Invest in Minds

The problem we're solving

Free and easy exchange of information and expression has catapulted global culture forward since the advent of social media. But this freeing power of the Internet has gradually been corrupted by interests that seek to benefit themselves at the expense of global discourse, leaving us with…

• Rampant censorship and algorithmic bias
• Excessive centralization of power by billionaires
• Invasive surveillance techniques and data mining
• Severe lack of transparency
• Flawed economic models that exploit communities rather than reward them
• Polarizing, addicting and toxic online behavior

Important ideas are suppressed by algorithms. Social media is dominated by walled gardens of bickering, polarized discourse designed to maximize value for elite stakeholders, not the community.

Put control in your hands and align incentives for better discourse and a better future

Companies like Meta, Google, X, TikTok and others discovered an explosive pattern with poor incentives and no checks and balances on those that control them.

What Minds does differently:

• Ensures 100% of software is open-source software for maximum accountability
• Offers full white-label product to give creators maximum ownership of their reach and engagement with their audience
• Protects your privacy at all costs, no short-cuts or sharing of data with third parties
• Decentralized infrastructure to give you ownership of your identity through a protocol agnostic approach
• Democratic moderation and jury systems to prevent centralized abuse
• Maximum creator monetization, community ownership and incentive alignment

Community control

From the start, Minds is built to give control back to the people. We launched our first mobile app in 2015, and promptly began building open source software that anyone can modify or fork.

In 2024, we released a new B2B product called Minds Networks where any creator, business or community can launch a white-label version of Minds that is exclusively for their community. Never again will you have to worry about reaching your own audience when you control the very software to connect with them.

Our content policy on Minds.com is informed by the United States’ First Amendment protecting freedom of speech. We funded research on the effects of censorship in social media to understand how the will to restrict supposedly dangerous discourse actually increases radicalization online, rather than solves for it.

With Minds Networks, any customer is able to adjust the content policy and terms of service to meet the needs of their community. No more one size fits all - you deserve control.

Align incentives

Minds launched the most successful (at the time) Wefunder crowdfunding campaign in 2017, and we’re back so that even more of the company can be owned by the community. Our revenue model is designed to reward members of the community for adding value to the network, with between 85% to 100% of net revenues being shared back with creators, affiliates, and ordinary community members.

• Supermind enables creators and fans to collaborate via public, paid Q&As.
• Boost is our surveillance-free ad platform that rewards everyone involved, from advertisers, sellers, and creators who generate inventory with their engaging content.
• Minds+ subscriptions give creators more reach and engagement, access to premium content, and more ways to earn.
• Our affiliates are earning thousands of dollars per month by referring new customers

A passionate community of free-thinkers

Minds would be nothing without its community. While you can find people of all different backgrounds, talents, interests and politics on Minds, everyone has one thing in common: an extreme passion for freedom, transparency and dialogue.

In 2019, Minds partnered with advisor Daryl Davis to help direct its content moderation and deradicalization strategy. Daryl is famously known for being an African-American man who has single-handedly convinced over 200 members of the KKK to turn in their robes. His secret? Dialogue. With Daryl's help, Minds released a groundbreaking research paper titled "The Censorship Effect" that provides evidence of how censorship on social media is actually increasing polarization and violence in our world. One of the main missions for Minds is to prove that we need more speech to reduce polarization and violence, not less.

Over the years, many prominent figures across the cultural spectrum have joined and advocated for Minds, including Daryl Davis, Tim Pool, Joe Rogan, Cornel West, Coleman Hughes, Tulsi Gabbard, Seth Dillon, Carl Benjamin, Douglas Rushkoff, Dave Cullen, ZUBY, Abby Martin, Lee Camp, Destiny, Bryan Callen and many others.

With the release of our new Minds Networks product, we have attracted major creators and brands to launch their own community apps for their members such as Jimmy Dore, The Confessionals Podcast, Tablet Magazine and many more.

A brief history of Minds

• 2011: Bill Ottman realizes the need for open source social media, and Minds is born
• 2015: The first Minds app goes live and quickly grows to over 1M+ members
• 2017: Minds raises $1M from 1,500+ community members in record-setting Reg CF on Wefunder
• 2019: Minds raises $6M Series A from Medici Ventures, the blockchain venture arm of Overstock
• 2020: Minds releases fully encrypted chat using decentralized Matrix protocol
• 2021: Minds raises $10M Series B from FUTO, an investment group for tech freedom
• 2022: Minds releases portable identity solution using decentralized Nostr protocol
• 2023: Minds integrates with ActivityPub to connect with millions of new users in the Fediverse
• 2024: Minds launches new Minds Networks product that allows anyone to launch their own white-labeled community app on web and mobile within minutes
• 2025: Minds launches most open source and privacy-preserving AI system on the planet

Here's what's next

Over the past year, we've launched or overhauled three core monetization products that form the backbone of the Minds business model. As a result, we've aggressively grown our revenue per active user, a dollar value on every node we add to the network. And because our monetization model is built to reward the members who contribute, the entire community benefits from Minds growth.

The social media wars on raging right now, and Minds is reinforcing our commitment to being the leader when it comes to putting the PEOPLE in control.

Our success is our community's success, and our revenue model proves this. The recent launch of our Minds Networks product takes us even closer to accomplishing this goal, as we are now giving ANY brand, creator or business the ability to truly own their own social network on their own domain and mobile apps, without the noise or interference from any middleman.

FAQ

Do I have to be an accredited investor to invest?

No. Wefunder allows you to invest without being an accredited investor. All you have to do is sign up and invest.

What is the minimum amount I can invest?

$100.

What's the maximum I am legally allowed to invest?

Through Regulation Crowdfunding everyone can invest at least $2,200. How much you're able to invest above that depends on your net income and net worth. You can see how much you're allowed to invest by entering those two numbers under "Investor Limits" here (once you've created and logged in to a Wefunder account).

While you may be legally able to invest more, your investment may be lowered depending on the interest we receive in this round.

Am I guaranteed to get the amount that I signed up for?

No. If we are oversubscribed, we may not be able to accept all investments and may reduce individual investments - in which case you’ll be refunded for the difference. 

Can I invest if I don’t live in the United States?

With a few exceptions, investments can be accepted from international investors as long as you represent that you are complying with the law in your country. 

The only exceptions are the Canadian provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta which have requested that Wefunder bar their residents from investing on Wefunder’s platform, as well as certain sanctioned countries.

For accredited investors from one of those Canadian provinces, we’re looking into creating an opportunity to invest. You can email info@minds.com to express your interest.

What fees do investors pay?

For payments made by bank ACH, wires, or checks, Wefunder charges investors a transaction fee of 2%, with a minimum of $8 and a max of $100. For credit cards, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, Wefunder charges a 5% fee, with a minimum of $8 and no maximum.

Investors can get their first investment fee-free by completing the welcome sequence when creating their account (www.wefunder.com/welcome) and using their ACH bank account (US banks only) or a wire. Just so you know, this only applies to first investments.

Fees are one-time and are not reoccurring.

How will I make a return on my investment, and when?

Under the terms of our Series B, our (pre-money) valuation is $60M. If we have a successful exit in the future (like an IPO, merger, or acquisition) for more than that amount, you’ll see a return on your investment. 

Where can I ask a question?

You can ask any questions you have in the “Ask A Question” section of this page or email info@minds.com.