What Mara Foundation does

Mara Foundation is a Dubai-headquartered, UAE-domiciled non-profit social enterprise founded in 2010 by Ashish Thakkar, operating a multi-pronged blockchain-focused portfolio across the African continent. The foundation's stated purpose combines entrepreneurship and economic development with blockchain-enabled solutions in financial inclusion, climate resilience, and wildlife conservation, with concrete programming delivered through three pillars: a Developer Training Programme executed via an ambassador network in collaboration with Circle (the USDC and EURC issuer); the Hack the Mara Hackathon for African-led blockchain innovation; and the Mara Wildlife NFT initiative, which uses tokenization to channel funding toward wildlife conservation in the Mara ecosystem. The organization also incubates hackathon finalists through a partnership with Antler Kenya, providing mentorship and potential venture funding.

Technically, the foundation is built around blockchain infrastructure rather than proprietary software product sales. Its technology footprint spans stablecoin rails (via Circle), mining-protocol development (via the Stratum V2 Working Group), and non-fungible token issuance for conservation. On May 7, 2026, the foundation joined the Stratum V2 Working Group alongside major Bitcoin mining pools (AntPool, Block Inc, F2Pool, Foundry, SpiderPool, and DMND), co-founded in 2022 by Braiins and Spiral (Block's Bitcoin technology arm), representing tens of exahashes per second of combined hashrate and targeting an open mining protocol that promises up to 7.4% higher miner profitability.

Mara Foundation serves four primary stakeholder groups: African developers and aspiring blockchain engineers seeking training; early-stage African blockchain and Web3 startups requiring incubation and mentorship; underserved populations targeted by blockchain-based financial inclusion initiatives; and wildlife conservation stakeholders in the Mara region. As a non-profit, the foundation does not operate a conventional commercial revenue or pricing model — its inputs explicitly state pricing is not applicable — and its distribution relies on community-driven channels, hackathons, ambassador networks, and strategic partners rather than traditional sales motions. The entity is privately held with 11–50 employees, no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no parent company structure recorded in the source data.

Name

Mara Foundation

Website

https://mara-foundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mara Foundation is a Dubai-based non-profit founded in 2010 by Ashish Thakkar, running pan-African blockchain programs including developer training with Circle, the Hack the Mara Hackathon, Antler Kenya incubation, and the Mara Wildlife NFT for conservation, while also participating in the Stratum V2 Bitcoin mining working group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Blockchain Education and Ecosystem Development

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Blockchain education
• Developer training programs
• Conservation NFTs
• Hackathon programs
• African blockchain ecosystem

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Mara Foundation is a non-profit foundation that operates pan-African blockchain programs including developer training delivered through an ambassador network in collaboration with Circle, the Hack the Mara Hackathon for fostering blockchain innovation, startup incubation delivered via Antler Kenya, and the Mara Wildlife NFT initiative for ecological conservation funding. The Foundation also participates in the Stratum V2 Working Group alongside major Bitcoin mining pools to contribute to open mining protocol standards.

Product overview

Mara Foundation is a multi-pronged blockchain initiative operating across Africa, encompassing developer training, financial inclusion, climate resilience, and wildlife conservation. The Foundation offers several distinct programs including the Mara Wildlife NFT for ecological protection, the Hack the Mara Hackathon for fostering blockchain innovation, and a Developer Training Programme delivered in partnership with Circle. The Foundation also participates in Bitcoin mining operations through the Stratum V2 protocol, representing tens of exahashes per second of combined hashrate.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mara Wildlife NFT: An NFT initiative focused on wildlife conservation, part of Mara Foundation's blockchain programs in Africa.
• Hack the Mara Hackathon

Products and services

• Mara Wildlife NFT
• Hack the Mara Hackathon
• Developer Training Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 7.4% higher profitability for miners through Stratum V2 protocol adoption (through participation in Stratum V2 Working Group)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Circle, issuer of USD Coin (USDC) and Euro Coin (EURC), collaborates with Mara Foundation to deliver developer training, hackathons, and blockchain education via the foundation's ambassador network. This partnership provides access to stablecoin infrastructure and education resources for African developers.
• Antler KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Antler Kenya partners with Mara Foundation to offer incubation services to hackathon finalist teams. This provides African blockchain startups with access to mentorship, business development support, and potential funding through Antler's venture platform.
• Stratum V2 Working GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Mara Foundation joined the Stratum V2 Working Group alongside six other major Bitcoin mining pools (AntPool, Block Inc, F2Pool, Foundry, SpiderPool, DMND) to develop industry-wide open standard protocol for communication between pool operators and individual miners. The working group was founded in 2022 by Braiins and Spiral (Block's Bitcoin technology arm).
• BraiinsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Braiins co-founded the Stratum V2 Working Group in 2022. Mara Foundation's participation in this working group enables contribution to the development of open mining protocol standards that offer miners up to 7.4% higher profitability through lower latency, better fee capture, and end-to-end authenticated encryption.
• Spiral (Block's Bitcoin Technology Arm)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026Spiral, Block's Bitcoin technology arm, co-founded the Stratum V2 Working Group in 2022 alongside Braiins. The working group is entering a new deployment phase with the seven new additions representing tens of exahashes per second of combined hashrate.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Web3 Foundation: A Swiss-based foundation that funds research and development teams building the decentralized web, including developer grants and ecosystem programs. Comparable to Mara Foundation in operating as a grantmaking and ecosystem-development foundation for a specific blockchain community.
• Stellar Development Foundation: A non-profit organization that supports the Stellar blockchain network, including financial inclusion initiatives in emerging markets. Comparable to Mara Foundation in combining blockchain ecosystem development with financial inclusion missions in Africa-adjacent regions.
• Binance Charity Foundation: A non-profit arm of Binance that uses blockchain technology to deliver charitable and humanitarian programs globally. Highly comparable to Mara Foundation as both use crypto infrastructure for social impact and education across emerging markets.
• Filecoin Foundation: A non-profit organization coordinating the Filecoin ecosystem, including grants and developer support programs. Comparable to Mara Foundation in operating as a protocol-aligned foundation funding developer training and ecosystem development.
• Gitcoin: A platform and community that funds open-source and blockchain public goods through quadratic grants and developer programs. Comparable to Mara Foundation in funding blockchain developer activity and ecosystem-building through community-driven grantmaking mechanisms.
• Bitcoin Foundation: A non-profit organization historically supporting Bitcoin ecosystem development, standards, and developer engagement. Comparable to Mara Foundation given its aligned Bitcoin mining protocol work via the Stratum V2 Working Group.
• Polygon Foundation: The foundation supporting the Polygon blockchain ecosystem, including builder grants and developer programs. Comparable to Mara Foundation through its ecosystem-grantmaking and developer-incubation activities targeting Web3 builders.

Regional players

• Tony Elumelu Foundation: A pan-African philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship and economic development across the continent. Comparable to Mara Foundation through its shared mission of African entrepreneurship support, though without a blockchain-specific focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ethereum Foundation: A major non-profit foundation supporting the Ethereum ecosystem through grants, research, and developer education. Comparable to Mara Foundation as a blockchain-focused grantmaking foundation, though at materially larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• Mozilla Foundation: A major non-profit foundation supporting open-source technology, internet health, and developer communities globally. Comparable to Mara Foundation as a tech-mission-driven foundation funding training, community, and ecosystem development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marafoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mara-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Mara Foundation