Since the beginning, our core thesis has been that all forms of value will end up tokenized on public blockchains. We set out to build 0x Protocol because we believe that tokenization combined with global p2p markets will help to eliminate the geographic lottery and unlock latent human potential.

Three years on, the tokenization thesis is playing out more rapidly than we anticipated. Among the 250,000 token contracts on the Ethereum blockchain today there are $7.5B of tokenized US dollars, thousands of ICO tokens, real estate, video game items, community tokens, personal tokens, synthetic assets, derivatives, and so much more. We’re seeing a Cambrian explosion of innovation and creativity, and it’s only just getting started.

Looking to the future, we see a number of prime opportunities to catalyze growth within p2p markets, drive adoption of 0x protocol, and grow a successful business along the way. With this context, we’re excited to introduce 0x Labs!

Introducing 0x Labs

Historically the 0x core team has been laser focused on developing the open source technology underlying 0x protocol and we’ve exclusively relied on external teams to bring new products and liquidity into the ecosystem. This approach has allowed us to refine the technology and given the ecosystem time to mature. As we continue to decentralize control of 0x protocol, the platform will take on an identity of its own and our organization will transition into one of the many productive stakeholders moving the ecosystem forward. As 0x Labs, we aim to build a healthy business on top of 0x while we continue to work towards our vision for 0x as a community owned and operated platform.

0x Labs will focus on creating value in three key areas (1) surfacing better prices within existing markets (2) establishing new markets where none currently exist and (3) creating novel trading experiences that extend market access to a broader segment of users. To this end, we will soon launch our first end-user trading experience Matcha, which will come to serve as a liquidity search engine and launch pad for new markets.