Arweave
also invests · investor profile4 known investors
Permanent data storage protocol creating the permaweb by rewarding those providing decentralized storage space.
Also known as Arweave Network · Arweave protocol · The Arweave Project
Investors · 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Arweave is a distributed, cryptographically verified permanent archive built on a cryptocurrency, designed to provide feasible data permanence. Its official server implementation is written in Erlang and uses a data structure the project calls the Blockweave, in which data is stored peer-to-peer and miners are incentivised to store rare data. The project describes the network as "like Bitcoin, but for data": a permanent, decentralized web held inside an open ledger.
On top of the storage layer sits what the project calls the permaweb — a full stack for decentralized web applications, covering hosting of application front ends, database querying and domain name services. Content stored on the permaweb is described as unable to be lost, altered or deliberately deleted, with links that do not change, positioning it against "link rot" on the traditional web. Developer tooling includes SDKs for JavaScript/TypeScript/NodeJS, Go, PHP and Scala, an HTTP API, wallet software including the Arweave.app web wallet, and SmartWeave-based app development.
Participants in the network include solo miners, coordinated miners, pool miners, VDF servers and validators. Node software runs primarily on Linux (Ubuntu 22 or 24 recommended, Erlang OTP 26 required); MacOS is validated only for running a VDF server. The documentation notes that miners are responsible for their own compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR and other applicable laws in their jurisdiction.
Founding story
Sources identify Sam Williams as the founder of the Arweave blockchain and CEO of Forward Research; no founding date, location or founding narrative is stated in the material provided.
Business model
Arweave operates as an open protocol rather than a hosted service: users pay in the network's tokens to store data permanently, and miners are economically incentivised to store and serve data, with an emphasis on storing rare data. The protocol software is open source under GNU General Public License v2.0. Sources do not describe a corporate revenue model.
Traction
The ArweaveTeam/arweave GitHub repository has roughly 1,100 stars, 229 forks, 60 watchers and over 4,100 commits. The Forward Research acquisition of Odysee was expected to bring approximately seven million users onto Arweave. The project's Medium account has about 3,300 followers, and documentation pages were updated within the last month as of retrieval.
Latest developments
In June 2024, Forward Research — the venture firm supporting Arweave, whose CEO is Arweave founder Sam Williams — acquired the crypto video platform Odysee, saying it stepped in to prevent the service going offline after US regulators forced the closure of LBRY; terms were undisclosed. Williams framed the goal as displacing incumbent social media platforms. In the prior year the network introduced its Universal Data License. Developer documentation continues to be updated, with Erlang OTP 26 now required to build the node.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, risks & controversies
Market position
Arweave is one of several blockchains focused on data storage; unlike Ethereum, which can store metadata or links to large files, Arweave can host such data entirely onchain. The project states its protocol is stable, mature and widely adopted, with a fully decentralized ecosystem, and its own website acting only as a map to community resources.
Permanence: content uploaded to the permaweb is presented as immutable and non-deletable with stable links, removing the need for ongoing hosting payments, server configuration or domain maintenance. Data can be stored fully onchain rather than as offchain files referenced by links, and a shared 'data lake' can be reused by any application built on the network. A Universal Data License lets uploaders set terms of use for their content.
Technology
Erlang implementation of the Arweave protocol built around the Blockweave data structure, with mining, packing and syncing, verifiable delay function (VDF) servers, validators, an HTTP API, an account tree, and SmartWeave for application logic. Build types include mainnet (default/prod), testnet, test, e2e and localnet. Client libraries exist for JavaScript/TypeScript/NodeJS, Go, PHP and Scala, plus the arkb tool and Arweave.app web wallet. A yellow paper documents the protocol design.
Go-to-market
Community- and ecosystem-driven: documentation, a developer cookbook, workshops, a Discord server and discussions board for miners and developers, browser extensions for archiving, a "Get Funded" track for builders, and ecosystem media such as the onlyarweave.com founders series and Permaweb Podcast. The project also publishes educational content on Medium.
Developers building decentralized web applications and using Arweave as a database or hosting layer; miners and node operators; archivists and content creators seeking permanent storage; end users archiving web pages via the Arweave browser extension.
Geography
Not stated in the sources; the network is operated by a decentralized, global set of miners and community members, with documentation noting that data storage laws differ by jurisdiction.
Risks & controversies
Arweave documentation warns that miners bear responsibility for compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR and that data storage laws vary by country, with substantial legal risk for non-compliance. The acquired Odysee platform has attracted scrutiny over its lax content moderation policy, and its predecessor LBRY was closed following US regulatory action. Permanent, uncensorable storage of arbitrary content is inherently in tension with takedown and moderation regimes.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsForward Research, the venture firm supporting Arweave led by CEO and Arweave founder Sam Williams, acquired the crypto-based YouTube competitor Odysee, a move expected to bring Odysee's roughly seven million users to Arweave. Williams said the firm stepped in to save Odysee from going offline after US regulators forced the closure of LBRY. Terms were not disclosed.
Arweave introduced its 'Universal Data License,' allowing users to set the terms of use for any content they upload; reported in June 2024 as having launched 'last year'.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Build on Arweavearweave.org · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Arweave do?
- Arweave is a decentralized protocol for permanent data storage, hosting the 'permaweb' of persistent files and web apps.
- Who are Arweave's investors?
- Arweave's investors include Advanced Blockchain, Andreessen Horowitz, Coinbase Ventures, Union Square Ventures (USV).