Zora is a pioneering Web3 platform built to empower creators through decentralized media ownership. Since its launch in 2020, it has grown into a robust ecosystem that brings together an NFT marketplace, a high-performance Layer 2 network, social features, and tools tailored for creators. At its core, Zora aims to transform how digital content is created, shared, and monetized—putting control back into the hands of the people who make it.
The internet has evolved dramatically from the early days of Web 1.0 to the more sophisticated Web 2.0 era—shifting from open but inefficient systems to highly efficient, yet increasingly centralized platforms. This centralization has weakened the direct relationship between creators and their audiences, as major platforms exert control over user data and access, effectively monopolizing how media is valued. At the same time, the security and permanence of digital content remain fragile, with frequent bans of public figures raising serious concerns about censorship and the free flow of information.
Zora Protocol emerged in response to these challenges, with the goal of creating a universal protocol for media ownership. It empowers creators to truly own their content and engage directly with their audiences—bypassing traditional centralized platforms. At its core, Zora envisions a decentralized, censorship-resistant, accessible, and user-owned media ecosystem. By doing so, it allows creators to retain control over their work, decide how value is shared, and thrive within an open and transparent creative environment.
Riding the momentum of the NFT boom, Zora quickly captured the attention of the Web3 community with its fresh approach to media ownership. In May 2022, the platform raised $50 million in a funding round led by Haun Ventures, with support from Coinbase Ventures, Kindred Ventures, and others—bringing its valuation to $600 million. This funding has accelerated Zora's growth and strengthened its position as a key player in the evolving NFT landscape.
Media as Market: Zora reimagines media ownership by treating each piece of content as its own market. Users can place bids on NFTs, and creators have the autonomy to accept offers and complete transactions. This model also enables resale royalties, ensuring that original creators continue to benefit from secondary market activity.
Resale Royalty Mechanism: With its innovative royalty framework, Zora allows media owners to retain a share of future resale proceeds. This not only incentivizes ongoing creation of high-quality content but also offers investors a more stable return outlook. It fosters a more sustainable ecosystem by driving the long-term value growth of media assets.
Cryptomedia Concept: Zora introduced the concept of "Cryptomedia" to describe tokenized multimedia—such as images, audio, and video—secured on-chain as NFTs. This approach ensures uniqueness, verifiability, and censorship resistance. While media can be widely shared, its provenance and original value remain protected.
Zora Protocol is composed of three primary components:
Zora Smart Contracts: Deployed on Ethereum mainnet to facilitate minting, bidding, and trading of media assets.
Zora Developer Kit (ZDK): A TypeScript-based SDK that streamlines the development and integration process.
Zora Subgraph: A data indexing and query layer powered by The Graph, enabling efficient on-chain data access.
Zora has also launched its own Ethereum Layer 2 network—Zora Network—built on the OP Stack, which offers high performance and low transaction fees.
Zora Network is a Layer-2 blockchain developed on the Optimism OP Stack, purpose-built to support NFT and media-centric applications. Its key features include:
Decentralization and Censorship Resistance: Built on Ethereum, Zora empowers creators to independently own, control, and monetize their content—without relying on centralized platforms. Its blockchain infrastructure ensures data immutability and strong resistance to censorship.
Content Uniqueness and Integrity Verification: To protect the uniqueness and integrity of media, Zora employs SHA-256 checksum verification. Each asset includes two URI pointers—one for metadata and one for the content itself—alongside corresponding hashes, allowing transparent, on-chain validation of authenticity.
Support for Multiple Value Representations: Zora supports multiple forms of value representation, enabling transactions with any Ethereum-based ERC-20 token. This includes stablecoins, liquidity mining tokens, and even governance tokens tied to DAO membership.
Composability: With content at the core, Zora's design promotes composability—platforms are built around content, not the other way around. Developers can easily integrate Zora with other blockchain protocols, unlocking a wide range of creative and functional possibilities.
Zora grabbed headlines when the Base team launched the "Base is for everyone" token on its platform. However, operational missteps and widespread confusion around memecoins led to extreme price volatility, triggering backlash from the community.
Despite the controversy, Zora has continued to grow, drawing an expanding community of users and developers. Studios and independent creators alike have embraced the platform, leveraging its tools to mint, trade, and monetize NFTs. As the NFT ecosystem evolves, Zora remains focused on refining its products and services to better support the needs of its growing user base.
As platform and creator economies continue to expand at a rapid pace, Zora is redefining how value is captured—leveraging a decentralized internet protocol model. More than just a new take on NFTs, Zora positions itself as foundational infrastructure for the Web3 creator economy.
Its partnership with MEXC, one of the world's leading digital asset exchanges, adds significant momentum to its growth. Renowned for ultra-low fees, lightning-fast execution, broad asset coverage, and deep liquidity, MEXC has earned the trust of investors worldwide. Its commitment to supporting emerging projects makes it an ideal launchpad for innovation.
ZORA is now available for Spot and Futures trading on MEXC, giving users access to high liquidity and low trading fees—making it easier than ever to get involved.
How to Buy ZORA on MEXC:
2. Search for "ZORA" and select either Spot or Futures trading. 3. Choose your order type, enter the quantity and price, and confirm your trade.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this material does not constitute advice on investment, taxation, legal, financial, accounting, or any other related services, nor does it serve as a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold any assets. MEXC Learn offers this information for reference purposes only and does not provide investment advice. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and exercise caution when investing. MEXC is not responsible for users' investment decisions.