Stacks Open Internet Foundation
Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a Delaware nonprofit foundation that supports the Stacks Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem through grants, governance, and educational programs. It funds and operates core protocol infrastructure — Clarity smart contracts, sBTC, and developer tools — serving Bitcoin developers, institutional DeFi users, and the broader Stacks community.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersAnaheim, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Stacks Open Internet Foundation does
The Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a Delaware-incorporated nonprofit foundation established in 2020–2021 to support and grow the Stacks Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem. The foundation operates grants, community development, educational programming, and governance facilitation (including the Stacks Improvement Proposal process) to "activate the Bitcoin economy." It is governed by an independent board chaired by Brittany Laughlin, with Claire Gadd serving as Executive Director, and funded through the Stacks Endowment rather than commercial product sales.
The foundation's underlying protocol stack comprises the Stacks blockchain (a Bitcoin L2 using Proof of Transfer consensus that settles to the Bitcoin ledger while achieving 5-second block times), the Clarity predictability-first smart contract language, the sBTC 1:1 Bitcoin-backed bridging asset, and the Stacking mechanism that yields approximately 10–12% APY in BTC to STX holders. Supporting developer infrastructure includes Stacks.js, the Stacks API by Hiro, Clarinet, the Hiro Platform, Chainhooks indexing, and the StacksAgent CLI for AI-assisted development. The ecosystem spans 50+ applications across DeFi (ALEX, Arkadiko, Zest, BitFlow), NFTs (Gamma), wallets (Leather, Xverse, Ledger), and exchanges (Binance, Coinbase, Kraken), with institutional access enabled via the Fireblocks integration.
The foundation does not generate traditional commercial revenue; pricing is not publicly disclosed and no funding rounds are recorded for the entity itself. Its go-to-market is community-led (Discord, Telegram, regional groups, hackathons, developer relations) combined with an API-first developer tooling strategy delivered through core partners such as Hiro Systems and Trust Machines. Its primary customer segments are Bitcoin developers, institutional DeFi users (via Fireblocks), STX token holders participating in Stacking, and NFT creators/collectors, all served through a horizontal segmentation approach.
Stacks Open Internet Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stacks Open Internet Foundation
- Legal name
- Stacks Open Internet Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://stacks.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a Delaware nonprofit foundation that supports the Stacks Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem through grants, governance, and educational programs. It funds and operates core protocol infrastructure — Clarity smart contracts, sBTC, and developer tools — serving Bitcoin developers, institutional DeFi users, and the broader Stacks community.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stacks Open Internet Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- NFT Infrastructure APIs & Indexing (NFT data APIs, indexing, search, analytics) (FSAPAFAE)
Keywords
Where Stacks Open Internet Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Anaheim
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Stacks Open Internet Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Bitcoin Yield Generation: Stackers participate in the PoX consensus mechanism by locking STX tokens, earning approximately 10-12% APY yield paid in bitcoin. The Stacks Foundation itself Stacked 1,320,000 STX for Brink, generating approximately $165,000 in BTC rewards over a year.
- Institutional DeFi Services: Through partnerships like Fireblocks, institutional clients access Bitcoin-based DeFi lending and yield-bearing opportunities. The integration enables lending, borrowing, and yield generation on Bitcoin holdings.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Stacks Open Internet Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a Delaware nonprofit foundation that stewards the Stacks Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem. It funds open-source development, runs grants and bounties programs, facilitates community governance through the Stacks Improvement Proposal (SIP) process, and supports developer education. Its associated technical stack includes the Stacks blockchain with Proof of Transfer consensus, the Clarity smart contract language, sBTC for Bitcoin bridging, and the Stacking yield mechanism paying approximately 10-12% APY in bitcoin.
Product overview
Stacks is a Bitcoin Layer 2 blockchain ecosystem consisting of the Stacks blockchain enabling smart contracts on Bitcoin, the Clarity smart contract language for predictable and secure contract development, Stacking for earning Bitcoin yield (10-12% APY) by supporting network security, and sBTC for self-custodial Bitcoin staking. The ecosystem includes developer tools including Stacks.js (JavaScript SDK), Stacks API by Hiro, Clarinet (local development environment), Hiro Platform (browser-based IDE), and Chainhooks (Bitcoin indexing). Community programs include the Stacks Foundation Grants Program and Critical Bounties for funding ecosystem development, plus the SIP Tracker governance tool. An AI capability is being developed through StacksAgent CLI for AI-assisted development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Stacks Blockchain Bitcoin Layer 2 blockchain that enables smart contracts and DeFi applications, using Proof of Transfer (PoX) consensus to settle transactions to the Bitcoin ledger. Targeted at developers and protocol teams building decentralized applications on Bitcoin.
- Clarity Smart Contract Language A predictable smart contract language for Bitcoin with human-readable syntax and static analysis capabilities, designed for security and correctness. Targeted at developers building smart contracts on Stacks.
- Stacking A mechanism within the PoX consensus that allows STX holders to earn approximately 10-12% APY in Bitcoin by locking their tokens to support network security. Targeted at STX token holders seeking BTC yield.
- sBTC A 1:1 Bitcoin-backed asset that enables Bitcoin to be locked on L1 and bridged to the Stacks L2, enabling self-custodial Bitcoin staking and DeFi participation. Targeted at Bitcoin holders and developers building Bitcoin DeFi.
- Stacks.js JavaScript SDK for building decentralized applications on the Stacks blockchain, enabling wallet connections, transaction signing, and blockchain interactions. Targeted at JavaScript developers building dApps on Stacks.
- Stacks API by Hiro API for interacting with the Stacks blockchain to query information, broadcast transactions, and scale projects. Targeted at developers integrating Stacks data and transactions.
- Clarinet Local development environment for Clarity smart contracts that enables developers to write, test, and deploy contracts. Targeted at Clarity smart contract developers.
- Hiro Platform Browser-based platform for writing, testing, and deploying Clarity smart contracts directly from the web. Targeted at developers who prefer a web-based IDE for Clarity.
- Chainhooks Reorg-aware, IFTTT-compatible Bitcoin indexing engine for building event-driven applications. Targeted at developers building event-driven applications on Bitcoin and Stacks.
- Stacks Foundation Grants Program Structured funding for critical open-source technology development and select educational efforts supporting the Bitcoin economy ecosystem. Targeted at open-source developers, builders, and educators working on the Stacks ecosystem.
- Critical Bounties RFP-style grants supporting Working Groups and Core Development focused on DevEx and Testing, Network Participants tooling, and Bitcoin layer research. Targeted at technical contributors delivering core protocol and tooling work.
- StacksAgent CLI AI-powered command-line tool that helps developers build on Stacks through natural language interaction and code assistance. Targeted at developers building on the Stacks ecosystem.
Quantifiable outcome
- Bitcoin DeFi reached $5.5 billion in total value locked
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Stacks Open Internet Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Stacks Open Internet Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Stacks Open Internet Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FireblockscoreFireblocks partnered with Stacks to integrate Bitcoin-based DeFi for institutional clients, providing access to lending and yield-bearing opportunities. The integration enables 5-second settlements while settling all transactions to the Bitcoin ledger, launching in early 2026. The partnership addresses key objections financial institutions have had with BTC-based DeFi applications.
- BrinkcoreThe Stacks Foundation partnered with Brink to support a full-time Brink Fellow for Bitcoin Core development. The sponsorship is paid directly with bitcoin yield generated via Stacking, marking the first time BTC yield has funded Bitcoin Core development. The Foundation Stacked 1,320,000 STX generating approximately $165,000 in BTC rewards over a year.
- Hiro SystemscoreHiro Systems provides developer tools for Stacks, including the Stacks API, Clarinet for testing Clarity smart contracts, Hiro Platform for browser-based contract deployment, and Stacks.js for dApp development. Hiro is a key infrastructure partner for the ecosystem.
- Trust MachinescoreTrust Machines builds Bitcoin apps in-house and invests in teams in the Stacks Ecosystem. They operate the Bitcoin Education Center and are a key ecosystem collaborator.
- GammacoreGamma is the NFT marketplace powering the top collections on Stacks, including Megapont Ape Club with 5.4M STX volume. They power the ecosystem NFT page and provide infrastructure for NFT trading.
- ALEX LabcoreALEX is an open-source DeFi protocol modeled on the world's financial markets, providing lending, borrowing, and other financial services on Stacks.
- DeSpreadminorConsultancy leading Stacks activity in Korea, specializing in the growth of crypto startups and protocols on the network.
- EasyAminorMobile app for learning Stacks development, helping onboard new developers to the ecosystem through educational challenges.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Stacks Open Internet Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Stacks Open Internet Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceStacks Open Internet Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stacks Open Internet Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Stacks Open Internet Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stacks Open Internet Foundation 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 Stacks Open Internet Foundation
What does Stacks Open Internet Foundation do?
Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a Delaware nonprofit foundation that stewards the Stacks Bitcoin Layer 2 ecosystem. It funds open-source development, runs grants and bounties programs, facilitates community governance through the Stacks Improvement Proposal (SIP) process, and supports developer education. Its associated technical stack includes the Stacks blockchain with Proof of Transfer consensus, the Clarity smart contract language, sBTC for Bitcoin bridging, and the Stacking yield mechanism paying approximately 10-12% APY in bitcoin.
Is Stacks Open Internet Foundation a public or private company?
Stacks Open Internet Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Stacks Open Internet Foundation founded?
Stacks Open Internet Foundation was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Stacks Open Internet Foundation based?
Stacks Open Internet Foundation is headquartered in Anaheim, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stacks Open Internet Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Bitcoin Yield Generation is the primary driver. The others are institutional DeFi Services.
Does Stacks Open Internet Foundation have an API?
Yes. Stacks offers public APIs and SDKs for developers to build on Bitcoin. The Stacks API by Hiro enables developers to query the Stacks blockchain, broadcast transactions, and scale projects. Stacks.js is a JavaScript SDK for decentralized app development. Chainhooks provides reorg-aware, IFTTT-compatible Bitcoin indexing for application events. Developer documentation is at docs.stacks.co.
What industry is Stacks Open Internet Foundation in?
Stacks Open Internet Foundation's product category is Blockchain Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAFAE, NFT Infrastructure APIs & Indexing (NFT data APIs, indexing, search, analytics). Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 6199.