Portals

DISAMBIGUATION: 'Portals' / 'Portal' is an extremely overloaded name. This profile is specifically about Portals Labs, Inc., operator of theportal.to, a Solana-blockchain-based virtual-world/game platform backed by Greylock -- confirmed present on Greylock's own portfolio page (greylock.com/portfolio/portals/, tagline 'A browser-based metaverse built for everyone.', domain theportal.to, investors Mike Duboe / Christine Kim). It must NOT be confused with: (1) 'Portal' / 'PORTAL' token -- a separate Web3 gaming platform that relaunched as 'Portal 2.0' in 2026 under CEO Benjamin Charbit with backing from Animoca Brands (different founder, different token, different company); (2) 'Portal Technologies' -- a DeFi protocol aggregator that raised a ~$2.5M seed/seed-extension round around September 13, 2023 (per Fasken law firm and Startup Intros press coverage) -- this round is likely the source of a third 'funding round' that appears in Tracxn's data for 'Portals,' and has been EXCLUDED from this profile's funding_rounds because it almost certainly belongs to the unrelated DeFi company, not Portals Labs, Inc.; (3) Portal (formerly Pebble/AmpMe) hardware video-calling devices, Portal Biotechnologies, Portal ERP, the PORTALS token tracked on some airdrop sites, 'Portals' desktop-organizer software, 'Portals Hardware' (bathroom fixtures), 'Portals' by Melanie Martinez (music album), and various unrelated 'Portal(s)' games, non-profits, and consumer brands turned up repeatedly in web searches.

FOUNDING & TEAM: Portals Labs, Inc. is a Delaware corporation. The idea reportedly originated in early 2020, with full-time development starting in 2021 and an early product version live by the end of 2021 (Dealroom). LinkedIn self-reports a 2021 founding year. Multiple independent sources (Dealroom, cross-checked against Crunchbase snippets and TheOrg) name three co-founders: Adam Gomez, Chris Lund, and Watson Wu. Adam Gomez has served as CEO and CTO since the company's inception (~September 2021 per TheOrg) and previously co-founded Savage Digital, a WebGL/AR-VR creative studio that worked with clients including Microsoft and Marvel/Disney; he also reportedly worked at 'Noiz' before that. Jacqueline Chang -- who, per Crunchbase, was also a co-founder of Savage Digital alongside Adam Gomez -- holds the title 'Co-Founder & COO' of Portals per Crunchbase, though TheOrg's (potentially less current) org chart lists her as 'Co-Founder & CPO.' Given this discrepancy and because the primary company-facing source (Dealroom) names only three original founders, this profile lists Jacqueline Chang as an additional/early co-founder-level executive rather than asserting a fourth 'founding' credit with full confidence. Chris Lund and Watson Wu could not be further verified (no confirmed LinkedIn/bio located; both are common names), and neither appears in current org-chart or LinkedIn employee data, suggesting they may have since left the company. Other current team members identified via LinkedIn/TheOrg: Nathan McCarthy (Chief Operating Officer, Gonzaga University), Stanislav Vinogradov (Senior Frontend Developer), Brianna Mottey and Pedro Ramirez IV (listed as current employees on LinkedIn).

PRODUCT EVOLUTION: (1) 2021-2022 'Web3 metaverse' era -- Portals launched an NFT collection on November 26, 2021 (quickly becoming a top-5 Solana NFT project by trading volume) and a 'Portals Spaces' beta on December 26, 2021, letting NFT holders build and customize virtual rooms in a dense downtown-styled city. Prominent Solana projects and crypto exchanges (FTX US, Binance.US -- office announced ~Jan 10, 2022, Magic Eden, Audius, Raydium, Bonfida) built branded spaces on the platform. (2) 2022-2024 -- Portals repositioned as a 'no-code, in-browser game engine' / UGC platform, pitched in press and podcasts as 'the Roblox of Web3,' adding features like an AI-powered NPC creator and a token/game launchpad. (3) 2025-2026 -- Portals launched its own $PORTALS token (TGE September 16, 2025, following a presale that reportedly sold out in 11 seconds raising 3,700 SOL at an implied $90M valuation) positioned as an 'Internet capital markets' launchpad for creator tokens and games (e.g., a token called $CHRONO reportedly launched via the platform). Concurrently, the consumer-facing site at theportal.to rebranded to 'Portals | Play,' a library of 'hundreds of free browser games' with quests, multiplayer arenas and loot -- a much more mainstream, casual-gaming-portal presentation that downplays the underlying Solana/crypto infrastructure. LinkedIn currently (2026) classifies the company's industry as 'Computer Games.'

Business model

Consumer platform combining (1) a no-code, drag-and-drop virtual-world/game creation engine used by individual creators, communities, and brands to build monetizable browser games and social spaces, and (2) a Solana-based creator economy/launchpad layer through which creators can mint NFTs, launch tokens (e.g., the $PORTALS token and creator tokens such as $CHRONO), and monetize their creations.

Primary early revenue came from sale/minting of virtual 'Spaces' and Citizen/Pod NFTs on Solana; more recent (2025) disclosures describe revenue from its creator/launchpad business (token launches, in-platform monetization of games) with the company claiming ~400% year-over-year revenue growth as of a September 2025 press release. Exact revenue figures are not independently verified.