Linea
Linea is a private Ethereum Layer 2 protocol built by Consensys using zkEVM technology to provide full Ethereum equivalence with low fees and high throughput. It serves Web3 developers, retail DeFi users, and financial institutions including Mastercard, Visa, JP Morgan, and SWIFT.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Linea does
Linea is a private Ethereum Layer 2 network built and incubated by Consensys (founded 2023) that uses a Type 2 zkEVM (zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine) — described as the only 100% proven zkEVM with full EVM bytecode and semantics equivalence — to deliver Ethereum-aligned infrastructure with ultra-low fees, rapid settlement, and sequencer throughput of more than 100 mGas/s. Its core product is the Linea L2 network, supplemented by the native Linea Bridge, the LINEA token (TGE on 10 September 2025 with 72B max supply, 85% ecosystem allocation and no VC/insider allocation), the Lineth open-source ZK-rollup stack contributed to the Linux Foundation Decentralized Trust, an ENS-based Linea Names service, a Proof-of-Humanity biometric verification system, the Verax attestation registry (6M attestations, 1.5M+ unique users), LineaScan explorer, an Immunefi-hosted bug bounty, and Yield Boost for native staking on bridged ETH. The protocol distinguishes itself technically via a multi-prover architecture (TEEs combined with zkVMs), Phlyax Credible Layer security, EIP-7702 programmable account controls, and a dual-burn mechanism that simultaneously deflate ETH (20% of net gas fees) and LINEA (80% of net gas fees).
The business model is usage-based: revenue accrues to the Linea sequencer from the spread between L2 gas fees paid in ETH and the Layer-1 settlement cost, supplemented by custom enterprise engagements for tokenization, payments, and institutional deployment negotiated through a dedicated Strategic Inquiries channel. Distribution is dual-track — community-led for developers and retail DeFi users via documentation, Discord, hackathons, grants, and airdrops, and direct enterprise sales for banks, payment networks (Visa, Mastercard), asset managers, and SWIFT (which selected Linea for a real-time-settlement pilot with 30+ financial institutions including BNP Paribas and BNY Mellon). Customer segments span retail DeFi users, Web3 developers, financial institutions, and traditional-finance correspondents; consortium governance is delivered through the Linea Association (Swiss non-profit) and the Linea Consortium (Consensys, Eigen Labs, ENS Labs, SharpLink, Status). Headcount is reported in the 11-50 band and the entity is bootstrapped by Consensys with $30M of strategic investment activity disclosed (Attention Series B participation).
Linea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Linea
- Legal name
- Linea Association
- Website
- https://linea.build
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Linea is a private Ethereum Layer 2 protocol built by Consensys using zkEVM technology to provide full Ethereum equivalence with low fees and high throughput. It serves Web3 developers, retail DeFi users, and financial institutions including Mastercard, Visa, JP Morgan, and SWIFT.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Linea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Layer 2 Blockchain Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (52321)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Smart Contract Execution Environments (EVM/WASM, runtimes, precompiles) (FSAPABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Permissioned Blockchain Platforms & Frameworks (Hyperledger, Corda, Quorum) (FSAPAIAA)
Keywords
Where Linea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Linea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Gas Fees (Protocol Revenue): All transactions on Linea pay gas fees in ETH. Revenue is generated from L2 transaction fees minus Layer 1 costs. 20% of net gas fees are burned (ETH deflation) and 80% used to burn LINEA tokens.
- Sequencer Revenue: Sequencer ordering and finalizing transactions generates revenue from the spread between L1 and L2 gas pricing. As throughput increases (100+ mGas/s), sequencer revenue scales with network activity.
- Ecosystem Fund Management: 75% of LINEA token supply (54B tokens) allocated to Ecosystem Fund managed by Linea Consortium for grants, public goods, and builder support. While not direct revenue, this drives ecosystem growth and network value.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Protocol Access (Free) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Services (Quote-based) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels9 records
Linea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Linea is a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) Layer 2 network that scales Ethereum by executing transactions off-chain and posting validity proofs on Layer 1. It provides developers and enterprises with an EVM-equivalent environment for deploying smart contracts and DeFi applications, and offers an open-source zkEVM stack (Lineth/Linea Stack) that other parties can use to deploy equivalent chains.
Product overview
Linea is an Ethereum Layer 2 network built from first principles by Consensys to strengthen Ethereum and the ETH economy. It uses zkEVM technology to provide 100% proven Ethereum equivalence with rapid settlement and ultra-low fees, 10x ZK proving performance, and full compatibility with Ethereum tooling. The ecosystem consists of the core L2 network, the LINEA token (launched September 2025) with 85% ecosystem allocation, the Linea Bridge for asset transfers, Linea Names (ENS subdomain service for human-readable wallet addresses), Lineth (formerly Linea Stack - open-source ZK rollup stack now under Linux Foundation governance), Proof of Humanity and Verax for identity/attestation, MetaMask Card for crypto payments, Linea Hub as the ecosystem gateway, LineaScan explorer, Bug Bounty program, and Yield Boost for ETH staking rewards. The network leverages native ETH burning and productive ETH mechanics to channel value back to Ethereum L1.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Linea Core L2 Network A zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) Layer 2 network that bundles transactions off-chain and posts validity proofs to Ethereum Layer 1. It provides EVM-equivalent execution for smart contracts and DeFi applications and is positioned for both enterprise financial institution settlement and self-serve developer deployment.
- LINEA Token The native token of the Linea network, introduced through a Token Generation Event in September 2025 with an ecosystem-aligned supply and distribution governed by the Linea Association and Linea Consortium.
- Linea Bridge
Quantifiable outcome
- 100 mGas/s sustained throughput with 218 mGas/s peak
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Linea
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Linea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature10 records
Linea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Linux Foundation Decentralized TrustcoreLinea Consortium became premier member. Contributed open-source ZK rollup stack (renamed Lineth) as newest code project under neutral open source governance. First major L2 technology stack under foundation control for progressive decentralization.
- SWIFTcoreSWIFT selected Linea for its first major blockchain pilot moving beyond messaging to real-time settlement platform. Over 30 global financial institutions including BNP Paribas and BNY Mellon testing tokenized bank balances, smart contract compliance, stablecoins and CBDCs.
- ConsensyscoreParent company and incubator of Linea. Developed core zkEVM technology. Retains 15% of LINEA tokens under 5-year lockup. Provides ongoing protocol development and product alignment. Joseph Lubin is Founder/CEO of Consensys and Co-founder of Ethereum.
- Eigen LabscoreFounding member of Linea Consortium. Provides EigenDA data availability services. Supports Linea developers building cloud-scale applications on EigenCloud with verifiable, slashable cloud services.
- ENS LabscoreFounding member of Linea Consortium. Deploying ENS Namechain on Linea. Committed to ensuring Linea remains credibly neutral and Ethereum-aligned for this critical L2 infrastructure.
- SharpLinkcoreFounding member of Linea Consortium. Major ETH accumulator with 876,000 ETH. Deployed $170M in ETH staking on Linea. Co-CEO Joseph Chalom: 'Institutions value platform stability and are always building for the long-term.'
- Status NetworkcoreFounding member of Linea Consortium. Building Status Network as first natively gasless L2 built on Linea with SNT burn mechanics tied to ecosystem growth.
- MastercardflagshipGlobal payments technology company. Leveraging Linea for tokenization, payments, trading, and onchain settlement infrastructure. Part of enterprise go-to-market.
- VisaflagshipGlobal payments technology company. Leveraging Linea for tokenization, payments, trading, and onchain settlement infrastructure. Part of enterprise go-to-market.
- JP MorganflagshipMajor financial institution leveraging Linea's enterprise-grade infrastructure for tokenization and institutional DeFi applications.
- MetaMaskcoreLinea's sister product from Consensys. MetaMask provides native wallet support with seamless UX for Linea users. MetaMask Card integration enables crypto payments with rewards.
- AavecoreWorld's largest decentralized liquidity protocol deployed on Linea. Users can supply, borrow, swap, and stake. Proto Linea V3 market live.
- UniswapcoreFull trading stack deployed on Linea enabling spot trading, liquidity provision, and advanced order types. Uniswap v4 hooks and full DEX functionality on L2.
- ChainlinkcoreIndustry-standard Web3 services platform and leading decentralized oracle network. Provides data feeds and cross-chain messaging for Linea ecosystem.
- CirclecoreUSDC issuer. Native stablecoin integration on Linea for DeFi transactions and institutional settlements.
- FireblockscoreInstitutional digital asset custody and infrastructure. Enables secure storage and management of assets on Linea for institutional users.
- LidocoreLiquid staking protocol enabling ETH staking on Linea. Provides yield on bridged ETH assets.
- MetaMask CardcoreCrypto payment card enabling spending with crypto and earning rewards onchain and IRL. Smart contract innovations integrated with Linea.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Linea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Optimism (OP Labs): Direct peer: founder of the OP Stack and Superchain vision; another large L2 competitor pursuing ecosystem-aligned tokenomics and developer/enterprise onboarding similar to Linea's Consortium-led approach.
- Starknet (StarkWare): Direct peer: validity-proof L2 using STARKs with its own Cairo VM and STRK token. Targets DeFi and institutional use cases (including payments and tokenization) and competes for the same Ethereum-aligned L2 narrative and developer capital as Linea.
- Polygon zkEVM: Direct peer: Polygon Labs' zkEVM-equivalent rollup and broader Polygon ecosystem, sharing nearly identical full-EVM-compatibility value proposition and competing for the same institutional, payments, and tokenization customers as Linea.
- zkSync (Matter Labs): Direct peer: also a zkEVM Type 2/4 rollup targeting Ethereum equivalence with a developer token and enterprise focus. Competes head-to-head with Linea for dApp migrations, institutional tokenization workloads, and ZK-rollup developer mindshare.
- Arbitrum (Offchain Labs): Direct peer: largest optimistic rollup by TVL with the deepest DeFi liquidity (Aave, Uniswap, Curve). A primary share donor in the L2 market Linea is contesting, and a benchmark for ecosystem design and sequencer economics.
- Scroll: Direct peer: zkEVM rollup pursuing byte-code-level EVM equivalence with native token launches, contending with Linea for Ethereum-native dApps and developer-led migration flows.
- Base (Coinbase): Direct peer: OP-Stack L2 incubated by Coinbase with strong fiat on-ramps and aggressive enterprise/consumer onboarding; competes with Linea for institutional credibility and retail developer mindshare.
Broad incumbents
- Consensys (parent): Broader incumbent and parent company of Linea; develops MetaMask, Infura, and other Ethereum infrastructure. Strong strategic alignment but a distinct entity whose other products also shape the broader Ethereum stack Linea operates within.
Emerging players
- Immutable: Emerging ZK-focused L2/appchain platform targeting gaming and consumer applications with validity proofs; competes with Linea for ZK-rollup mindshare in specific verticals but with narrower institutional/DeFi overlap.
Others
- EigenLayer / Eigen Labs: Linea Consortium member providing EigenDA data-availability services; not a direct competitor but a strategic infrastructure partner whose restaking and AVS ecosystem heavily shapes Linea's economic and developer positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Linea social profiles
Digital presenceLinea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Linea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Linea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Linea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Linea
What does Linea do?
Linea is a zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) Layer 2 network that scales Ethereum by executing transactions off-chain and posting validity proofs on Layer 1. It provides developers and enterprises with an EVM-equivalent environment for deploying smart contracts and DeFi applications, and offers an open-source zkEVM stack (Lineth/Linea Stack) that other parties can use to deploy equivalent chains.
Is Linea a public or private company?
Linea is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Linea founded?
Linea was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Linea based?
Linea is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Linea make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Gas Fees (Protocol Revenue) is the primary driver. The others are sequencer Revenue and ecosystem Fund Management.
Who are Linea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Optimism (OP Labs), Starknet (StarkWare), Polygon zkEVM, zkSync (Matter Labs), Arbitrum (Offchain Labs), Scroll and Base (Coinbase). Consensys (parent) is listed as a broad incumbent. Immutable is listed as an emerging player. EigenLayer / Eigen Labs is listed as an others.
Does Linea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Linea.
What industry is Linea in?
Linea's product category is Layer 2 Blockchain Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPABAA, Smart Contract Execution Environments (EVM/WASM, runtimes, precompiles), with a secondary code of FSAPAIAA, Permissioned Blockchain Platforms & Frameworks (Hyperledger, Corda, Quorum). Its NAICS code is 52321 and its SIC code is 6200.