# Pollen Labs > Pollen Labs is a design-led product studio based in Montreal, Canada. We design and build digital products end to end — UX research, product strategy, frontend, backend, and mobile. Our work focuses on making complex systems legible and trustworthy: traceability infrastructure, impact verification tools, open-source public goods, and Web3 UX. We have deep roots in the Ethereum Foundation's Privacy & Scaling Explorations (PSE) team and have been building open-source products since 2023. We are a small, senior team — not an agency, not a consultancy. We ship working products and take ownership of decisions. ## Who we are - **Studio type:** Design-led product studio - **Founded:** 2023, spun out of the Ethereum Foundation's PSE team - **Location:** Montréal, Québec, Canada (EST) — working with clients globally - **Co-founders:** Chiali Tsai (design lead, 16+ years experience) and Sébastien Guillemot (strategy) - **Working language:** English and French - **Open source:** Core commitment — we build in the open when the project allows ## What we do - End-to-end product design and development (UX, frontend, backend, mobile) - Traceability and trust systems for supply chains, impact organizations, and circular economy brands - Web3 and blockchain UX — wallets, DAOs, zero-knowledge proof interfaces, onchain data dashboards - Brand design and design sprints (2-week engagements) - Open-source public goods for environmental and social impact ## How we work - Engagements run 6–16 weeks for full builds; 2-week sprints available for focused scope (e.g. brand design) - Async-first, time-zone flexible - We don't hand off wireframes — we own the build start to finish - Open to early-stage and undefined projects; we help shape the problem before solving it ## Pages - [FAQ](https://pollenlabs.org/faq/) - [Home](https://pollenlabs.org/) - [About](https://pollenlabs.org/about/) - [Contact](https://pollenlabs.org/contact/) - [Work](https://pollenlabs.org/work/) - [Blog](https://pollenlabs.org/blog/) ## Works - [Enaleia Hub](https://pollenlabs.org/work/block-flow-enaleia-hub/): Supply-chain traceability infrastructure built on Ethereum for Enaleia, a Mediterranean ocean plastic recovery network. A lightweight system that turns real-world supply-chain actions into verifiable, tamper-proof blockchain records using Ethereum Attestation Service. Includes a cross-platform mobile app for field workers (fishers, recyclers, manufacturers) to log collections and transformations via QR codes, and a public-facing dashboard that renders the full material journey from ocean to product. Works offline in low-connectivity ports. Built with React Native, Expo, Directus, and EAS. Now being productized as a digital product passport service for circular economy brands and NGOs. - [Reef.Regen](https://pollenlabs.org/work/reef-regen/): An open-source platform for coral restoration communities to share their work and track progress over time. Built with MesoReef DAO. Actions are recorded as attestations on the Ethereum blockchain (Optimism network, under 1 cent per transaction — paid by Pollen Labs as a public good). Includes a public map for discovery, step-by-step restoration submission forms, IPFS document storage, and species tracking. Released as free, open-source tools with support from the Optimism Collective. Built with Ethereum Attestation Service, Web3Auth, and Supabase. - [Anon Aadhaar](https://pollenlabs.org/work/anon-aadhaar/): A zero-knowledge protocol mobile app that lets people prove they hold a valid Indian Aadhaar identity document while revealing only the minimum required information. Built for the Ethereum Foundation's PSE team. Design focused on making privacy-preserving cryptography accessible to developers, using culturally grounded Indian visual language — mudras, bold color, architectural motifs — to make the experience feel human rather than technical. Built with React Native and the Anon Aadhaar ZK protocol. - [Impact Reef](https://pollenlabs.org/work/impact-reef/): A shared interface for measuring and recognizing impact across the Optimism ecosystem. Helps project builders, evaluators, and badgeholders align on what "impact" means, document evidence, and turn evaluations into a transparent, comparable track record. Designed with a "convenience with a nerdy spine" philosophy — lightweight and browsable on the surface, rigorous underneath. Built with Ethereum Attestation Service. - [UniRep Social](https://pollenlabs.org/work/unirep-social/): One of the first social products to bring zero-knowledge proof technology into everyday interaction. A community app built on the UniRep protocol (Ethereum) where users post, comment, and vote using short-lived anonymous personas. Reputation exists but doesn't permanently identify users. Design emphasized a neutral, low-emotion interface to reduce social priming and tribal cues — community based on ideas, not identities. - [HEADLINE](https://pollenlabs.org/work/headline/): A decentralized publishing platform built on Unlock Protocol, designed to help creators publish, monetize, and build community with stronger ownership. Explores token-gated access and onchain membership as an alternative to platform-controlled subscriptions. Built with Unlock Protocol, Ceramic Network, and Lit Protocol. - [VoiceDeck](https://pollenlabs.org/work/voicedeck-retroactive-funding/): A platform empowering citizen-led impact journalism through retroactive funding. Built in partnership with the Next Billion Fellowship. Pollen Labs designed and developed both the VoiceDeck website and app (November 2023 – March 2024). Open-source public good. ## Core topics and expertise - Product design, UX research, design systems, brand identity - Traceability, supply chain transparency, digital product passports - Circular economy, environmental data infrastructure, ocean plastic recovery - Blockchain, Ethereum, Web3, zero-knowledge proofs, privacy-preserving systems - Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS), Optimism, Arweave - Open-source software, public goods - Impact verification, NGO tooling, social and environmental good - Decentralized publishing, creator tools, token-gated access ## Social & community - GitHub: https://github.com/Pollen-labs - Twitter/X: https://x.com/PollenLabs_ - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pollen-labs-org/ - Discord: https://discord.gg/5B3jP2sgWS ## Blog - [Community Link: Bridging the Digital Divide Through DePIN](https://pollenlabs.org/community-link-depin-wifi-mesh/): A research prototype exploring community-owned WiFi mesh networks using DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks). Built on OpenWISP, pfSense, freeRadius, and Unlock Protocol to deliver sustainable, affordable internet access in underserved and rural areas. Explores token-gated connectivity and community ownership of network infrastructure. - [Open Source & the Art of Giving Things Away](https://pollenlabs.org/open-source-the-art-of-giving-things-away/): A long-form piece on why Pollen Labs builds in the open — the philosophy behind open-source as a business model, what it costs, what it creates, and why it produces better software and more honest relationships. - [Nightjar: Empowering Workers Rights with Anonymity](https://pollenlabs.org/nightjar-workers-rights-anonymity/): Research prototype using zero-knowledge proofs and UniRep to give workers a private, verifiable way to report workplace issues and organize without exposing their identity. - [Ivy Network: A Decentralized Micro-Economy Workforce](https://pollenlabs.org/ivy-network-decentralized-research-workforce/): Research exploring decentralized workforce coordination using state channels, UniRep, and privacy-preserving economics for micro-task and gig work. - [Channel 4: Reviving Content Discovery with Community](https://pollenlabs.org/channel-4-content-discovery/): A prototype reimagining content discovery through community curation and state channel economics, reducing dependence on algorithmic recommendation systems. - [Daisy: Privacy-Preserving Platform for Information Transparency in Journalism](https://pollenlabs.org/daisy-privacy-preserving-journalism/): Research into anonymous, verifiable journalism tooling using Semaphore and UniRep — protecting sources while enabling accountability. ## Optional - [Sitemap index](https://pollenlabs.org/sitemap_index.xml)