Orb
Orb is a Web3 social app built on Lens Protocol, founded in June 2022 by Kimmo Sirén, Nilesh Rathore, and Alireza Mohammadrezabeig.14 The app combines chat, tokenized communities called Clubs, collectible posts, sticker packs, and native tipping.15 MaskDAO acquired Orb in June 2025, when the app had reached 50,000 monthly active users.2
Origins
Orb started as a side project during Graph Day in San Francisco in June 2022.1 Sirén initially built it as a professional network — a Web3 version of LinkedIn powered by on-chain credentials — and the app quickly gained traction among Lens Protocol users.1 In November 2022 the team pivoted to a community-focused social app and began working on it full-time. Orb came out of closed beta in December 2022.1
Orb was the first application in the Lens ecosystem to raise external funding.1 Lens Protocol is a decentralized social graph where posts, profiles, and follows are stored on-chain, allowing users to carry their social data across apps built on the protocol.3
Funding
In September 2023, Orb announced a $2.3M pre-seed round. Investors included Superscrypt, Founders, Inc., Foresight Ventures, and Aave Companies, as well as Stani Kulechov (founder of Aave and Lens Protocol) and Sandeep Nailwal (co-founder of Polygon).1 The round was an equity deal that began in March 2023 and closed in May. There was no lead investor and Sirén declined to comment on valuation.1
At the time of fundraising, the team had fewer than ten people and planned to hire mobile developers and designers.1
Product
Orb is available on iOS and Android.3 The app is organized around a feed of posts that can be collected as NFTs, direct messaging, and tokenized communities called Clubs.13
Clubs are built on the ERC-6551 standard using Token Bound Accounts, which allow each NFT to have its own smart contract wallet capable of holding other NFTs and tokens.1 By September 2023, Orb had received 400+ requests for new communities, with 5,000+ users who had generated 15,000+ publications and 150,000+ reactions within Clubs.1
In October 2024, Orb launched sticker packs — collectible sets of reaction stickers implemented as NFTs that users purchase and use when commenting on posts.3 Sticker pack pricing starts at approximately $1 USDC and rises with each purchase. Revenue from sticker sales is split: 40% to the creator, 40% to the NFT holder, 8% to the club the collection belongs to, 4% as a referral fee, and 8% to Orb.3
Acquisition
On June 2, 2025, Mask Network announced that MaskDAO had acquired Orb.2 Orb had crossed 50,000 monthly active users at the start of 2025.2
Mask Network, founded in 2017, began as a browser extension bridging Web2 platforms with Web3 functionality and has since expanded into a suite of decentralized social products including Next.ID, Web3.bio, and Firefly.social.2 Orb joined this ecosystem after migrating to Lens Chain, the standalone blockchain launched by the Lens/Avara team.2
Sirén became Head of Orb Product at MaskDAO after the acquisition, with plans to expand real-time, mobile-first experiences and community-owned creator Clubs.2