Name

Mina Foundation

Legal name

Mina Foundation

Website

https://minafoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Blockchain Protocol Foundation / Ecosystem Stewardship

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Open-End Investment Funds (525910)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Delegation, Representation & Voting Power Markets (FSAPAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Fund Governance Support (Board/Trustee, Minutes, Policies, Oversight) (FSAAAMAH)

Keywords

• Zero-knowledge blockchain
• Blockchain foundation stewardship
• Ecosystem grants programs
• Decentralized treasury management
• Delegation staking program

Headquarters

HQ city

Myrtle Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. MINA Token Holdings Management: As a nonprofit foundation (Stiftung) based in Switzerland, Mina Foundation manages MINA token holdings for ecosystem support, grants distribution, and treasury management. The foundation operates token sale methodology working with third-party non-US professional service providers to convert MINA to fiat for operational expenses.
2. Delegation Program Staking Rewards: Prior to 2025 transition, the foundation participated in proof-of-stake through its Delegation Program, earning staking rewards on delegated tokens that were used for ecosystem support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mina Foundation is a Switzerland-based nonprofit foundation (Stiftung) that stewards the Mina Protocol ecosystem, a zero-knowledge blockchain for the private, provable web. The foundation itself does not sell commercial products or services; it manages a treasury of MINA tokens, distributes grants to ecosystem builders (zkIgnite, Mina Navigators, Core Grants), delegates staking voting power to community block producers via the Delegation Program, and is developing a Decentralized Treasury for community-governed funding.

Product overview

Mina Foundation supports a portfolio of products and programs centered on the Mina Protocol, a blockchain for the private, provable web using zero-knowledge proofs. The core offering is the Mina Protocol itself, which provides decentralized proof generation and verification. Surrounding the core protocol, the Foundation operates several grant and developer programs: zkIgnite (a cohort-based innovation program), Mina Navigators (developer onboarding), Core Grants (protocol improvement funding), the Delegation Program (decentralizing governance), and the Decentralized Treasury (community-controlled funding). These programs collectively support ecosystem growth and decentralization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mina Protocol The blockchain for the private, provable web, solving the erosion of trust on the internet with zero-knowledge proofs. Its unique 'proof of everything' architecture provides a decentralized proof layer enabling users to verify data and interactions while ensuring trust and privacy without third-party platforms. Mina's lightweight design enables it to run directly in a browser, ensuring user data never leaves their device. Developed operationally by o1Labs and stewarded by Mina Foundation.
• zkIgnite A cohort-based, community-governed innovation program for builders in the Mina ecosystem. Developers submit proposals, receive funding through grants, and are matched with mentors to develop zero-knowledge applications and infrastructure. Cohort 3 funded 29 projects building zkApps, developer tools, and infrastructure.
• Mina Navigators An ongoing developer program for new builders to get started building on Mina Protocol. Through hackathons, curriculum, and learn-to-earn technical challenges, Navigators accelerate understanding of ZK technology and Mina and are rewarded for their participation with monthly grants.
• Core Grants A grants program supporting projects committed to improving Mina Protocol. Focuses on ecosystem advancements covering specific deliverables such as token standards, zkOracles, DA layers, and public goods. Operated as an open-source funding repository.
• Delegation Program A program that delegates voting power from Mina Foundation tokens to community block producers to promote decentralization within the Mina Protocol ecosystem. Up to 80 external validators receive delegation based on an Eligibility Score covering uptime, community engagement, contributions, and program participation; validators must pass AML/KYC checks.
• Decentralized Treasury An initiative to create a decentralized on-chain community treasury that will allow the Mina community to collectively decide on funding allocations for ecosystem development. The current working target is 55 million MINA tokens, audited by zkSecurity, Trail of Bits, and reviewed by Aragon.

Quantifiable outcome

• 270,639 unique accounts on Mina ledger as of June 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trail of BitscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2026Conducted one of two comprehensive independent security audits for the Decentralized Treasury in Q1 2026, identifying a small number of issues currently being addressed.
• o1LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Strategic transfer of core functions from Mina Foundation to o1Labs including engineering and development, marketing and communications, community growth and engagement, tools and infrastructure, grants programs, and the delegation program. o1Labs now leads these critical areas with renewed focus and tighter community feedback loops. Mina Foundation has scaled back to focus on the decentralized treasury.
• AragonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Conducted a review of the Decentralized Treasury design and published its findings, supporting the design review process for the treasury implementation.
• CelestiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Joint grant from Mina Foundation and Celestia enabled Geometry Research to release an implementation for verifying Celestia data-availability proofs in Mina, supporting interoperability between the two protocols.
• zkSecuritycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Security audit partner for Mina Foundation projects including the Fungible Token Standard audit and Decentralized Treasury audits. Conducted comprehensive security audits including two independent audits for the Decentralized Treasury in Q1 2026.
• ProtokitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024After participating in zkIgnite cohorts 1, 2, and 3, Protokit founders Raphael Panic and Matej Sima joined Mina Foundation full-time in July 2024 to continue development of Protokit, a protocol development framework for privacy-enabled application chains.
• FinoaminorOthers · 1 January 2023Custodian for Mina Foundation's assets. Due to recent changes in support from Finoa, Mina Foundation paused the Delegation Program until the Decentralized Treasury is deployed.
• Electric CapitalminorOthers · 1 January 2023Developer analytics provider whose Electric Capital Developer Report is used as the source for GitHub commit and developer activity metrics across Mina ecosystem.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Zcash Foundation: Swiss-style nonprofit foundation stewarding a privacy-focused blockchain (Zcash). Most directly comparable peer given overlapping privacy/ZK mission and nonprofit foundation structure.
• Web3 Foundation: Foundation supporting Polkadot/Kusama ecosystem with grants and governance. Shares Swiss foundation structure and Mina Foundation's General Counsel previously served here.
• Tezos Foundation: Swiss-based foundation stewarding the Tezos blockchain. Shares Swiss foundation structure, treasury management, and grantmaking functions.
• Interchain Foundation: Foundation supporting Cosmos/IBC ecosystem; shares board leadership (Josh Cincinnati) with Mina Foundation. Closely linked through personnel and Swiss foundation structure.

Broad incumbents

• Ethereum Foundation: Swiss nonprofit foundation supporting Ethereum ecosystem. Comparable governance and grantmaking model for a major L1 blockchain ecosystem.
• Solana Foundation: Nonprofit foundation stewarding Solana L1 ecosystem with grants and developer programs. Comparable in scale of foundation-managed ecosystem treasury.
• Algorand Foundation: Foundation supporting the Algorand L1 ecosystem with grants, governance, and developer programs. Similar nonprofit stewardship model.
• Polygon Labs: Major ZK-rollup ecosystem (Polygon zkEVM, Polygon Miden) competing for ZK developer talent and capital. Comparable technology category with much larger ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Starknet Foundation: Foundation stewarding the Starknet ZK-rollup ecosystem with grants and developer programs. Direct competitor in ZK-rollup/zkApp developer mindshare.
• Celestia Foundation: Foundation behind Celestia modular DA blockchain; strategic partner on cross-chain proof verification. Comparable Swiss-style nonprofit stewardship of a modular blockchain ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/minafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mina-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mina Foundation