TL;DR
- Idea: Zora is an on-chain NFT marketplace infrastructure and content tokenization protocol, leveraging a Layer 2 network for low fees and high throughput to empower creators to mint, trade, and monetize digital content.
- Catalyst: Integration with Base App content tokenization and the launch of Zora Network Layer 2 mainnet on OP Stack.
- Risks: High dependency on NFT market conditions, smart contract risks, and competition from other NFT protocols.
- Score: 7.00/ 10
Coin
- Name/ Ticker: Zora Protocol (ZORA)
- Segment: NFT Infrastructure
- Status: active
- Price: $0.066190
Key Metrics
- Market Cap: $213 055 606
- FDV: $661 930 000
- Circulating Supply: 3 218 662 573
- Total Supply: 10 000 000 000
Sources
Technology
- USP: On-chain NFT marketplace protocol with content tokenization and a dedicated Layer 2 network for optimized NFT minting and trading.
- Core Technology: Modular media protocol (Zora Media Protocol), Immutable Hyperstructures, Zora Network Layer 2 using OP Stack, on-chain royalty and bid shares system.
Roadmap
- 2025-01-01: Launch of Zora Network’s Layer 2 mainnet; initial rollout of the ZORA token and creator tools.
- 2025-04-23: ZORA token listing on major exchanges; ecosystem growth through platform integrations and community incentives.
- 2025-07-01: Ecosystem expansion via partnerships, developer tooling enhancements, and support for NFT-based social platforms.
Team & Investors
Team
- CEO & Co-Founder — Jacob Horne: Former Product Manager at Coinbase; led USDC product and Coinbase Ventures initiatives.
- Co-Founder — Dee Goens: Former Marketing Manager at Coinbase.
- Co-Founder & CTO — Tyson Battistella: Former Software Engineer at Coinbase.
- Board Member — Steve Jang: Founder & Managing Partner at Kindred Ventures; Forbes VC Midas List member.
Investors
- Kindred Ventures — seed • 2020-10-03 • $2.00M
- Coinbase Ventures — seed • 2020-10-03
- Paradigm — private • 2021-04-01 • $8.00M
- Haun Ventures — Series A • 2022-05-05 • $50.00M
- Alice Lloyd George — seed • 2020-10-03
Total funding: $60.00M
Tokenomics
- Utility: Pay marketplace and minting fees, mint and trade content coins, stake for governance and tokenized rewards, on-chain royalties and bid incentives.
- Vesting: Team tokens vested over 3 years with linear release.
- Next Unlock: 2025-10-23 (5.19% of circulating)
Pros & Cons
Strengths
- Creator-centric content tokenization infrastructure.
- Immutable Hyperstructures ensuring trustless, permanent markets.
- Optimized L2 network for low-cost, high-throughput NFT operations.
- On-chain royalty enforcement for fair creator compensation.
- Backed by top-tier investors and experienced Coinbase ex-team.
- Modular protocol design enabling cross-platform composability.
- Active developer SDKs and integration tools.
- Strong ecosystem growth through Base App integration.
Weaknesses
- High dependency on NFT market demand.
- Significant competition from other NFT marketplaces (OpenSea, Blur).
- Potential network centralization risk on new L2.
- Smart contract and bridge security vulnerabilities.
- Token volatility and regulatory uncertainties.
Market Signals (7d)
- TVL trend: +199.25%
Price Scenarios (target: 2026-02-08)
How to Buy & Store
CEX
- Binance
- Coinbase
- KuCoin
- Gate.io
- Kraken
DEX
- Uniswap V3
- SushiSwap
- 1inch
- Balancer
- Zora Coins Protocol
Storage
- MetaMask
- Ledger
- Coinbase Wallet
- Trust Wallet
- Gnosis Safe
Verdict
Zora Protocol presents a robust on-chain NFT infrastructure with strong backing and technical depth, offering significant upside through creator economy expansion but carries risks from market volatility and security.
Official Links
Source: Coin Research (internal)
Comments (0)