POAP
DefunctFounded 2021 · 22 employees on LinkedIn · 10 known investors
POAP Inc builds digital collectibles on Web3 that serve as proofs of attendance at events and experiences, enabling people to preserve memories and discover communities. The platform allows organizations and individuals to create and distribute NFT-based commemoratives for shared experiences.
Also known as POAP · POAP Inc. · Proof of Attendance Protocol
Investors · 10
Company profile
researched Aug 2026POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) is a protocol and platform for minting digital collectibles that record participation in events and shared experiences. Issuers create a POAP for a specific occasion and distribute it to attendees, typically through QR codes or claim links, which participants use to mint a badge tied to that event. Collected badges are displayed in the POAP app and gallery, and the company positioned the tokens as durable records of memories that can also unlock downstream experiences such as group chats, discounts and community access.
The protocol originated at ETHDenver in 2019, where roughly 100 badges were issued to hackathon participants, and POAP Inc. was established in 2021 to develop it into a broader platform. Badges use the ERC-721 NFT standard; the project initially issued on Ethereum and later moved to Gnosis Chain to reduce transaction costs and make large-scale distribution more practical. Use cases spanned conferences, product launches, online events, hackathons and community milestones, for both individuals and organizations.
On 2026-03-16 the company placed the platform into maintenance mode, ending active feature development and halting onboarding of new issuers while keeping existing issuer tools, collector applications, APIs and integrations running. On 2026-08-03 co-founder Isabel Gonzalez announced that the company was winding down after more than five years. No final service date, migration plan or staffing details were published; previously minted badges remain onchain and linked to holders' wallet addresses, while continued access via POAP's gallery, apps and metadata services depends on how long supporting infrastructure is maintained.
Business model
POAP offered badge creation and distribution largely free of charge for years, and later introduced fees for some commercial issuers while keeping personal and community use free. Co-founder Isabel Gonzalez stated the company could not find a business model that was sustainable without compromising the project's original purpose, citing crypto's funding cycles and distribution dynamics.
Charges applied to a subset of commercial issuers, with personal and community usage remaining free.
Traction
The company reported nearly 7.6 million collectibles minted by more than 46,000 issuers. Organizations cited as users include Coinbase, American Express, Warner Music Group and Bayer; the company's site also lists Adidas, Sotheby's, Johnnie Walker, Porsche, Google Cloud, Tommy Hilfiger, Cisco, US Open, Budweiser, Red Bull and Spotify.
Latest developments
The platform was placed into maintenance mode on 2026-03-16, with new issuer onboarding and feature development stopped. On 2026-08-03 co-founder Isabel Gonzalez announced the company was winding down. As of 2026-08-04 the main website, collector pages and developer documentation remained accessible, with no published shutdown timetable, data preservation plan or successor operator for the APIs and metadata services.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, history, risks & controversies
Market position
POAP was among the most widely used attendance-based NFT platforms and described itself as the standard for collectible proofs of attendance. Its closure was reported alongside other Web3 projects, including Proof of Play, Uncharted and Fishing Frenzy, that built followings but could not sustain operations.
Technology
POAP badges are ERC-721 NFTs. Issuance originally took place on Ethereum and later migrated to Gnosis Chain to lower transaction costs and support distribution to larger groups. The platform included a hosted gallery, mobile app, APIs and metadata services alongside the onchain tokens.
Go-to-market
Issuers created badges through a self-serve form-based flow and distributed them to attendees via QR codes or claim links at physical and online events; adoption spread through crypto communities and collaborations with large consumer and enterprise brands.
Event organizers, brands and enterprises, crypto communities, hackathons and individuals seeking to commemorate shared experiences.
History
The protocol launched at ETHDenver in 2019 with roughly 100 badges distributed to hackathon participants. POAP Inc. was established in 2021 to build out the protocol and platform, and raised $10 million in a January 2022 seed round led by Archetype and Sapphire Sport. Over its lifetime more than 46,000 issuers minted close to 7.6 million badges. The platform entered maintenance mode on 2026-03-16, and the company announced it was winding down on 2026-08-03.
Risks & controversies
The company shut down after failing to establish a sustainable revenue model. The absence of a published shutdown schedule leaves the future of hosted services — including the gallery, APIs and metadata support — uncertain, though minted badges remain onchain.
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 · 8
by search overlap
Companies competing with POAP for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsCo-founder Isabel Gonzalez announced publicly that POAP is winding down, citing an inability to build a sustainable business without compromising the project's ethos. No final service date, migration plan or staffing details were provided.
POAP stopped active development and halted onboarding of new issuers, while existing issuers, collector tools, APIs and integrations continued to operate with fewer assigned resources.
$10M source ↗
Roughly 100 badges were issued to ETHDenver hackathon participants, marking the start of the Proof of Attendance Protocol.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- POAP Privatepoap.xyz · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does POAP do?
- POAP built the Proof of Attendance Protocol for blockchain-based event attendance collectibles; it wound down in August 2026.
- Who are POAP's investors?
- POAP's investors include 359 Capital, A.Capital Ventures, Advancit Capital, Archetype, Collab+Currency, Inspired Capital, Lattice Capital, Narcissus Ventures and 2 more.