Two friends have had a bigger impact on the NFT industry than anyone else – the founders of Larva Labs.
Pioneering the NFT space we know today, the work of Matt Hall and John Watkinson has formed the foundations of the digital asset industry, and has been an inspiration for the most popular collections today.
From creating the most valuable NFT collection in the world, to innovations that have pushed what’s possible, Larva continues to make a big impact. Their contributions are unmatched – but how did they do it?
Here’s our complete 2025 guide to Larva Labs.
Who are Larva Labs?
Larva Labs is a company founded by Matt Hall and John Watkinson, two developers who – prior to NFTs – were best-known for creating open-source repository Docracy, and Android avatar creator Androidify – which became the face of the Android brand.
Using this experience and expertise, they turned their attention to blockchain technology in 2017, creating the project they’re most famous for now: CryptoPunks – a 10,000-piece fully on-chain pixel avatar NFT collection.
The CryptoPunks collection largely flew under the radar until NFTs exploded into the mainstream in early 2021, with CryptoPunks becoming the most valuable NFT collection in the world – a title it still holds to this day.
In 2019, Larva Labs created Autoglyphs: a code-based generative art NFT collection on Ethereum, following that up with Meebits in 2021: a 20,000-piece generative collection of 3D voxel characters, complete with a no-fee marketplace.
CryptoPunks, Autoglyphs and Meebits each pushed new innovations on the NFT industry, giving Larva Labs a reputation for creating products, tools and apps that are always on the cutting edge.
What have Larva Labs accomplished so far?
Founded in the early 2000s, Larva Labs was the face of Matt and John’s professional and experimental projects.
Their early work focused on the smartphone industry, focusing on Android. They released two homepage experiences for Android: Slide Screen in 2009, and Flow Home in 2014, as well as Androidify in 2011, and app-based chat tool AppChat in 2012.
In 2017, they launched CryptoPunks – a collection of 10,000 unique pixel art avatars on Ethereum. CryptoPunks need no introduction, being the most valuable NFT collection in the world, and one of the most recognisable NFTs in mainstream consciousness.
Larva Labs minted their second collection, Autoglyphs, in 2019 – a 512-piece fully on-chain code-based generative art collection. The proceeds were given to climate charity 350, and Larva Labs relinquished any control over the collection through its code.
Their third collection, Meebits, minted in 2021, with 20,000 generative 3D voxel characters – each with access to a no-fee marketplace, and an asset pack that enable Meebits to be imported into any game engine, 3D studio or virtual world that supports animated avatar rigging.
In early 2022, Larva Labs sold the management and IP rights of both CryptoPunks and Meebits to Yuga Labs – creators of the #2 most valuable NFT collection, Bored Ape Yacht Club – and though that paused their active involvement in the blockchain space, their contributions continue to be a gold standard to this day.
What does the future hold for Larva Labs?
As of 2024, despite both Matt and John being largely inactive in the blockchain space, Larva Labs is regarded as a pioneer of the NFT industry – and an inspiration for countless NFT collections and blockchain games that followed.
John Watkinson keeps a quiet online presence, whilst Matt Hall is listed as working at Larva Labs, and at Google’s Creative Lab through the Larva Labs project.
Their last interaction with the blockchain space came through a series of interviews in late 2023, though they’ve kept their distance from the industry since.
Despite this, a return to blockchain for the two wouldn’t be unexpected. They’ve shown a track record of interest in new technologies, and as blockchain continues to face significant challenges, who knows what the future of Larva Labs could be.
Regardless of any future work, Larva Labs have made an incomparable impact on the NFT industry. Matt and John’s work has influenced much of the blockchain industry today, and their contributions will forever be important milestones for the NFT ecosystem.
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