Introducing The Livepeer Foundation
We’re excited to announce the launch of the Livepeer Foundation: a new, neutral entity that will steward the next phase of growth, decentralization, and ecosystem participation across the Livepeer network.
This launch comes at a pivotal time. As the Livepeer network scales rapidly, new opportunities are emerging to strengthen coordination, expand participation, and improve transparency across a growing ecosystem.
The Foundation’s mission continues the Livepeer project’s original vision: to build the world’s open video infrastructure. That vision is now more urgent than ever as AI-powered media creation drives increasing demand for decentralized, cost-effective GPU compute.
How we got here:
Over the past seven years, Livepeer has evolved from a pioneering decentralized protocol into one of the most actively used networks in the DePIN category. Livepeer Inc. led the early development of the core infrastructure, launched a production-grade livestream transcoding network, and helped establish a global base of node operators. Today, Inc. is focused on unlocking demand, especially around real-time video AI, through initiatives like Daydream and other application-facing efforts.
Meanwhile, a broader ecosystem of contributors has emerged. The Community Fund, governed by orchestrators, has enabled the rise of independent Special Purpose Entities (SPEs), which are now delivering upgrades, tooling, and research across the stack. This growth has increased the pace of innovation, but also the complexity of coordination. The Cascade proposal, introduced in 2024, surfaced a clear opportunity: to focus the ecosystem around real-time AI video pipelines, and to organize the network’s efforts with greater clarity and shared direction.
The Livepeer Foundation was created in response: to serve as connective tissue across this maturing ecosystem, coordinate the work of core teams, define a long-term roadmap, and help the network scale with intention.
Why the Foundation, why now?
We believe that the Livepeer project is now uniquely positioned to scale its reputation as the world’s leading open video infrastructure network and as one of the most important decentralized infrastructure projects globally.
Real-time video AI is driving new demand and opening up new possibilities. Developers and operators across the ecosystem are stepping up to scale the infrastructure, and new talent is entering the space with urgency. This momentum presents a unique opportunity to introduce a coordination layer that is structurally lean, operationally minimal, and credibly neutral.
We chose a foundation structure because it offers neutrality and a familiar operational model with proven relevance across the Web3 ecosystem. It also reflects the global nature of Livepeer—a network with thousands of contributors across many jurisdictions.
We’re not building a traditional foundation. We’re building something purpose-fit: a steward with a lightweight team designed to usher in the next chapter of progressive decentralization for the Livepeer project.
In this next chapter, the Foundation’s role is to help the Livepeer project grow into a thriving ecosystem of founders, applications, and gateways—and to ensure that the network remains performant, secure, and accountable to its token holders.
A vehicle for ecosystem participation
The Livepeer Foundation aims to empower all ecosystem stakeholders to participate in the strategic direction of the Livepeer project, and easily contribute to the execution of the collective vision.
The Foundation will implement repeatable, self-governing systems for strategy, development, and ecosystem growth:
Strategy & Vision
We’re aligning ecosystem stakeholders around a long-term roadmap through structured Advisory Boards that offer ecosystem stakeholders direct and impactful input into network priorities. These boards—focused on Network, Governance, Demand, and Markets—ensure that strategic decisions reflect community input and evolving operational realities.
Core Network Development
We coordinate research, development, and tooling across Livepeer Inc and independent technical teams, known as Special Purpose Entities (SPEs). This approach supports the growth of stable, extensible infrastructure while reducing centralization and creating clear entry points for new contributors.
Ecosystem Growth
We’re focused on attracting and onboarding new developers, founders, and contributors through targeted programs, gateway expansion efforts, and ongoing community engagement. The goal is to support a wide range of use cases and build diversified demand that strengthens the network over time.
In short, the Foundation’s role is to serve the network — to support public goods, fill in coordination gaps, and ensure the ecosystem can scale with integrity.
What’s already underway
The Foundation’s first process is already in motion: the launch of Advisory Boards.
Advisory Boards are small, domain-specific groups made up of ecosystem contributors—focused on Network, Governance, Demand, and Markets—who bring practical experience and community perspective into strategic planning.
These boards are an extension of the Foundation and serve a critical role in shaping the Livepeer roadmap.
Their job is to identify emerging opportunities, evaluate potential initiatives, and recommend priorities that will help the ecosystem execute effectively. Most importantly, they help ensure that the people building, operating, and using the network have a meaningful voice in its future.
What comes next
The Livepeer Foundation is now live—and this is just the beginning.
In the months ahead, we’ll focus on supporting the first Advisory Boards as they prepare to share their initial findings, coordinating development efforts across Livepeer Inc and technical SPEs, accelerating adoption of real-time video AI through targeted programs, and attracting new founders, developers, and researchers to help grow the ecosystem.
Looking ahead, the Foundation will take on core stewardship responsibilities through a phased approach:
- 2025 – Foundation Phase
Establish core operations, launch Advisory Boards, and support efforts to drive real-time video AI capabilities and adoption. - 2026–2027 – Scaling Phase
Lead project marketing, diversify gateway infrastructure, and support the expansion of proven demand sources. - 2028 and beyond – Decentralization Phase
Transition full brand stewardship and strategic governance to the broader community.
Livepeer was built to be open—from its architecture to its community. The Foundation exists to carry that principle forward: to help the network grow, adapt, and stay accountable to those who build and rely on it. This is the start of a new phase—one that invites contributors from across Web3 and beyond to play a direct role in shaping the future of open video.
Meet the team
The Livepeer Foundation is structured as a non-profit entity focused on supporting the long-term growth and decentralization of the network. The Foundation will also operate its own node infrastructure and grow its capacity in step with the network’s needs. Like all other special purpose entities in the Livepeer ecosystem, the Foundation's access to the on-chain treasury for specific initiatives is accountable to token holders"
The initial team includes:
- Rich O’Grady, Executive Director
- Rick Staa, Technical Director
- Ben Perez, Operations Director
- Joseph Birch, Communications Lead
This is just the beginning! If you're building in Web3, exploring real-time video AI, or care about open infrastructure—Livepeer is where you can shape what’s next.