Fundraising Fox

Dfinity

also invests · investor profile

38 known investors

DFINITY builds the Internet Computer, a decentralized cloud network that enables applications to run directly on the blockchain with persistent state, native HTTP serving, and built-in security without requiring external databases or a dedicated operations team. The platform is powered by cryptography and distributed systems, and no single entity controls the network.

Also known as DFINITY · DFINITY Foundation · The DFINITY Foundation

Founders & leadership

DW
Dominic WilliamsFounder

Investors · 38

Also in the syndicate · 16

Infinite NichesJoshua WebsterKevin DingMadhu ChamartyMatt MazzeoMattia AstoriMike AbbottPaul GrahamSathvik BilakantiShasta VenturesShri GaneshramSUE XUThe HIT ForgeThe House FundVinay HiremathWing Venture Capital

Company profile

researched Aug 2026

The DFINITY Foundation is a Swiss-based not-for-profit organization that develops the Internet Computer, described by the organization as a tamperproof "frontier cloud" formed by an independently operated network of nodes and powered by advanced cryptography and distributed systems research. The Internet Computer offers serverless compute with built-in persistent state: applications run as stateful app containers (canisters) that serve HTTP natively, retain data without an external database, and execute with tamperproof guarantees. The Foundation states that no single company controls the network and that applications hosted on it cannot be shut down, censored, or modified by any single operator, so applications do not require a dedicated security or operations team.

A third-party profile describes DFINITY as a blockchain technology organization based in Zug and Zürich, Switzerland, whose platform is designed to host backend logic and web applications independently of traditional cloud providers, serving software developers and enterprises building decentralized applications intended to scale to large user bases. Governance of the network is handled through the Network Nervous System (NNS), a DAO mechanism, and the platform features chain-key cryptography and integrations described as including Bitcoin and Solana.

DFINITY operates supporting infrastructure including developer documentation, a wiki knowledge base covering protocol, cryptography, governance, and ecosystem topics, Internet Identity (passkey-based sign-in), and "Open Cloud" / cloud engine offerings that let users configure sovereign subnets by choosing nodes, providers, and locations. Node hardware is run by independent node providers onboarded via NNS proposals, with rewards denominated in XDR and converted to ICP using a 30-day moving average exchange rate.

Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.

Key figures

latest reported
CitationsJan 2026100,000 citations
Employee patentsJan 2026250 patents
Employee publicationsJan 20261,600 publications
R&D staffJan 2026200 people
Team membersJan 2026180 people
Total funding raisedAug 2018$118M

Company-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.

Competitors · 5

by search overlap
Internet Computer127 shared keywordsThe Internet Computer is a serverless "sovereign cloud" run by independent hardware operators, hosting tamperproof WebAssembly/Motoko software and multi-blockchain digital-asset APIs. It lets AI agents generate and update apps, SaaS, and websites on demand, and is developed by the DFINITY Foundation.
Netezza122 shared keywordsIBM is a global technology company whose business spans enterprise software (including Red Hat, HashiCorp, and Confluent), IT infrastructure such as mainframes, servers, and storage, and IT consulting services. The company is also investing heavily in quantum computing and AI-based enterprise offerings, including its Lightwell open-source software security clearinghouse and the Anderon quantum wafer foundry.
Coinbase87 shared keywordsCoinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers trading, custody, and financial services for cryptocurrencies, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets to consumers, institutions, and developers. The company operates a full-stack infrastructure including secure custody, liquidity services, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails.
Cloudflare Turnstile68 shared keywordsCloudflare provides a global cloud network platform delivering security, performance, and development services through sixty-plus integrated services including SASE, application security, and full-stack development infrastructure.
Kraken55 shared keywordsKraken 360 Investments provides capital and launch infrastructure to blockchain protocols in pre-token and early post-token phases, offering custody, staking, treasury, and liquidity services alongside fundraising support.

Companies competing with Dfinity for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.

Timeline · 4

launches, deals, and filings
Jul 2024
DFINITY led $50K grant to Momint

DFINITY listed as lead on a $50K grant round.

$50K source ↗

Dec 2021
Participated in InfinitySwap $1.5M seed round

DFINITY listed as a co-investor alongside Polychain Capital (lead), Andreessen Horowitz, Cycle DAO and Draft Ventures.

$1.5M source ↗

Aug 2018
$97M Series U

Round listed with investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Paradigm, Craft Ventures, Wing Venture Capital and others.

$97M source ↗

Dec 2017
$21M Series U

Round listed with investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Felicis Ventures, First Round Capital, RRE Ventures and Shasta Ventures.

$21M source ↗

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

8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.

Frequently asked questions

What does Dfinity do?
Swiss not-for-profit foundation building the Internet Computer, a decentralized cloud network for on-chain applications.
Who founded Dfinity?
Dfinity was founded by Dominic Williams.
Who are Dfinity's investors?
Dfinity's investors include a16z crypto, Acrew Capital, Amino Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Aspect Ventures, Bollinger Investment Group, CoinFund, Continue Capital and 14 more.