Towards a better internet

Tonk is a London-based startup building tools for a new kind of internet - one that's open, playful, and platform-free. When platform fatigue hit a peak in the early 2020s, we saw an opportunity - to build a new web, powered by frontier cryptography and distributed systems, bigger and more exciting than crypto alone.

We spent two years as a skunkworks, pushing boundaries with games, social apps, and developer tools using ZK proofs and cutting-edge cryptography. Now, we’re laser-focused on launching the Tonk toolchain - our first step toward a freer, better internet.

We’re not your typical tech team: we’re artists, musicians, and dancers committed to building technology that's creative, powerful, and human. We cut our teeth at UC Berkeley, Cambridge University, Airbnb, Epic Games, and successful startups. We're backed by Electric Capital, Bankless Ventures, Entrepreneur First, and leading angels.

Read more about our journey on Substack.

Careers

Tonk is a home for creative, autonomous people. If you share our mission, join us.

Hiring: Software Engineer

Apply above or send your profile directly to our CEO, harry@tonk.xyz.

Our vision

Platforms defined the web we know today, locking information into walled gardens and restricting human agency. But their dominance won't last. Frontier cryptography and distributed systems offer a simpler, freer, more intimate web:

• Entertainment: Creators will get paid directly by their audiences - no middlemen. Users will control what they see, not third-party algorithms.
• Ecommerce: Buying homes or applying for loans will be seamless, powered by flexible digital credentials - no frustrating paperwork.
• Enterprise: Companies will keep sensitive data close, reducing cloud costs and risks. Employees will enjoy faster, smoother apps without sacrificing security.
• Entrepreneurs: Innovators will build directly on existing apps without platform gatekeepers. Good ideas will get built quickly and cheaply.

We envision a future web that amplifies humanity's power to create, communicate, and collaborate - one where tight-knit groups build amazing things together & have fun doing it.