building the invisible layer
that connects culture.
the story behind passport, why we're building it, and where cultural infrastructure is headed.
how we got here.
we started madeforIRL because we kept seeing the same problem: amazing communities hitting walls when they tried to grow.
dinner clubs losing their intimacy. creative collectives struggling with access control. brands activating with bots instead of real community members. event organizers rebuilding the same membership tools from scratch.
everyone was solving the same infrastructure problems independently, when what culture needed was a shared foundation.
our technical philosophy.
passport is built on three core principles:
interoperability over lock-in
your membership data isn't trapped. communities can integrate passport without rebuilding their existing tools.
privacy by design
zero-knowledge verification means you prove membership without exposing personal data. communities see only what they need.
community sovereignty
every community controls their own membership rules. passport provides the rails, not the rules.
where we're headed.
imagine walking into any city and immediately knowing where your people are.
your coffee shop membership in brooklyn gets you into the art collective in tokyo. the dinner club you joined in atlanta recognizes you at the rooftop party in lisbon. your taste and presence become portable across cities and contexts.
that's the network effect we're building toward: cultural infrastructure that gets more valuable as more communities join.
building in phases.
phase 1: foundations (now)
working with select communities to build core membership infrastructure. proving the model with real venues, real events, real members.
phase 2: interoperability (late 2025)
cross-community recognition. your membership in one community unlocks perks and access in aligned communities.
phase 3: open protocol (the future)
any community can integrate passport. cultural infrastructure becomes as universal as email or payment rails.
want to build with us?
we're looking for communities, developers, and brands who want to help build the future of cultural infrastructure.
if you're building something that brings people together IRL, we want to hear from you.
passport by madeforIRL — building infrastructure for culture