Mask Network Takes Over Lens Protocol Stewardship from Avara
Mask Network assumes operational control of Lens Protocol as Avara shifts to an advisory role, signaling a major pivot from infrastructure building to consumer app adoption.
Strategic Handover Focuses on “Consumer Grade” Apps
Mask Network has officially assumed stewardship of Lens Protocol, the decentralized social graph originally built by Avara (formerly Aave Companies). The move marks a definitive pivot for Lens from infrastructure development to consumer application growth, effectively separating the protocol’s technical layer from its product adoption strategy.
Following the announcement, Mask Network (MASK) traded at $0.63, down 4.5% in the last 24 hours, mirroring a broader market cool-off rather than a specific negative reaction to the news. Aave (AAVE), Avara’s flagship DeFi token, slid 5% to $155.
From Protocol to Product
Under the agreement, Mask Network, often referred to as the “Tencent of Web3” for its strategy of acquiring and integrating social components, will lead business development, user acquisition, and the build-out of consumer-facing apps on top of Lens. Avara, led by Stani Kulechov, transitions to an advisory role, stepping back from day-to-day operations to focus on high-level governance and its DeFi suite.
The consolidation places Mask at the center of a vertically integrated stack. By controlling the protocol stewardship alongside its portfolio of apps, including the recently acquired Orb and Firefly, Mask aims to solve the fragmentation that has plagued decentralized social (DeSoc) adoption.
“Lens proved the infrastructure. Orb proves what’s possible on top of it. MaskDAO exists to take decentralized social out of the lab and into everyday life.”
Institutional Context: The “Tencent” Play
This transfer validates a recurring thesis in Web3 social: infrastructure teams often struggle to build compelling consumer apps. Avara successfully engineered the Lens Protocol to be permissionless and composable, but mass adoption requires a product-first DNA. Mask’s acquisition of Orb and its stewardship of Lens suggests a strategy similar to Tencent’s WeChat, bundling social, finance, and utility, into a single cohesive ecosystem rather than hoping disparate developers will spontaneously create a hit app.
For Avara, the divestment of operational overhead allows the firm to streamline resources back toward Aave and GHO, while maintaining exposure to Lens’s success through its advisory stake.
