Web Standards Project

What Web Standards Project does

The Web Standards Project (WaSP) was a volunteer-run grassroots coalition founded in 1998 by Glenn Davis, George Olsen, and Jeffrey Zeldman to lobby browser vendors (initially Microsoft and Netscape) to support W3C standards and end the browser wars that were fragmenting the web and inflating development costs. From 2001 onward, after the browser wars subsided, WaSP pivoted toward educating web designers and developers, working with software makers (Macromedia/Adobe) to improve code quality in tools like Dreamweaver, and producing the Acid2 (April 2005) and Acid3 (March 2008) browser compliance tests that became de facto industry benchmarks.

Its core products were not commercial offerings but open advocacy and educational assets: the InterAct web standards curriculum framework (launched March 2009 with 6 learning tracks, later transferred to W3C oversight), the Small Business Outreach program, the Education Task Force, the International Liaison Group coordinating 30+ volunteer translators across 18 languages, the Web Standards Sherpa mentorship site, and the Browser Upgrade Campaign. Formally announced as closed on March 1, 2013 with the 'Our Work Here is Done' statement, WaSP did not generate revenue, had no paid staff, and operated on contributed effort from a global network of web professionals.

Name

Web Standards Project

Legal name

The Web Standards Project

Website

https://webstandards.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Web Standards Project was a volunteer-run grassroots coalition founded in 1998 that advocated for W3C compliance among browser vendors and educated web developers, producing the Acid2/Acid3 browser tests and InterAct curriculum before closing in March 2013.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Standards Advocacy and Developer Education

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADANAA

International Standards Development & Standardization Bodies

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYBPADANAD

Conformity Assessment, Testing, Inspection & Certification Cooperation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYEDADADAH

Curriculum, Standards & Assessment Policy Research

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Education Policy, Research & Think Tanks

SECONDARYEDALAGAG

Digital Accessibility & Web/App Compliance (WCAG)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/Disability Services & Accessibility

Keywords

• Web standards advocacy
• Browser compliance testing
• Open web education
• Standards-based curriculum
• Web accessibility initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. No commercial revenue model: The Web Standards Project is a volunteer-run advocacy organization with no commercial products or services. It does not generate revenue from its activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Web Standards Project (WaSP) is a grassroots advocacy coalition that promotes the adoption of W3C web standards by creating browser compliance testing frameworks (the Acid test series), developing open educational curricula (InterAct) for web developers, and coordinating community advocacy efforts with browser manufacturers and standards bodies. The organization produces freely distributed educational resources, advocacy campaigns, and browser testing tools rather than commercial products.

Product overview

The Web Standards Project (WaSP) is a grassroots advocacy coalition rather than a traditional product company. Their offerings consist of educational resources and advocacy initiatives: InterAct is a web standards curriculum with 6 learning tracks now overseen by the W3C; the Small Business Outreach Committee provides guidance for small businesses on web standards best practices; the Education Task Force promotes standards instruction in educational institutions; the International Liaison Group coordinates global standards advocacy; Web Standards Sherpa offers educational mentorship; and the Acid2 and Acid3 Browser Tests are compliance testing tools for browser makers. These initiatives collectively work toward WaSP's mission of ensuring simple, affordable access to web technologies for all.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• InterAct: Web Standards Curriculum A living, open curriculum based upon web standards and best practices, designed to teach students the skills of the web professional. The curriculum framework has 6 learning tracks, is adaptable and reusable under open licensing, and is now overseen by the W3C.
• Acid2 Browser Test A test page written to help browser vendors ensure proper support for web standards, particularly HTML and CSS rendering compliance.
• Acid3 Browser Test The third in a series of test pages written to help browser vendors ensure proper support for web standards. Tests specifications for Web 2.0 dynamic Web applications including DOM2, ECMAScript, HTML4, CSS2/3, SVG, and more.
• Web Standards Sherpa An educational resource founded by WaSP which continues to operate under the leadership of Chris Casciano, Virginia DeBolt, Aaron Gustafson, and Emily Lewis, providing mentorship and guidance on web standards.
• Small Business Outreach WaSP's Small Business Outreach Committee seeks to broaden the reach of web standards by informing small businesses about best practices in commissioning and building websites. Includes interview guides and resources for small businesses hiring web developers.
• Education Task Force The Education Task Force works with educational institutions to promote instruction of Web standards and standards-compliant public sites.
• International Liaison Group An international collective of web professionals promoting the global use of standards to ensure an equitable Web. Coordinates translations and localizations of WaSP materials into 18+ languages through 30+ volunteer translators.
• Browser Upgrade Campaign An initiative to encourage users to upgrade their browsers to newer versions with better standards support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Browser wars ended with major browsers (IE, Firefox, Safari, Opera) achieving standards compliance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• AdobemajorTechnology or Integration · 10 March 2008Dreamweaver Task Force renamed Adobe Task Force to reflect widened scope of working with Adobe to improve standards compliance in Dreamweaver and other tools. Previously focused on Macromedia Dreamweaver.
• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2008Standards body whose recommendations WaSP advocated for. InterAct curriculum now overseen by W3C. Deep ongoing collaboration on web education and standards development.
• International Liaison GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2007International collective of web professionals promoting global use of standards. Led by Molly E. Holzschlag to create global network for standards advocacy.
• MicrosoftmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2005Formal WaSP/Microsoft Corporation Task Force to provide technical guidance and advice as Microsoft increased web standards support in its products. Critical partnership in convincing the dominant browser maker to prioritize standards compliance.
• Opera SoftwareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2005Opera endorsed WaSP efforts on launch day and has done good work paying attention to standards. Opera was first major browser to fully support CSS.
• WaSP Accessibility Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2005Task force bringing together accessibility specialists from across the world to work with accessibility organizations and technology vendors to promote web accessibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Mozilla Foundation: Nonprofit steward of Firefox and advocate for an open, accessible web. Mozilla shares WaSP's mission of standards-based interoperability and was one of the browser makers WaSP engaged with on compliance.
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): The international standards body whose recommendations WaSP advocated for and now oversees the InterAct curriculum. W3C is the primary standards-setting organization in WaSP's orbit and the most direct comparable in mission scope.
• Google Chrome DevRel: Browser vendor developer relations and standards education team. Represents the modern equivalent of the vendor-engagement work WaSP pioneered with Microsoft and Netscape, but backed by the dominant browser vendor.

Direct peers

• WHATWG: Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group, focused on evolving HTML and related web platform specifications. WHATWG emerged from the same standards-fragmentation era that WaSP addressed and is now a primary standards-development body for the web.
• Web Platform Project (WebPlatform.org): Community-driven web standards documentation and Q&A resource explicitly named in WaSP's closure announcement as a successor effort. Chris Mills and Doug Schepers (both standards advocates) led the project, making it a direct continuation of WaSP's educational work.
• A List Apart: Web design and development magazine founded and published by WaSP co-founder Jeffrey Zeldman. It is the direct continuation of WaSP's mission to educate web professionals and was explicitly named in WaSP's closure announcement as a successor effort.
• Web Standards Sherpa: Educational resource founded by WaSP in 2011 and continued post-closure under separate leadership. Direct successor entity focused on mentorship and guidance on web standards.

Emerging players

• MDN Web Docs: Comprehensive web platform documentation resource maintained by Mozilla and the community. Comparable to WaSP's educational mission (InterAct curriculum) but at much larger current scale, and serves as a primary reference for web standards today.
• Can I Use: Browser compatibility reference data tables covering web standards support across browsers. Conceptually analogous to WaSP's Acid tests — both serve as compliance/standards-support benchmarks — but focused on reference data rather than conformance testing.
• HTML5 Doctor: Educational resource and discussion forum on HTML5, led by Bruce Lawson. Named in WaSP's closure announcement as a successor effort and serves a similar audience of web developers learning standards.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/111299198947422
• Xx.com/wasp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/web-standards-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Web Standards Project