Mask Network to Steward Next Chapter of Lens, Shifting Decentralized Social From Infrastructure to Consumer Adoption

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Mask Network announced that it will steward the next chapter of Lens, leading product development and consumer adoption across the ecosystem, while Avara will continue in an advisory role.

Lens has spent the past three years proving that user-owned, decentralized social can operate at real-world scale on open, composable infrastructure. With that foundation now in place, the focus shifts from protocols to products. Mask, often described as the "Tencent of Web3" for its network of interoperable social products governed under MaskDAO, will drive this next phase by building consumer-grade applications designed to bring decentralized social into everyday use.

Founded in 2017 by Suji Yan, Mask brings nearly a decade of experience building decentralized applications for everyday users. From early Web2-to-Web3 integrations to products like Orb and Firefly, and through long-term Mastodon support that includes operating mstdn.jp, mastodon.cloud, and the 2022 acquisition of Pawoo.net, Mask has consistently turned open infrastructure into intuitive, mainstream-ready experiences. With its venture arm Bonfire Union managing $100M across 120 projects in decentralized social, infrastructure, and creator economies, Mask is set to lead Lens' next phase, turning decentralized social from infrastructure into apps people enjoy.

"Mask's mission is to make decentralized social accessible, intuitive, and ready for real-world use," said Suji Yan, Founder of Mask. "That focus on products is exactly what Lens needs as it moves from infrastructure to mass adoption."

"Lens has fulfilled its core mission: proving that user-owned, decentralized social networks can work at scale on open infrastructure and support user-friend experiences. With that foundation now in place, the next chapter is about consumer adoption, and that's where Suji and Mask's product leadership is essential to bringing decentralized social into everyday use," said Stani Kulechov, Founder & CEO of Avara.

What Comes Next for the Lens Ecosystem

With Mask taking stewardship of Lens' next chapter, the focus now turns to execution: building consumer-grade products, scaling distribution, and creating experiences that can onboard the next generation of users. This means prioritizing product design, performance, and usability—areas critical to moving decentralized social from early adopters to everyday audiences.

For developers and creators, Lens will remain open, permissionless, and composable, with Aave Labs continuing to support long-term standards, governance, and ecosystem integrity. For users, the next phase of Lens will be defined by applications that feel familiar, intuitive, and culturally relevant, while preserving the core promise of ownership, portability, and user-controlled identity.

From Infrastructure to Products

The shift from infrastructure to consumer products is already underway. Orb, a Web3-native social application built on Lens and now part of MaskDAO, offers a glimpse of what this next chapter looks like in practice. Designed around culture, creativity, and community ownership, Orb translates Lens' open social graph into an experience built for everyday use.

By early 2025, Orb surpassed 50K monthly users with viral, creator-first features. Now part of Mask's suite alongside Web3.bio, and Firefly.social. Firefly has partnered with top projects like Fileverse, Snapshot, Polymarket, and Mirror, earning public praise from Vitalik Buterin for its exceptional UX.

"Lens proved the infrastructure. Orb proves what's possible on top of it," said Kimmo Sirén, Founder of Orb. "With MaskDAO, we're putting culture and ownership onchain—building social products that people actually want to use."

As Lens enters this new phase, its founding principle remains unchanged: social networks should be owned by the people who use them. From protocol to ecosystem to a purpose-built chain, Lens established the foundations for user-owned, programmable social. With Mask now stewarding its next chapter, the focus shifts from proving what's possible to delivering what's practical, bringing decentralized identity, ownership, and creator-first economics into everyday digital life. Lens laid the foundation. Mask is building the neighborhood.

About Mask

Mask Network is a leader in the vibrant decentralized social networking ecosystem, bridging Web2 and Web3 by enabling users to access the decentralized apps, messaging, and payment tools directly on mainstream social platforms. Its ecosystem, governed by MaskDAO, includes decentralized social apps such as Web3.bio, Firefly.social, and Orb.club. Through its venture arm, Bonfire Union, Mask strategically invests in decentralized social networks, infrastructure, and creative content, with the goal of making Web3 more accessible to everyone. Learn more at mask.io.

About Lens

Lens is a Layer 2 blockchain optimized for SocialFi, providing scalability and cost-efficiency for decentralized SocialFi applications. With a modular social protocol, onchain content storage, and stable gas fees via GHO, Lens drives Web3 adoption. https://x.com/LC

SOURCE Mask Network