blacksky algorithms
Blacksky Algorithms Inc. develops decentralized infrastructure on the AT Protocol for community-governed social networking, primarily serving Black users seeking safe, moderated online spaces. Products include the Blacksky App, Acorn, Blacksky Cash, and curated feeds, funded via community donations and grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What blacksky algorithms does
Blacksky Algorithms Inc. is an independent, community-driven organization founded in 2023 by Rudy Fraser that develops decentralized infrastructure for community-governed online spaces, primarily serving Black users and other communities seeking safe, moderated social networking alternatives to mainstream platforms. The company operates its own complete infrastructure stack on the AT Protocol (Authenticated Transfer Protocol), including a custom Rust-based Personal Data Server called rsky, an Appview, custom community feeds, a moderation labeler built on Bluesky's open-source Ozone, and relay services. The stack is fully independent from Bluesky Social, PBC while remaining interoperable with the broader AT Protocol network, analogous to how Gmail and Proton Mail coexist on standard email protocols.
Core products include the Blacksky App, a standalone social networking client serving more than 3 million community members with community-centered moderation, permissioned "Blacksky-only" posts (the first such implementation on AT Protocol), AI preference settings, and community-specific trending topics; Acorn, a community infrastructure platform enabling other communities to deploy custom feeds, badges, clients, democratic polling, and dedicated PDS hosting; Blacksky Cash, a peer-to-peer and collaborative group payments platform supporting susus (rotating savings circles) and mutual aid; the People's Assembly, a community voting platform for governance decisions on new features, policies, and product direction; and a suite of curated feeds including Blacksky: Blackademics (academic), Blacksky: Uncut (NSFW), and language-specific variants in French and Portuguese.
The company operates a community-funded, freemium model with no subscription fees for individuals or groups and no traditional advertising; the sole advertising mechanism is occasional sponsored posts in the Blacksky feed. Operating capital derives from community donations via Open Collective (1,100+ individual contributors), grants from Mozilla Foundation, IPFS, the Cypherpunk Fellowship, the Center for Cultural Innovation, Bluesky microgrants, and cloud credits from DigitalOcean Hatch, Google for Startups Cloud, and AWS for Startups, plus two angel investments from Mekka Okereke (2023) and Dietrich Ayala (2024). Planned future revenue from Blacksky Cash includes small withdrawal fees for fast/instant deposits and optional custom setup fees for groups with technical needs. The team is intentionally small (under 10 people), is currently not hiring, and is incorporated in New York with headquarters at 447 Broadway, 2nd Floor Suite #2810.
blacksky algorithms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- blacksky algorithms
- Legal name
- Blacksky Algorithms Inc.
- Website
- https://blackskyweb.xyz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Blacksky Algorithms Inc. develops decentralized infrastructure on the AT Protocol for community-governed social networking, primarily serving Black users seeking safe, moderated online spaces. Products include the Blacksky App, Acorn, Blacksky Cash, and curated feeds, funded via community donations and grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
blacksky algorithms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Social Networking Infrastructure
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Privacy-First & Decentralized Social Networks (BPAMABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Decentralized Storage, Compute & Networking (IPFS/Filecoin, compute markets, DePIN) (FSAPAAAK), Decentralized Node Infrastructure & RPC Networks (node providers, RPC relays, indexing-as-a-service) (FSAPALAG)
Keywords
Where blacksky algorithms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
blacksky algorithms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Community Donations via Open Collective: Blacksky is community-funded through individual donations via Open Collective. No subscription fees for individuals or group accounts. The only potential costs are small withdrawal fees for fast/instant deposits and optional custom setup fees for groups with highly technical needs.
- Open Collective Sponsorship Posts: Occasional sponsored posts automatically appear in the Blacksky feed as the sole advertising mechanism. No traditional ads.
- Future Fintech Revenue (Blacksky Cash): Planning for no subscription fees for individuals or group accounts. Potential revenue from small withdrawal fees for fast/instant deposits and optional custom setup fees for technically complex group configurations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Core platform access is free |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Optional premium services may have fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
blacksky algorithms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blacksky Algorithms develops decentralized infrastructure for community-run social networks built on the AT Protocol. The company operates its own Personal Data Server (PDS), Appview, custom algorithmic feeds, moderation labeler, and relay services, and offers a social networking client (Blacksky App), a community infrastructure platform (Acorn), peer-to-peer payments (Blacksky Cash), and community governance tooling (People's Assembly).
Product overview
Blacksky Algorithms is an independent, community-driven organization that develops decentralized tools for online communities. The core offering is the Blacksky App, a social networking client built on AT Protocol with independent infrastructure, community-centered moderation, and democratic governance features. Supporting products include Acorn (a community infrastructure platform enabling other communities to deploy custom feeds, badges, clients, and governance tools), Blacksky Cash (peer-to-peer payments and collaborative group fund management), Blacksky Feeds (algorithmic content curation including main community feed, trending, and specialized feeds), the People's Assembly (democratic governance voting platform), and the Blacksky Labeler (community moderation service). The platform serves 3+ million community members and builds open-source tools for the AT Protocol ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Acorn: Platform for growing and managing communities on decentralized infrastructure. Provides custom feeds, context-specific badges, custom clients, democratic polling through governance pipeline, and dedicated Personal Data Server hosting for communities.
Products and services
- Blacksky App A social networking client built on AT Protocol with independent infrastructure, community-centered moderation, and democratic governance for a community of 3+ million members.
- Acorn Community infrastructure platform enabling other communities to deploy custom feeds, context-specific badges, custom clients, democratic polling, and Personal Data Server hosting on the AT Protocol.
- Blacksky Cash Financial platform supporting private peer-to-peer payments, collaborative group payments, mutual aid, susus (rotating savings circles), and grassroots organization fund management.
- Blacksky Moderation Interface Custom moderation platform built on Bluesky's open-source Ozone with session check-ins, moderator tagging, mobile-friendly interface, and policy sidebar.
- People's Assembly
- Blacksky Feeds Suite of custom algorithmic feeds including Blacksky (main community feed), Blacksky: Trending, Blacksky: Uncut (adult content), Blacksky: Blackademics, and language-specific feeds (French, Portuguese).
- Blacksky Labeler
Quantifiable outcome
- 3+ million community members served
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use blacksky algorithms
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
blacksky algorithms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature10 records
blacksky algorithms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- GatherForcorePartnership with nonprofit GatherFor to rebuild Papertree platform supporting susus (rotating savings circles). Between Papertree efforts, has helped facilitate over $250K in community funds and continues to be used by GatherFor and its Neighbor Teams network today.
- DigitalOceancoreCloud hosting provider used to host aspects of the Services. Blacksky participates in DigitalOcean Hatch startup program.
- CloudflarecoreCloud hosting provider used for content delivery network services and hosting aspects of the Services.
- OVHCloudcoreCloud hosting provider used for hosting aspects of the Services.
- Open MeasuresstrategicPartnership to identify terms and language used by hate groups to build up sets of users and posts to flag with moderation services, helping identify disinformation and hateful content online.
- DigitalOcean Hatch ProgramminorBlacksky was accepted to DigitalOcean Hatch startup program for cloud infrastructure credits and support.
- Google for Startups Cloud ProgramminorBlacksky was accepted to Google for Startups Cloud Program for startup credits and support.
- AWS for StartupsminorBlacksky gained access to AWS for Startups program (via Bluesky microgrant).
- Bluesky Social, PBCstrategicBlacksky is built on AT Protocol which Bluesky pioneered. While independent, Blacksky connects to the same protocol network, relays, and AT Protocol infrastructure. Direct messages pass through Bluesky servers. Not affiliated with Bluesky.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
blacksky algorithms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bluesky Social: Pioneer of the AT Protocol on which Blacksky is built. Operates the flagship app on the same decentralized social protocol, making it the closest direct peer even though Blacksky is independent and community-focused.
- Mastodon: Largest decentralized, federated social network using ActivityPub. Competes for users and builders seeking community-controlled, non-corporate social infrastructure outside of centralized platforms.
- Farcaster: Decentralized social protocol with a developer ecosystem of clients (Warpcast, etc.). Targets similar builders of community-governed social experiences on open infrastructure.
- Lens Protocol: Web3-native decentralized social graph on Ethereum/Optimism. Comparable as a competing protocol stack for portable social identities and community-owned networks.
- Diaspora: Long-standing federated social network built around community-owned 'pods.' Closely aligned with Blacksky's community-governance, decentralization, and privacy-first philosophy.
Emerging players
- Nostr-based clients (e.g., Damus, Iris): Decentralized social clients built on the Nostr protocol — a competing approach to AT Protocol for censorship-resistant social networking, appealing to similar audiences.
- Minds: Open-source, decentralized social network with token-based rewards. Comparable mission of community-controlled social infrastructure, though with a different technical stack.
- MeWe: Privacy-focused, ad-free social network positioned as an alternative to mainstream platforms. Competes for users seeking safer, non-exploitative online communities.
Broad incumbents
- Threads (Meta): Meta's text-first social product increasingly integrating ActivityPub-based federation. Broad incumbent competing for the same decentralized-social-mindset users with vastly greater resources.
- Discord: Dominant platform for community building, moderation tooling, and group governance. Competes for the same 'community-run social space' use case Blacksky targets via Acorn.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
blacksky algorithms social profiles
Digital presenceblacksky algorithms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
blacksky algorithms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
blacksky algorithms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
blacksky algorithms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about blacksky algorithms
What does blacksky algorithms do?
Blacksky Algorithms develops decentralized infrastructure for community-run social networks built on the AT Protocol. The company operates its own Personal Data Server (PDS), Appview, custom algorithmic feeds, moderation labeler, and relay services, and offers a social networking client (Blacksky App), a community infrastructure platform (Acorn), peer-to-peer payments (Blacksky Cash), and community governance tooling (People's Assembly).
Is blacksky algorithms a public or private company?
blacksky algorithms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was blacksky algorithms founded?
blacksky algorithms was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is blacksky algorithms based?
blacksky algorithms is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does blacksky algorithms make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Community Donations via Open Collective is the primary driver. The others are open Collective Sponsorship Posts and future Fintech Revenue (Blacksky Cash).
Who are blacksky algorithms's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bluesky Social, Mastodon, Farcaster, Lens Protocol and Diaspora. Emerging players are Nostr-based clients (e.g., Damus, Iris), Minds and MeWe. Broad incumbents are Threads (Meta) and Discord.
Does blacksky algorithms have an API?
No public API is recorded for blacksky algorithms.
What industry is blacksky algorithms in?
blacksky algorithms's product category is Decentralized Social Networking Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMABAN, Privacy-First & Decentralized Social Networks, with a secondary code of FSAPAAAK, Decentralized Storage, Compute & Networking (IPFS/Filecoin, compute markets, DePIN). Its SIC code is 7370.