What is Metaplex (MPLX)

1. Project Introduction
Metaplex is the NFT protocol standard within the Solana ecosystem. Initially incubated by Solana Labs, Metaplex was established by a team that included Stephen Hess, former product lead at Solana Labs. Since Fall 2021, Metaplex has operated as an independent organization, offering a suite of tools that allow artists, brands, and creators to mint NFTs and launch self-hosted minting pages using various APIs and low-code tools. The protocol includes six main smart contract programs: Token Metadata, Candy Machine, Auction House, Fusion, Creator Studio, and Bubblegum. These tools support NFT metadata, distribution, auctions, on-chain ownership tracking, and no-code solutions for creators. In November 2022, Metaplex introduced compressed NFTs, reducing NFT minting costs by over 1000 times.
Summary: Metaplex is a core infrastructure protocol in the Solana ecosystem that supports NFT standards and has facilitated the minting of 257,000 collections, 512 million NFTs, and generated $1.2 billion in revenue for creators.
2. Team & Investment Info
Team:
Dorian Brian Lee: CEO of Metaplex Studios, previously product lead at HumanCo and investment analyst at Balyasny Asset Management.
Stephen Hess: Director of Metaplex Foundation, former CEO of Metaplex Studios and Solana product lead.
Funding:
In January 2022, Metaplex raised $46 million in funding led by Multicoin Capital and Jump Crypto, with participation from Animoca Brands, Solana Ventures, and Alameda Research. Angel investors included Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson.
3. Social Media URLs
X: https://x.com/metaplex
Discord: https://discord.com/invite/metaplex
4. Token Info
Token Symbol: MPLX
Total Supply: 999,984,758
Token Type: Solana
Issuance/Burn Mechanism: Fixed supply
Contract Address:
https://solana.fm/address/METAewgxyPbgwsseH8T16a39CQ5VyVxZi9zXiDPY18m
Token Distribution:
Creators & Early Supporters: 21.9%, 50% airdropped in the first year, remaining 50% released monthly in the following year.
Metaplex DAO: 16%, distributed per DAO proposals.
Metaplex Foundation: 20.31%, fully released.
Strategic Round: 10.2%, 50% airdropped in the first year, remaining 50% released monthly in the following year.
Partners: 10%, locked for two years, released linearly over the following year.
Metaplex Studios: 9.75%, locked for one year, released linearly over the following two years.
Community Airdrop: 5.4%, fully unlocked.
Founding Advisors: 3.34%, locked for one year, released linearly over the following year.
Founding Partners: 3.1%, locked for one year, released linearly over the following year.
5. Related Links
Official Website: https://www.metaplex.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metaplex-studios/
Other Info:
https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/detail/Metaplex?k=MjYyNA%3D%3D