# Minds Own your social network. ## Elevator pitch Minds (https://www.minds.com) is a social media app owned by users and built on a foundation of free speech, privacy, transparency and sovereignty. - Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/minds - Entity ID: wefunder:company:13373 - Last updated: 2026-06-07T23:53:55Z - Generated at: 2026-06-08T02:54:46Z ## Quick facts - We've built a community of 5M+ members passionate about open source, privacy and tech freedom - Our tech stack is 100% open source for maximum transparency and accountability - Launched white-label B2B product in 2024 for anyone to own their own public/private social network - Building the most open source and privacy-preserving AI system on the planet - Featured on the Joe Rogan Experience, Tucker Carlson Tonight, NPR, Reuters, NYTimes, WSJ, Timcast - Raised $17M+ in funding, most recently closing a Series B in 2021 at a $60M pre-money valuation - Integrations with decentralized protocols like ActivityPub and Nostr to maximize sovereignty ## Active fundraises - wefunder:fundraise:62115: 4(a)(6) open (USD) - wefunder:fundraise:8996: 4(a)(6) successful (USD) ## Story The problem we're solvingFree 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 biasExcessive centralization of power by billionairesInvasive surveillance techniques and data miningSevere lack of transparency Flawed economic models that exploit communities rather than reward themPolarizing, addicting and toxic online behaviorImportant 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 futureCompanies 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 accountabilityOffers full white-label product to give creators maximum ownership of their reach and engagement with their audienceProtects your privacy at all costs, no short-cuts or sharing of data with third partiesDecentralized infrastructure to give you ownership of your identity through a protocol agnostic approachDemocratic moderation and jury systems to prevent centralized abuseMaximum creator monetization, community ownership and incentive alignmentCommunity controlFrom 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 incentivesMinds 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-thinkersMinds 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 Minds2011: Bill Ottman realizes the need for open source social media, and Minds is born2015: The first Minds app goes live and quickly grows to over 1M+ members2017: Minds raises $1M from 1,500+ community members in record-setting Reg CF on Wefunder2019: Minds raises $6M Series A from Medici Ventures, the blockchain venture arm of Overstock2020: Minds releases fully encrypted chat using decentralized Matrix protocol2021: Minds raises $10M Series B from FUTO, an investment group for tech freedom2022: Minds releases portable identity solution using decentralized Nostr protocol2023: Minds integrates with ActivityPub to connect with millions of new users in the Fediverse2024: Minds launches new Minds Networks product that allows anyone to launch their own white-labeled community app on web and mobile within minutes2025: Minds launches most open source and privacy-preserving AI system on the planetHere's what's nextOver 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.FAQDo 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. ## FAQ 1. **What do I gain if I invest in Minds.com? Is this just a donation campaign or do I actually get shares that I can buy and sell?** - This is an equity crowdfunding campaign. Checkout https://wefunder.com/faq/securities for more information about SAFE 2. **Just a simple math question. IF I invest $250 as that is all I really have access to at the moment, whenever there is a payout, what is the ideal return, what is the average return, and what is the best case scenario given your market cap info and no additional investments?** - Hi Marco. You should checkout https://wefunder.com/faq/securities which should answer your questions regarding SAFE. 3. **I live in the UK, what's the easiest way for me to invest, as I don't see a VISA/Debit card payment method?** - Franciskos, Payment methods are unfortunately limited for international investors. You can pay by either wire transfer or check. Don't worry though, as long as you've signed the contract you have plenty of time to send the money. 4. **How much time do we have to make an investment? Surely, this opportunity won't be open forever. Is there an investment cap or time limit?** - Hi Andrew. The maximum we are raising is $1m which we hope we will reach. 5. **I like this business model but as a former advertiser and investor in a failed paid revenue social media model (Tsu.co) I have to ask what is the exit strategy? The other sites that have tried this have just suddenly gone black without explanation..including Tsu.co that got up...** - Hi Lisa. You should read the Form C which includes all of these disclosures and questions. Hope this helps. ## Team - Bill Ottman (Founder & CEO) - Mark Harding (Co-founder & CTO) - Jack Ottman (Co-founder & COO) - Peter Schwartz (CFO) - John Ottman (Co-founder & Chairman) - Rob Griffitts (Attorney) - Daryl Davis (Advisor) - Elizabeth McCauley (Advisor) - Douglas Rushkoff (Advisor) - Ian Crossland (Advisor) - Gabriel Abed (Advisor) - Eron Wolf (Investor) ## Recent posts - Investor updates, live-streaming launch, decentralization and more! (2023-08-11T15:37:14Z) - Minds Fest 2023 goes viral and elevates global dialogue (2023-04-24T20:06:10Z) - Minds launches lawsuit against California social media censorship law (2023-04-24T19:50:02Z) - Minds CEO Bill Ottman appears on the Joe Rogan Experience for 3rd time to discuss the future of information and technology (2023-04-19T17:28:46Z) - Recent Announcements & Press! (2022-11-29T19:38:44Z) - MINDS FESTIVAL OF IDEAS ON JUNE 25 FEATURES TOP GLOBAL CREATORS (2022-06-15T14:06:27Z) - BREAKING: Watch Minds CEO Bill Ottman and advisor Daryl Davis on The Joe Rogan Experience! (2022-03-15T21:27:32Z) - Minds featured in Fortune Magazine (2021-10-06T03:50:08Z) - Minds raises $10M for decentralized and encrypted social network and messaging app (2021-06-17T15:18:28Z) - Minds October 2020 Updates! (2020-10-29T21:25:03Z) - Epic global press coverage and updates! (2020-07-22T17:40:20Z) - 2020 and the Evolution of Minds (2020-01-08T17:00:08Z) - Minds Pro: Sustainable revenue for creators (2019-11-27T20:39:58Z) - Buoyed by Original Wefunder Seed Round, Minds Raises $6M Series A (2018-10-23T11:29:57Z) - Minds, the blockchain-based social network, grabs a $6M Series A (2018-10-22T13:17:48Z) ## Q&A - Q: Now that you've locked me out of my account that had over a million views and 66 tokens, will I have to actually sue you this week to get my plus status, founder status, and tokens back? Will I have to report you as an ethereum scammer? Will I have to report you to FBI cybercrime, San Francisco PD, and all the other government and law enforcement bodies just to make you obey your own terms of service and contract law? - A: Please email nick@minds.com​ - Q: https://www.minds.com/MadChad/blog/minds-now-using-spam-policy-as-an-excuse-to-shadowban-1003036406446456832 "Minds now using "spam" policy as an excuse to shadowban? MadChad Jul 31, 2019, 6:28:34 AM I enjoy hanging out in the Minds Help and Support to help answer questions. It is common for people to ask for help using onchain wallets as well as asking how to sell their tokens, so I wrote an article about it called "HOW TO SELL YOUR MINDS TOKENS (or buy them for pennies on the dollar)". It is important for every single user of minds.com to know how to use onchain wallets so I have been boosting the article quite a bit to get the word out and spread some knowledge regarding a very common help request. Keep in mind I have been doing so AT MY OWN COST with tokens I PAID FOR. Well today my boost got rejected: According to minds.com policy, there is no policy against "boost spam". In fact no platform on the entire internet has a "spam" policy against any paid ad for ANY AMOUNT of views. Want to pay for a million views? Facebook will do it. Google will do it. ANYBODY will do it, if you are paying for it. But apparently minds.com considers anything that is too much work for them "spam". Yes boosts queues have been clogged lately, but I would like to know how this is in any shape or form the responsibility of users who are paying for the privilege. Are we the ones who chose to use a erc20 token that was designed to be traded between users? Are we the ones who decided to GIVE AWAY tokens for free? Are we the ones who decided to sell ad views for 1,000 views per token? Are we the ones who lured in users on the promise of "get paid for your content"? No we aren't, but we are the ones who came here to use the tools they provided and made minds.com what it is today with our revenue and content. I believe if a user wants to pay for ONE MILLION VIEWS he should get ONE MILLION VIEWS. This leads me to believe minds.com is using "spam" as an excuse to shadowban content either as a result of the fact that they are unable to fulfill their side of the bargain or perhaps it is simply content that they do not like. The minds token is an erc20 ethereum token designed to be freely traded between users using smart contracts. The very fact that minds chose to use a erc20 token rather than a stablecoin testifies to the fact they they should be willing to have users trading it on token exchanges. They can say it is a utility token all they want but the fact is erc20 tokens were designed to be traded and bought and sold through smart contracts. Calling it a "utility token" does not change what it is. I could call my mother "dad", but it does not make her my dad. You can say my mother is not allowed to breathe but she will anyway because she was designed that way. You can make up any name you want for an erc20 token but it is still a erc20 token. So here is what we have so far: - Minds.com chose to use a erc20 token to monetize their site - Minds.com sell the minds token for $1.25 each on minds.com - Users earn minds tokens for participating on minds.com - Minds is touted as the social site where you get paid for your content - Users trade mind tokens to etherum to get paid - Users PAY 1 mind token per 1000 views Now correct me if I am wrong but regardless of how you got your token, the token itself represents 1000 views on minds.com. It stands as a contract between the user and minds.com (it is LITERALLY A CONTRACT). Minds agrees to provide 1000 views to user content in return for one token. The Minds Token is LITERALLY a Contract So what makes them think they can limit boosts on ANYTHING? Is it the users responsibility to keep queues down? Is it our responsibility to provide viewers? No. Those things are their JOB, not ours! By refunding boosts or calling them "spam" they are avoiding responsibility of what they were PAID to do. Not only are they avoiding responsibility but they are abusing policy to do it. It seems like it is only a matter of time until "spam" is used as an excuse to ban any sort of content they wish. Anyway I will be appealing their decision to reject my boosting and be heard by a jury of peers. I will be posting the results of this appeal so stay tuned!" - A: Hey, thanks for the feedback. What's your username? - Q: What’s your revenue? And what’s your current user count? Is there a verification badge that comes with investing in the network? - Q: What does one receive, get, or obtain from an investment in MINDS? Does an investment cause my posts to be exposed to a larger audiance? - A: Hey George! You receive shares of stock of the company. And yes you get an investor badge on the app which will result is increased exposure and access. - Q: Where did my comment go? I literally just posted it! - A: Just responded to it - Q: I invested $100 in Minds. I would like to cash it in. How much do you think it is worth now. Thanks. - A: Hi Victoria, this isn't possible yet, but you'll be one of the first to know when it is. Did you ever claim your shares on Carta? - Q: Any updates? Thanks - A: Big announcements coming end of the month. - Q: I love to post...write...How do I sign up to Minds.com? - A: Tap sign up at https://minds.com! - Q: Will you raise another round on Wefunder after the series A? Would love to participate - A: Hey thanks, Sparkle! Stay tuned :) - Q: Become an investor - A: Stay tuned! - Q: How to block my credit card info showing up when purchasing online. Someone used it & unable to correct that - A: You can remove it in "Settings" - Q: I've invested in Minds.com Via Wire. How will i know you've received my contribution and know it's from me. - A: Hi Jesse. I think this is a question for the WeFunder team. Did you send your reference number along with the wire? - Q: Where is Wefunder success team when you really need them? - Q: Hi I invested in MINDS years ago and see the investments transferred to Carta then back to Minds.Inc? I am not sure what to do or if it is live? What has occurred since I put $3000 dollars into shares. I am retarded about all of this. - Q: Hello. As European, and given the people that are interviewing you, I was wondering if you could be considered as a Trump supporter?