Tobias Fella represents KDE on the Governing Board. KDE projects like NeoChat use Matrix.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Matrix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Element: The primary commercial company built on Matrix, formed in 2017 by the same co-founders (Matthew Hodgson, Amandine Le Pape). Most Matrix.org Foundation staff are Element employees working under contract, and Element is the sole Platinum member. Closely aligned with the Foundation but operates as a commercial enterprise messaging vendor.
- XMPP (Jabber) Standards Foundation: The other major open, federated messaging protocol (formerly Jabber), maintained by the XSF as a community-driven open standard. Direct technical and philosophical comparison as the historical open standard for federated instant messaging, with overlapping bridging and federation architectures.
- Signal Foundation: US-based non-profit foundation stewarding the Signal protocol for privacy-focused messaging. Identical non-profit foundation structure, similar E2E encryption positioning, and overlapping privacy-conscious user base, though Signal focuses on consumer mobile messaging rather than federated group/enterprise communications.
- Rocket.Chat: Open-source team chat platform and Matrix Silver member with native Matrix federation and bridging support. Competes in the open-source enterprise messaging space with a self-hostable alternative model, offering comparable decentralized communication positioning for enterprise buyers.
- Wire: Secure enterprise messaging platform with end-to-end encryption, based in Switzerland and targeting governments and regulated industries. Directly comparable in the secure enterprise/government communications niche that Matrix's 35-country government adoption is pursuing.
Broad incumbents
- Mozilla Foundation: US non-profit foundation stewarding Firefox and other open web technologies. Comparable as a mission-driven non-profit foundation sustaining critical open-source infrastructure, though operating at much larger scale and in the broader web/browser category.
- Apache Software Foundation: Major open-source software foundation stewarding hundreds of widely-used projects via merit-based governance. Highly comparable non-profit foundation structure with formal proposal/oversight processes analogous to Matrix's MSC and Spec Core Team governance.
- Telegram: Massive-scale consumer messaging platform with optional end-to-end encryption (Secret Chats) and a sovereign-style governance philosophy. Competes broadly in privacy messaging but with a centralized architecture that contrasts with Matrix's federated model.
Emerging players
- Briar: Decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and high-risk users, operating over Tor and peer-to-peer networks. Shares Matrix's decentralized/privacy ethos but targets a narrower use case and smaller scale.
- Session: Decentralized private messenger using onion routing and a blockchain-based node network for metadata-stripped communication. Comparable decentralized private messaging positioning but at smaller consumer scale and with different architectural approach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Matrix social profiles
Digital presenceMatrix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Matrix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Matrix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Matrix 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 Matrix
What does Matrix do?
Matrix.org Foundation stewards an open, decentralized communication protocol (Matrix) that enables federated, end-to-end encrypted messaging and VoIP across heterogeneous servers and clients. The Foundation provides the open specification, the official homeserver hosting service, Element Call for voice/video conferencing, and a tiered membership program for organizations and governments seeking open communication infrastructure.
Is Matrix a public or private company?
Matrix is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Matrix founded?
Matrix was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Matrix based?
Matrix is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Matrix make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Organizational Memberships are the primary driver. The others are the Matrix Conference, merchandise Store, donations and premium Homeserver Accounts.
Who are Matrix's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Element, XMPP (Jabber) Standards Foundation, Signal Foundation, Rocket.Chat and Wire. Broad incumbents are Mozilla Foundation, Apache Software Foundation and Telegram. Emerging players are Briar and Session.
Does Matrix have an API?
Yes. Matrix provides a comprehensive set of APIs including the Client-Server API, Server-Server (Federation) API, Application Service API, Identity Service API, and Push Gateway API. The specification is openly developed and versioned (currently v1.18), with 12 room versions defined. SDKs are available for multiple programming languages including Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Rust, and others through the ecosystem. Developer documentation is at spec.matrix.org.
What industry is Matrix in?
Matrix's product category is Open Communication Protocol. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAN, Privacy-First & Decentralized Social Networks. Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7370.