What Tezos Foundation does

The Tezos Foundation is a non-profit Swiss foundation established in 2017 and headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, supervised by the Swiss Federal Foundation Supervisory Authority. Its mandate is to promote and develop the Tezos protocol and its broader ecosystem. It operates through a 7-member Foundation Council that sets funding and asset-management strategy, an Executive Committee of 17 staff running day-to-day operations, and a Technical Advisory Committee that reviews grant proposals. The Foundation does not build the Tezos protocol directly; rather, it deploys capital via grants, bounties, and strategic investments into independently managed core engineering teams (Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, Functori), ecosystem startups, and community projects across DeFi, gaming, arts and culture, enterprise, and infrastructure verticals.

The Foundation's core offerings include the Ecosystem Grants Program (quarterly proposal reviews with milestone-based payouts), the Ecosystem Bounty Program (USD 2,500–50,000 payouts for specific technical deliverables), a Bug Bounty Program for security research, the Permanent Art Collection and Misan Harriman-curated Digital Art Gallery, the KYC/AML verification portal for 2017 fundraiser contributors, and biannual activity reports. It coordinates ecosystem marketing through Blokhaus and regional outreach through TZ APAC. Revenue mechanics for the Foundation derive from staking rewards on its own tez holdings via in-house bakers, delegation revenue from third-party validators (e.g., ~7.8M XTZ to TenX Protocols), treasury asset management across Swiss, EU, and Asian custodians, and returns from venture investments such as the idOS $4.5M consortium round (July 2025) and Universal Health Token $1.2M pre-seed (December 2025).

Tezos itself is an open-source, self-upgradable, energy-efficient Proof-of-Stake blockchain distinguished by forkless on-chain governance (a regular cadence of two protocol upgrades per year, with "Seoul" as the 19th in September 2025), Liquid Proof-of-Stake that keeps staked assets transferable, and the Etherlink Smart Rollup Layer 2 for EVM compatibility. The ecosystem spans 4.5M+ wallets, 400+ proof-of-stake validators, enterprise adopters such as Société Générale – Forge (CBDC experiments), BSN China, Manchester United (NFT collectibles), McLaren Racing, and Musée d'Orsay, with gaming now driving over 80% of active users in H2 2025.

Name

Tezos Foundation

Legal name

Tezos Foundation

Website

https://tezos.foundation/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Tezos Foundation is a non-profit Swiss foundation that promotes the Tezos Proof-of-Stake blockchain ecosystem by deploying grants, bounties, and strategic investments to developers, startups, and cultural projects across DeFi, gaming, and enterprise verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Ecosystem Support

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Blockchain protocol support
• Ecosystem grant funding
• Validator infrastructure operations
• Digital art collection
• Non-profit foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Validator (Baking) Staking Rewards: The Tezos Foundation runs its own bakers on the Tezos network. As a large holder of tez, the Foundation earns staking rewards from baking operations. The Foundation sometimes allocates tez to long-term ecosystem contributors as part of grants or sponsorships, and uses tez loans to foster the corporate baking program.
2. Delegation Revenue from Validator Infrastructure: The Foundation delegates tez to third-party validators (e.g., approximately 7.8 million XTZ delegated to TenX Protocols), earning validator-related fees from these arrangements.
3. Treasury Asset Management: The Foundation acts as treasurer of its own assets, deploying resources to ecosystem entities and managing its treasury. Custodians are used in Switzerland, the EU, and Asia to mitigate risks from holding all tez in one location.
4. Venture Investment Returns: The Foundation makes strategic investments in ecosystem startups (e.g., idOS $4.5M consortium round, chainstaff, Universal Health Token $1.2M pre-seed). Returns flow back to support Foundation operations and ecosystem growth.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Tezos Foundation is a Swiss non-profit foundation that supports the development and adoption of the Tezos blockchain protocol. It deploys capital through grants, bounties, and strategic investments to independently managed entities, developers, and ecosystem projects. The Foundation also operates baker/validator infrastructure on the Tezos network, runs art initiatives including the Permanent Art Collection, and provides KYC/AML verification for 2017 fundraiser contributors.

Product overview

The Tezos Foundation is a Swiss foundation that supports the Tezos blockchain protocol and ecosystem through grant funding, bounties, and art initiatives. Its core offerings include the Ecosystem Grants Program for funding development projects, the Ecosystem Bounty Program for solving specific technical demands, and the Bug Bounty Program for security research. The foundation also operates the Permanent Art Collection and Digital Art Gallery to promote blockchain adoption in the arts. Additionally, it provides the KYC/AML verification portal for fundraiser participants and publishes biannual reports on ecosystem activity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blokhaus: Marketing and communications team introduced in May 2021 dedicated to streamlining and amplifying marketing activities for the Tezos brand and ecosystem.
• Etherlink
• Tezos Foundation Permanent Art Collection
• Tezos Foundation KYC/AML Process

Products and services

• Ecosystem Grants Program A funding initiative that deploys resources to entities and initiatives to ensure the long-term success of the Tezos blockchain. Covers proposal submission, review by the Technical Advisory Committee, and milestone-based payments structured around grant agreements across verticals including Core Development, Infrastructure, DeFi, Gaming, Arts & Culture, and Business Development.
• Ecosystem Bounty Program A program offering special bounties to solve concrete technical demands that technical experts in the Tezos community have identified as beneficial for the ecosystem. Bounties range from USD 2,500 to 50,000 depending on project complexity, with payments in USD/EUR/CHF/XTZ.
• Bug Bounty Program A security program for finding and reporting vulnerabilities in the Tezos ecosystem, covering the Tezos protocol, Octez shells, and Etherlink. Rewards are proportional to the severity of vulnerabilities reported.
• Tezos Foundation Permanent Art Collection A collection celebrating artists and cultural organizations exploring the Tezos protocol, with the mission to increase awareness and adoption of blockchain technology across the art world. Features curated digital galleries and may be loaned to institutions for exhibition.
• Digital Art Gallery by Misan Harriman The inaugural digital art gallery within the Permanent Art Collection, curated by Misan Harriman, featuring selected artists working in the Tezos ecosystem with a focus on up-and-coming artists from underrepresented regions.
• KYC/AML Verification Portal A registration portal for contributors to the 2017 Tezos fundraiser to complete KYC/AML verification and activate their XTZ allocations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.5M+ total wallets on Tezos ecosystem
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Processing FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025The Processing Foundation and Tezos Foundation partnered to launch an educational series on p5.js 2.0, showcasing tutorials by generative artists on the Tezos blockchain. The series, expected to begin in late 2025, aims to promote digital art education and blockchain-powered art creation.
• Nomadic Labs, Trilitech, FunctoricoreTechnology or IntegrationCore engineering ecosystem teams contributing unique expertise to the design, development, and maintenance of the Tezos protocol, Octez client, and Smart Rollups. These teams actively collaborate with infrastructure and tooling teams ensuring seamless integration across the Tezos technology stack.
• BlokhauscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing and communications team introduced in May 2021 to streamline and amplify marketing activities for the Tezos brand and ecosystem. Blokhaus executes marketing campaigns, sponsorship initiatives, advertising, public relations, and supports grantee onboarding for marketing and communications.
• VeraSafe (EU GDPR Representative)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVeraSafe has been appointed as Tezos Foundation's representative in the EU pursuant to Article 27 GDPR for matters related to personal data processing. VeraSafe can be contacted in Ireland, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom.
• Marina Abramović / CIRCA (Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Art)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration enabling Marina Abramović's first-ever blockchain performance 'The Hero 25FPS' minted on the Tezos blockchain in July 2022, created in collaboration with the Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Art (CIRCA) with support from TZ Connect and TriliTech.
• Société Générale – ForgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTezos was selected by Société Générale – Forge for Central Banking Digital Currency (CBDC) experiments. The partnership represents one of the most significant institutional adoptions of Tezos in the traditional finance sector, validating the blockchain's suitability for regulated financial applications.
• Logical PicturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogical Pictures launched a €100 million tokenized film fund built on the Tezos blockchain to finance films in France, representing a major real-world asset (RWA) tokenization initiative on Tezos.
• BSN (Blockchain Service Network) – ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTezos was selected as one of the first 6 public blockchains for China's state-backed blockchain infrastructure network (BSN), providing significant exposure and adoption potential in the Chinese market.
• Microsoft IndiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTezos was selected as a technology partner by Microsoft India to incubate 100 startups for its 'Century Program', supporting blockchain adoption among Indian startups.
• VertalocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVertalo made Tezos its blockchain of choice for digital securities offerings. Vertalo led the first-ever tokenization of real estate in Mexico alongside MountX and tokenized $300M of real estate assets on Tezos along with tZERO.
• Manchester UnitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManchester United launched the 'Players Collection' NFT collectibles spotlighting player highlights on the Tezos blockchain, representing a major mainstream sports brand adoption of Tezos for fan engagement and digital collectibles.
• McLaren RacingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcLaren Racing partnered with Tezos bringing blockchain-powered fan engagement and collectibles to Formula 1 audiences, representing mainstream sports adoption of Tezos technology.
• Musée d'OrsaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Musée d'Orsay collaborated on the Orsay Code initiative with Tezos NFT marketplace Objkt One, curating digital art within the Tezos ecosystem and showcasing institutional art on-chain.
• Serpentine GalleriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading contemporary art institution in London partnered with Tezos for NFT art initiatives, contributing to Tezos's positioning as a premier blockchain for the institutional art world.
• PwC Switzerland (Independent External Auditor)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPwC Switzerland serves as the Tezos Foundation's independent external auditor and has never raised concerns about the Council's compensation. PwC conducted the third independent external audit of the Foundation's finances in 2020.
• BaanxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBaanx, supported by Tezos, secured $20M in Series A funding to broaden crypto payment horizons, working with Mastercard on payment cards. Baanx is a key payment infrastructure partner enabling on-chain payments, on-chain remittance, and non-custodial payment cards.
• ELEET GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerELEET Games selected Tezos to become the first 'Players Publisher' utilizing Web3 technology and launching a new token exclusively on Tezos, pioneering the gaming publisher model on Tezos.
• TZ APACcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTZ APAC is a key regional ecosystem partner for Tezos in the Asia-Pacific region, hosting events, supporting hackathons (IOI conference, Imagine Creation Combinator), and engaging developers and startups to build on Tezos and Etherlink.
• Etherlink (DeFi Catalyst Accelerator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeFi Catalyst Accelerator launched in Singapore to support startups building on Etherlink and Tezos. Etherlink is a Smart Rollup Layer 2 solution on Tezos for EVM-compatible applications, with its TVL surpassing $70M.
• Fortify Labs / TZ APACminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTZ APAC welcomed seven startups accepted into Fortify Labs, a Web3 startup studio tailored to foster startups built on Tezos and Etherlink, supporting ecosystem growth through incubator programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Polygon Labs: Organization supporting the Polygon ecosystem through grants, developer relations, and ecosystem funds. Comparable in L1/L2 ecosystem-building mission, though Polygon Labs operates with a more for-profit corporate structure alongside its foundation.
• Cardano Foundation: Swiss-based non-profit foundation supporting the Cardano ecosystem through standards, adoption, and ecosystem funding. Directly comparable in Swiss governance structure, grantmaking model, and L1 ecosystem-development focus.
• Stellar Development Foundation: Non-profit foundation supporting the Stellar blockchain ecosystem through grants, developer relations, and ecosystem investments. Most direct comparable to Tezos Foundation in mission, structure, and GTM motion of deploying capital to grow an L1 ecosystem.
• NEAR Foundation: Foundation supporting the NEAR Protocol ecosystem through grants, ecosystem funds, and developer programs. Comparable in mission and grantmaking approach, and notably a co-investor with Tezos Foundation in the idOS consortium round.
• Web3 Foundation: Stiftung-based foundation funding research and development for Polkadot and Kusama ecosystems through grants and ecosystem programs. Closely comparable to Tezos Foundation in grantmaking model, technical committee oversight, and ecosystem-building GTM.
• Algorand Foundation: Foundation stewarding the Algorand blockchain through grants, research funding, and ecosystem growth programs. Comparable in non-profit grantmaking model and L1 ecosystem focus, with similar regulatory awareness given its enterprise positioning.
• Avalanche Foundation: Foundation managing ecosystem development for the Avalanche blockchain through grants, investments, and ecosystem programs (including the Blizzard Fund). Comparable in mission, scale, and GTM motion of deploying capital across ecosystem verticals.
• Solana Foundation: Foundation supporting the Solana blockchain ecosystem through grants, hackathons, and ecosystem investments. Comparable in mission and structure, though Solana operates a different consensus model and a more performance-focused positioning.
• Ethereum Foundation: Swiss non-profit foundation stewarding the Ethereum protocol through research grants, ecosystem funding, and community programs. The largest and most mature comparable blockchain foundation — directly comparable in mission and governance model, though operating at vastly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Arweave / Permanent Trust: Foundation-style organization stewarding permanent storage blockchain Arweave, with strong positioning in digital art and NFTs. Comparable to Tezos Foundation's arts/culture focus and Permanent Art Collection initiative, though Arweave's protocol focus is storage rather than L1 smart contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tezosfoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/tezosfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tezosfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments22 records

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Frequently asked questions about Tezos Foundation