o1Labs

To catalyze a new generation of applications powered by zero-knowledge cryptography, envisioning an internet that is privacy-preserving and equitable for all.

o1Labs specializes in zero-knowledge cryptography and blockchain infrastructure. Founded in 2017 and operating as a fully remote company, o1Labs incubated and develops the Mina Protocol — the world's lightest blockchain that maintains a constant size through zk-SNARKs. The team also built o1js, a TypeScript framework that lets developers create privacy-preserving smart contracts without needing cryptography expertise. Their mission centers on building an internet that's privacy-preserving and equitable, with applications spanning identity, gaming, voting, and social networks.

Products

The core product is the Mina Protocol, a layer-one blockchain that maintains a constant, ultra-lightweight footprint using recursive zk-SNARKs. o1Labs also offers o1js, a TypeScript library that allows developers to build zkApps — zero-knowledge smart contracts that execute computations off-chain and send only proofs to the blockchain. The underlying cryptographic systems include Kimchi, a modular zero-knowledge proof system, and Pickles, Mina's recursive proof system for incremental verifiable computation. The team is also developing Protokit, a protocol development framework for privacy-enabled applications.

Funding

o1Labs has raised approximately $29.9 million across three rounds. The company secured a $3.5 million seed round in May 2018, followed by a $15 million Series A in April 2019 backed by Paradigm, Polychain Capital, Coinbase Ventures, and General Catalyst. In October 2020, o1Labs raised an additional $10.9 million in a strategic round co-led by Bixin Ventures and Three Arrows Capital. The company also received funding from the Mina Foundation to support grants and delegation programs.

Recent news

Between late 2025 and early 2026, o1Labs achieved significant milestones in preparing the Mina Protocol for its major "Mesa" upgrade. Following the launch of the Mesa Testnet in late 2025, the o1Labs engineering team spent the first half of 2026 conducting extensive structured testing, Trailblazer prep, and dry runs to validate core protocol features ahead of the official Mesa mainnet hard fork.

Technology

The engineering stack heavily utilizes functional programming languages like OCaml and Haskell for core protocol development. o1js serves as the primary TypeScript-based library for building zkApps and generating in-browser proofs. The cryptographic infrastructure features Kimchi, a modular PLONK-ish proof system, and Pickles for recursive zk-SNARKs. Infrastructure runs on containerized systems using Docker and Kubernetes across AWS, Azure, and GCP. Backend services use PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, and S3 for flexible data management, with infrastructure-as-code and GitOps workflows for deployment automation.

Benefits

o1Labs operates as an employee-governed company where elected team members sit on the board, giving everyone a voice in company direction. The remote-first culture includes unlimited PTO, nine paid holidays, two company-wide shutdown weeks per year, and every other Friday off. Health benefits cover 100% of employee premiums for platinum healthcare plans with zero deductibles, plus 99% coverage for dental and vision. Financial benefits include a 3% 401(k) match and competitive equity packages. The company provides stipends for wellness, memberships, books, software, and conferences, plus bi-annual global offsites for the distributed team.