O(1) Labs
also invests · investor profileSan Francisco, US · Founded 2017 · 27 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
o1Labs is a distributed company that incubated the Mina Protocol, working on zero-knowledge cryptography and Web3 technologies. The company develops cryptographic infrastructure and protocols.
Also known as O(1) Labs · o1 Labs · o1Labs
Founders & leadership
O(1) Labs was founded in 2017 by Evan Shapiro and Izaak Meckler.
Investors · 4
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$15M disclosed across 1 of 4 rounds · 2018–2020
▶$15MraisedApr 2019 · 22 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Evan ShapiroExecutive Officer, Director
- Izaak MecklerExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $15M
- Amount sold
- $15M
- First sale
- Nov 2018
- Incorporated
- Limited Liability Company, Delaware, 2017
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026o1Labs is a blockchain and cryptography company focused on zero-knowledge (zk) technology. It is the incubator and developer of Mina Protocol, described as a lightweight blockchain whose mainnet launched in 2021, and the creator of o1js, a TypeScript library and embedded DSL for writing zero-knowledge-enabled smart contracts based on zk-SNARKs. The company states its aim is to let developers build applications using zk cryptography without needing deep cryptographic expertise, and frames its mission as an internet that is privacy preserving and equitable.
Beyond Mina and o1js, the company's product surface includes zkApps — zero-knowledge smart contracts that run on Mina using an off-chain execution model in which only a flat fee is paid to submit the resulting proof on-chain — and its proof-system stack: Kimchi, a modular, general-purpose PLONK-ish zero-knowledge proof system, and Pickles, Mina's recursive zk-SNARK system that composes proofs to deliver incremental verifiable computation. o1js is positioned around browser-based proof generation, no trusted setup, programmable privacy and unlimited recursion.
An external directory profile characterizes O(1) Labs as using cryptography and cryptocurrency to build computing systems that give people control of their digital lives, listing San Francisco as headquarters and an 11-50 employee band.
Founding story
Sources indicate Mina has been under development since June 2017 and that Evan Shapiro was co-founder and CEO as of 2020; no further founding details are provided.
Business model
Sources describe products and technology (Mina Protocol, o1js, zkApps, Kimchi and Pickles) but do not state how o1Labs monetizes them.
Traction
Mina Protocol's mainnet launched in 2021. As of the October 2020 funding round, total capital raised was reported at $29.4 million. An external directory lists an 11-50 employee band and 27 listed positions.
Latest developments
The company's current site presents o1js as its flagship product alongside zkApps and the Kimchi/Pickles proof systems; no dated developments after the 2021 Mina mainnet launch are given in the sources.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
o1Labs presents itself as the team behind Mina Protocol, positioned as a Layer-1 blockchain that, per its CEO in 2020, was not intended to compete with chains such as Ethereum but to interoperate with other protocols.
Stated differentiators include an extremely small blockchain size (22 KB) achieved through recursive zk-SNARKs, an off-chain zkApp execution model requiring only a flat on-chain proof-submission fee, in-browser proof generation, absence of a trusted setup, and a TypeScript-based developer interface intended to abstract away cryptographic complexity.
Technology
The core technology is zero-knowledge proofs, specifically zk-SNARKs. Recursive proof composition allows the whole blockchain state to be compressed into a small proof: each update recursively consumes the previous proof to produce a new one, which is what is propagated for chain verification, yielding a stated chain size of 22 KB. The proving stack consists of Kimchi, a modular general-purpose PLONK-ish proof system, and Pickles, a recursive zk-SNARK system for incremental verifiable computation. Developer-facing tooling is o1js, a TypeScript/npm library and embedded DSL supporting in-browser proof generation, no trusted setup, and recursive proofs. Because of the lightweight design, Mina is said to work on phones and browsers.
Go-to-market
Developer-led: an npm-installable TypeScript library with familiar tooling, documentation and blog content, a newsletter, and developer-community building — including a stated 2020 plan to grow a Mina developer community in Asia ahead of mainnet, supported by Asian investors.
Developers building zero-knowledge-enabled applications and smart contracts, with application areas cited including digital identity, gaming, voting systems, and marketing and social networks.
Geography
Headquartered in San Francisco, United States, per an external company directory; the same source lists a single HQ office with three listed people. The company planned developer-community expansion in Asia as of 2020.
History
Mina Protocol, originally named Coda Protocol, has been under development since June 2017. O(1) Labs raised a $3.5 million seed round in May 2018 and a $15 million Series A in April 2019 from investors including Coinbase Ventures and Paradigm, followed by a $10.9 million strategic round announced in October 2020 co-led by Three Arrows Capital and Bixin Ventures, bringing total funding to $29.4 million. Mina's mainnet launched in 2021.
Risks & controversies
No risks or controversies are reported in the available sources.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 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.
Competitors · 3
by search overlap
Companies competing with O(1) Labs for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsMina Protocol, incubated and developed by o1Labs, launched its mainnet in 2021.
Following the strategic round backed by Asian investors, the company said it would build a developer community for Mina in Asia prior to mainnet launch.
Strategic investment round co-led by Three Arrows Capital and Bixin Ventures with participation from HashKey Capital, NGC Ventures and Fenbushi Capital, among others. Proceeds earmarked for building a Mina developer community in Asia ahead of mainnet launch.
$10.9M source ↗
Series A raised from investors including Coinbase Ventures and Paradigm.
$15M source ↗
$3.5M source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- O(1) Labso1labs.org · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does O(1) Labs do?
- o1Labs is the zero-knowledge cryptography company that incubated Mina Protocol and builds the o1js zk development framework.
- Who founded O(1) Labs?
- O(1) Labs was founded by Evan Shapiro, Izaak Meckler in 2017.
- Who are O(1) Labs's investors?
- O(1) Labs's investors include Coinbase Ventures, Dria Ventures, Kindred Ventures, Paradigm.
- How much funding has O(1) Labs raised?
- O(1) Labs has disclosed $15M raised across 1 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is O(1) Labs headquartered?
- O(1) Labs is headquartered in San Francisco, US.