Orchid Labs aims to develop open-source software that helps keep the internet open and reachable-like a shared resource for people everywhere.

Founded in 2017, Orchid Labs initially set out to create an open bandwidth marketplace on Ethereum, along with a VPN client available for major operating systems.

The Orchid Network is made up of relay and bridge nodes. These nodes stake Orchid tokens (ERC20) to collect fees from bandwidth usage. A decentralized Ethereum smart contract stores the node roster, and it can be accessed and updated by anyone across the world.

With the Orchid App, users run a VPN on their mobile devices or home computers. Behind the scenes, the app relies on its probabilistic nano-payment system to buy bandwidth in real time. Data is secured at every relay hop, offering protection that isn’t available with conventional single-hop VPN setups. In addition, unlike traditional VPN models, no relay or exit is able to access any customer’s personal information. Marketplace participants can choose providers based on factors such as speed, cost, location, and availability.