Phoenix R&D is a mission-driven technology company headquartered in Berlin, Germany, committed to redefining the standards of secure digital communication. Founded in 2022, the company operates with a clear social impact focus: to make private and secure messaging accessible to everyone, regardless of their technical expertise. At the heart of their innovation is the Messaging Layer Security (MLS) protocol (RFC 9420), a groundbreaking IETF standard that they co-initiated and co-authored. This protocol represents a significant leap forward in end-to-end encryption, offering superior efficiency, scalability for large groups, and robust security properties like post-compromise security.
Phoenix R&D translates this theoretical excellence into practical solutions through their flagship product, the 'Air' messenger. Air is a private, open-source messaging application designed to demonstrate the power of MLS, providing users with a seamless and secure communication experience without collecting sensitive personal data. Beyond product development, Phoenix R&D actively contributes to the broader ecosystem by maintaining 'OpenMLS', a reference implementation of the MLS protocol written in Rust. Their work extends to consulting and research, where they collaborate with industry giants, academic institutions, and NGOs to solve complex challenges in cryptography and privacy. As a remote-first company, they foster a culture of flexibility and innovation, attracting top talent from the fields of cryptography and software engineering to build the future of secure communication.