Social Web Foundation
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Social Web Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Social Web Foundation
- Legal name
- Social Web Foundation
- Website
- https://socialwebfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Social Web Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Web Standards and Decentralized Social Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open-Source & Developer Communities (BPAMABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG), Community Hosting & Membership Platforms (MPACAJAF)
Keywords
Where Social Web Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Social Web Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grants: The Social Web Foundation is a fiscally-sponsored project of Exchange Point Institute, a US 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Tax-deductible donations support the mission, projects, and building the Fediverse. The organization receives project support through 2026.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Social Web Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Social Web Foundation builds tools, policies, and protocols to grow the Fediverse — the open, decentralized social web. Its work centers on advancing the ActivityPub protocol and Activity Streams 2.0 data format through extensions (end-to-end encryption, long-form text), operating a global hashtag server (tags.pub), producing educational onboarding resources, and conducting policy research on GDPR and privacy compliance for decentralized social networks.
Product overview
The Social Web Foundation (SWF) operates as a protocol-focused organization rather than a traditional product company. Its portfolio centers on the ActivityPub protocol and Activity Streams 2.0 data format, which form the technical foundation for the Fediverse (decentralized social web). SWF's products include End to End Encryption in ActivityPub (protocol extension for private messaging), Fediverse Starter Page (user onboarding tool), GDPR and ActivityPub (privacy compliance research), Long-form text on the Fediverse (extended content support), and tags.pub (global hashtag server). These products are organized around four program areas: People (public education and awareness), Policy (regulatory support), Protocol (standard development), and Plumbing (developer tools and infrastructure).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- tags.pub: A global hashtag server run by the Social Web Foundation that follows relay servers and boosts tagged content on the Fediverse.
Products and services
- End to End Encryption in ActivityPub A protocol extension project that expands the ActivityPub protocol to support encrypted direct messages, enhancing privacy and security for Fediverse users.
- Fediverse Starter Page An educational onboarding resource designed to help people learn about and get started with the social web and Fediverse.
- GDPR and ActivityPub A research initiative exploring the effects of ActivityPub protocol on GDPR and privacy compliance for decentralized social networks.
- Long-form text on the Fediverse A project focused on making long-form articles more usable and useful over the ActivityPub protocol for decentralized publishing.
- tags.pub A global hashtag server operated by the Social Web Foundation that follows relay servers and boosts tagged content across the Fediverse.
Companies that use Social Web Foundation
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Social Web Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature2 records
Social Web Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- AutomatticcorePartner in the SWF ecosystem working on ActivityPub implementations and the broader Fediverse.
- FlipboardcorePartner implementing ActivityPub support, allowing users to follow and interact with Fediverse content.
- GhostcorePublishing platform partner supporting ActivityPub for decentralized blogging.
- IFTAScoreIndependent organization working on sustainable infrastructure for the Fediverse.
- MastodoncorePrimary platform partner, the largest Fediverse server software. SWF's Research Director Evan Prodromou has historical ties to the decentralized social web movement.
- MediumcorePublishing platform partner enabling Fediverse sharing and discovery through ActivityPub.
- MetacorePartner enabling Threads users to share content on the Fediverse via ActivityPub integration.
- PixelfedcorePhoto-sharing platform partner in the Fediverse ecosystem.
- write.ascoreblogging platform partner enabling ActivityPub support for decentralized publishing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Social Web Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit that advocates for an open and healthy internet. Similar to SWF, it operates philanthropic programs supporting open web standards, digital rights, and decentralized web technologies.
- Open Source Initiative (OSI): OSI is a non-profit that advocates for open source software and stewards the Open Source Definition. SWF's open standards and open protocol work overlaps with OSI's mission to support open source ecosystems.
- Internet Society (ISOC): ISOC is a non-profit that promotes the open development, evolution, and use of the internet. SWF's policy work at IETF and UN mirrors ISOC's global internet governance and standards advocacy activities.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): EFF is a leading digital rights non-profit that engages in policy and standards advocacy. SWF's Mallory Knodel and the foundation's policy work overlap with EFF's digital civil liberties mission.
- W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): W3C is the international standards body for the web. SWF is an official W3C member and Evan Prodromou chaired the W3C Social Web Working Group that standardized ActivityPub, making W3C the closest institutional peer.
Direct peers
- IFTAS (International Federation of Trust and Safety for ActivityPub Servers): IFTAS is a non-profit providing trusted reporter and safety infrastructure for the Fediverse. Like SWF, it operates as a non-profit supporting ActivityPub infrastructure and is listed as a core SWF partner.
- Matrix.org Foundation: Matrix.org Foundation stewards the open Matrix messaging protocol under a UK non-profit structure. Like SWF, it is a non-profit foundation stewarding an open, decentralized communication standard.
- Mastodon gGmbH: Mastodon is the largest ActivityPub server software and a core SWF partner. Both operate as stewards of the Fediverse ecosystem, with Mastodon focused on the platform and SWF on the protocol layer.
Regional players
- DWeb Camp / Internet Archive: Internet Archive hosts DWeb Camp, an event SWF actively participates in. Both organizations share a mission to preserve an open, decentralized web and engage in community-led stewardship.
Emerging players
- WordPress Foundation / Automattic ActivityPub Plugin: Automattic has built an ActivityPub plugin for WordPress.com and is a core SWF partner. Together they extend the Fediverse into the publishing ecosystem, making WordPress a comparable open-publishing peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Social Web Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceSocial Web Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Social Web Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Social Web Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Social Web Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about Social Web Foundation
What does Social Web Foundation do?
Social Web Foundation builds tools, policies, and protocols to grow the Fediverse — the open, decentralized social web. Its work centers on advancing the ActivityPub protocol and Activity Streams 2.0 data format through extensions (end-to-end encryption, long-form text), operating a global hashtag server (tags.pub), producing educational onboarding resources, and conducting policy research on GDPR and privacy compliance for decentralized social networks.
Is Social Web Foundation a public or private company?
Social Web Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Social Web Foundation founded?
Social Web Foundation was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Social Web Foundation based?
Social Web Foundation is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Social Web Foundation make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grants.
Who are Social Web Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mozilla Foundation, Open Source Initiative (OSI), Internet Society (ISOC), Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). Direct peers are IFTAS (International Federation of Trust and Safety for ActivityPub Servers), Matrix.org Foundation and Mastodon gGmbH. DWeb Camp / Internet Archive is listed as a regional player. WordPress Foundation / Automattic ActivityPub Plugin is listed as an emerging player.
Does Social Web Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Social Web Foundation.
What industry is Social Web Foundation in?
Social Web Foundation's product category is Open Web Standards and Decentralized Social Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAM, Open-Source & Developer Communities, with a secondary code of BPAMADAG, Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 81321 and its SIC code is 8600.