Livepeer Onchain Builders — Streamplace: Building the Video Backbone of Decentralized Social
Welcome to Livepeer Onchain Builders, a content series spotlighting the Special Purpose Entities (SPEs) funded by the Livepeer onchain treasury. These initiatives drive protocol usage, expand infrastructure, and push the boundaries of decentralized video and AI.
First up: Streamplace — an open-source video streaming platform designed to power decentralized social applications with real-time, creator-first infrastructure. It aims to make livestreaming and video hosting as seamless as mainstream platforms, but built on open protocols and self-sovereign identity.
What is an SPE?
A Special Purpose Entity (SPE) is a focused, community-funded team contributing to the Livepeer ecosystem. SPEs operate independently to build infrastructure, applications, or tooling that expand the protocol.
SPEs matter because:
- They decentralize development across the ecosystem
- They fund public goods initiatives
- They allow communities to direct resources strategically
- They drive protocol usage, increasing fees and rewards for delegators
From Aquareum to Streamplace
Streamplace evolved from Aquareum, maintaining the same team and mission while sharpening focus: building foundational video infrastructure for decentralized social platforms like Farcaster and AT Protocol.
Previous deliverables:
- Unified node bundling Livepeer stack with indexing and playback
- App releases across iOS, Android, and Web
- Native integrations with AT Protocol and Farcaster
- C2PA metadata and content provenance support
The current phase is funded with 100,000 LPT treasury support.
Why Streamplace Matters
Video is the heart of online social interaction. Streamplace addresses infrastructure gaps by:
- Transcoding every livestream through Livepeer, enabling decentralized, cost-effective global delivery
- Powering partner platforms like Skylight Social, a TikTok alternative backed by Mark Cuban that reached #1 entertainment status on the App Store
- Simplifying deployment through single-binary nodes anyone can operate
- Championing public goods with 100% open-source code
Streamplace 2.0 Deliverables
Infrastructure Enhancements
- Expand server capacity for growing user bases
- Harden video nodes for reliability under production load
- Deliver consistent performance across Web, iOS, and Android
Protocol and Developer Growth
- Deepen AT Protocol integration
- Build SDKs and NPM packages for easy embedding
- Ship VOD functionality and moderation tools
Community-First Ethos
- Launch creator monetization models and stream incentive programs
- Enable self-hosted app capabilities
- Maintain transparency through livestreamed development
The Livepeer Angle
Livepeer's decentralized infrastructure powers every Streamplace video second:
- Demand generation: Real-world usage creates consistent transcoding work
- Protocol visibility: High-impact applications like Skylight expand Livepeer awareness
- Infrastructure robustness: Streamplace nodes enhance distributed network capacity
To learn more about Streamplace and the other SPEs building on Livepeer, check out the links below.