DatChat, Inc. (DATS): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) is a micro-cap technology company, but is it a privacy pioneer or a firm still searching for a sustainable business model? You see a company that just rebranded to Myseum, Inc. in August 2025, shifting focus from its secure messaging platform to a new social group media platform, Myseum, even as its reported net revenues for the last fiscal year stood at a mere $436 against a net loss of $5.025 million. With a market capitalization of $11.36 million as of August 2025 and a recent capital raise of $5.1 million in January 2025, how does DatChat, Inc.'s core mission of digital control and its 17-patent portfolio translate into a clear path to profitability? Let's break down the history, the new Myseum model with its $29.95 one-time storage charge, and the near-term financial reality you need to understand.

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) History

You're looking for the bedrock of DatChat, Inc., and honestly, it's a story of constant pivots to stay ahead of the digital privacy curve. The company started as a secure messaging app, but its real evolution has been the strategic shift toward digital content management and the metaverse. That trajectory, especially the rebrand in 2025, is what you defintely need to focus on right now.

Given Company's Founding Timeline

Year established

DatChat, Inc. was established in 2014, a period when the public was starting to grasp the implications of post-send message control and digital privacy.

Original location

The company was originally located in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Founding team members

The core founding team included Darin Myman and Peter Shelbo. Myman, a pioneer in messaging privacy since 2004, brought executive and founder experience from BigString Corporation. Shelbo, the Founder and CTO, provided over a decade of self-destructing messaging and mobile video development expertise.

Initial capital/funding

The company secured initial seed funding of $1.2 million in 2014 to begin development of its core messaging application.

Given Company's Evolution Milestones

Given Company's Transformative Moments

Three decisions fundamentally reshaped the company, moving it from a niche messaging app to a broader privacy and content preservation platform.

• The 2021 IPO and Subsequent Capital Raises: Going public in 2021 was critical, but the January 2025 direct offering, which priced 1.2M shares at $4.25 each, was a necessary move to bolster financial reserves, especially given the challenging 2024 fiscal year's net loss of over $5 million. Here's the quick math: they needed cash to fuel the new growth initiatives.
• The Myseum Platform Launch in March 2025: This was the most significant product pivot. It shifted the focus from ephemeral chat to a secure, private digital legacy platform-a much larger, more defensible market than just messaging.
• The August 2025 Rebranding to Myseum, Inc.: This was the final, definitive strategic move. By changing the company name and ticker (to MYSE), management committed fully to the Myseum vision of social group media sharing and content preservation, signaling to the market exactly where the future value lies.

This evolution shows a company that understands the need to adapt its core Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology to where the market is moving. If you want to dive deeper into the strategic intent behind these shifts, I recommend reading the Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of DatChat, Inc. (DATS).

What this history hides is the financial pressure of a growth company; the most recent quarterly data showed operating income plummeting to -$1.24 million against revenues of only $62 thousand, so the success of the Myseum platform is now paramount.

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) Ownership Structure

DatChat, Inc., which rebranded to Myseum, Inc. (MYSE) in August 2025, is a publicly traded company on Nasdaq, meaning its ownership is distributed among a diverse group of stakeholders, not held by a single private entity.

The company's governance is a classic public structure, but the ownership split shows a clear concentration of control in the hands of insiders, which is a key factor for investors to understand. This structure means strategic decisions are heavily influenced by the founding team and executives, a common dynamic in smaller, growth-focused tech firms with a market capitalization of around $11.36 million as of August 2025.

Given Company's Current Status

The company you know as DatChat, Inc. (DATS) is now Myseum, Inc., a change that became effective on August 11, 2025, with the new Nasdaq ticker MYSE. This strategic shift aligns the corporate identity with its primary focus on the Myseum social media platform, moving beyond just the original DatChat Messenger. It is a fully public company, subject to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, which provides transparency through regular filings like the one reporting a net loss of $5,025,007 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.

To be fair, the stock, trading at about $2.15 per share in early November 2025, has a high beta, indicating significant price volatility. You need to look beyond the daily price swings and see who is defintely steering the ship. If you want a deeper look at who is buying and why, check out Exploring DatChat, Inc. (DATS) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Given Company's Ownership Breakdown

The ownership breakdown is not what you'd see in a mega-cap company like Apple or BlackRock; it's highly concentrated. Insiders and retail investors hold the vast majority of shares, meaning the public float (the number of shares available for trading) is relatively small, which can amplify price movements. Here's the quick math on the current split:

Given Company's Leadership

The leadership team is small and stable, with the key executives also being significant shareholders, directly tying their personal wealth to the company's performance. This alignment can be a powerful motivator for long-term growth.

• Darin Myman, Chief Executive Officer (CEO): He has served as CEO and a director since January 2016, bringing a long history of executive management and founder experience from other public companies.
• Peter Shelus, Chief Technology Officer (CTO): As a co-founder, he has been CTO since January 2016 and is the largest individual shareholder, owning a substantial 23.76% of the company. His deep experience is in ephemeral messaging and mobile video development.
• Brett Blumberg, Chief Financial Officer (CFO): A Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and partner at a public accounting firm, he provides the financial and accounting expertise needed for a public entity.
• Board of Directors: The board includes independent directors like Joseph Nelson and Wayne D. Linsley, who bring experience in investor relations and public company financial reporting, respectively.

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) Mission and Values

DatChat, Inc. is fundamentally a privacy-first technology company, aiming to deliver communication and social networking solutions where the user, not the platform, maintains control over their digital content. This core purpose is reflected in their values of user empowerment and data protection, which are critical in a market that often commoditizes personal information.

Honestly, understanding this mission is crucial, especially as the company navigates a strategic pivot toward its Myseum platform while operating with a net loss of approximately $4.2 million over the nine months ended September 30, 2025. Their cultural DNA is built on the belief that your right to privacy shouldn't end just because you hit 'send'.

DatChat, Inc.'s Core Purpose

The company's purpose goes beyond simply offering a secure chat app; it's about shifting the power dynamic back to the individual in the digital realm. This commitment is what drives their technology, which allows users to manage and delete their messages and posts even after they've been sent to a recipient.

Here's the quick math on their focus: the company generated only $489 in net revenue over the nine months ended September 30, 2025, but still burned $3.5 million in cash from operations to fund its privacy-centric development and strategic shift toward the Myseum platform. That level of investment in a non-revenue-generating period shows a deep commitment to their product and mission, even if it creates liquidity risk.

• Empower users with control over shared data.
• Ensure the right to privacy continues after transmission.
• Protect free speech from unreasonable censorship.

Official Mission Statement

The formal mission statement centers on developing and operating innovative communication and social networking platforms that put privacy, data security, and user control at the forefront. They are defintely trying to create a secure online environment for connection and sharing.

• Develop privacy-first communication platforms.
• Prioritize data security and user control.
• Foster authentic online interactions.

Vision Statement

The vision is to be a globally recognized leader in privacy-centric communication and social networking solutions. This isn't just about being a niche player; it's about becoming a trusted, go-to platform. They also explicitly tie their mission to financial results, which is smart for a publicly traded company.

• Become a global leader in privacy-focused solutions.
• Continuously innovate to enhance user security.
• Enhance shareholder value through exceptional technology and business performance.

You can get a more in-depth look at their foundational principles here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of DatChat, Inc. (DATS).

DatChat, Inc. Slogan/Tagline

Their taglines are direct and powerful, capturing the essence of their value proposition in a few words. They clearly communicate the core benefit to the user: ultimate data control.

• Privacy. Evolved.
• Your Data. Your Control.
• Secure. Connect. Share.

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) How It Works

DatChat, Inc. operates by developing and managing secure, privacy-focused communication and social media platforms, with a strategic pivot toward digital content preservation and AI-driven publishing as of late 2025. The core value proposition is giving users ultimate control over their shared digital content, even after it has been sent, which addresses the growing market demand for post-transmission privacy.

Given Company's Product/Service Portfolio

Given Company's Operational Framework

The company's operational framework is currently centered on a strategic pivot and intense cost management to extend its financial runway. This shift follows a period of minimal revenue generation, with only $489 in net revenue reported for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, against a substantial cash burn.

The operational process focuses on three key areas:

• Lean Development and Outsourcing: DatChat maintains a small core team of only 10 full-time staff as of March 2025, relying heavily on external professionals and consultants to minimize fixed overhead costs.
• Product Focus and Capitalization: The company ceased development on certain projects to focus on the Myseum platform and RPM Interactive. This includes capitalizing $191,000 in internal-use software costs over the nine months ending September 30, 2025, which shifts development expenses from the income statement to the balance sheet.
• Capital Management: Given the net loss of $4.2 million over the first nine months of 2025, the primary operational concern is liquidity. A $4.5 million capital raise in Q1 2025 provided a buffer, leaving the company with approximately $4.8 million in cash and short-term investments as of September 30, 2025. Here's the quick math: the cash burn rate of about $390,000 per month means the runway is limited.

Given Company's Strategic Advantages

DatChat's market success hinges on its intellectual property and its ability to capitalize on the growing demand for digital privacy and content control. Honestly, this is the only thing keeping them defintely relevant in a crowded space.

• Patented Privacy Technology: The company holds an intellectual property portfolio of 14 patents, including one granted in July 2025 for advanced digital privacy technology. This proprietary technology enables features like message deletion on the recipient's device and screenshot prevention, which is a significant differentiator from standard messaging apps.
• Digital Legacy Focus: The strategic rebrand to Myseum, Inc. in August 2025 positions the company in the emerging market of secure, permanent digital content preservation, moving beyond the saturated ephemeral messaging space. This pivot is supported by a new U.S. patent for the Myseum platform.
• AI-Driven Subsidiary: The majority ownership (34% as of June 2025) in RPM Interactive, Inc., which focuses on AI-driven publishing and gaming, provides exposure to higher-growth technology segments and a potential future monetization stream outside of the core social network. You can read more about their corporate direction here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of DatChat, Inc. (DATS).

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) How It Makes Money

DatChat, Inc. primarily generates revenue through its privacy-focused software platforms, specifically subscription and service fees from its DatChat Messenger & Private Social Network and the Myseum digital content management platform. The company's current financial reality, however, is that its revenue is negligible, with the business model heavily reliant on capital raises to cover significant operating expenses.

DatChat, Inc.'s Revenue Breakdown

To be frank, the revenue breakdown for DatChat, Inc. as of the nine months ended September 30, 2025, is stark: the total net revenue was only $489. This is an extreme imbalance relative to the company's operating costs, which is why a traditional revenue breakdown is nearly meaningless. The revenue is so small that it is effectively 100% derived from its core software services, with other potential streams contributing essentially zero.

Business Economics

The core economic challenge for DatChat, Inc. is its high cash burn rate versus its minimal revenue generation. The business is in a pre-revenue, high-burn phase, which is an unsustainable model without continuous financing. Over the nine months ended September 30, 2025, the company consumed $3.5 million in cash from operations. That's a cash burn of roughly $390,000 per month. Here's the quick math: $3.5 million cash used divided by nine months equals about $388,888 per month. The company is spending money to build and market platforms like Myseum, which launched in early 2025, but those platforms are not yet generating meaningful income to offset the costs.

• Pricing Model: The model is subscription-based for its privacy platforms, which is a high-margin model in theory, but the low user adoption means the gross profit is negligible.
• Cost Structure: Operating expenses remain high, totaling approximately $4.3 million over the nine months ended September 30, 2025, driven by compensation and professional fees.
• Strategic Pivot: The company is capitalizing $191,000 in internal-use software development costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, instead of expensing it as Research and Development (R&D). This accounting move temporarily reduces the reported operating loss but only delays the expense, requiring future commercial success to amortize the asset.

The entire operation is defintely dependent on raising capital.

DatChat, Inc.'s Financial Performance

The financial performance for the nine months ended September 30, 2025, clearly shows a company in a capital-intensive development stage with minimal commercial traction. The net loss for this nine-month period was $4.2 million. This loss is a slight improvement from the prior year's full loss but remains a major concern. The company's viability hinges on its ability to convert its new platforms into substantial, recurring revenue streams, or it will face an imminent liquidity risk. You can get a deeper dive on the risks here: Breaking Down DatChat, Inc. (DATS) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors

• Net Revenue (9M 2025): $489. This is the clearest indicator of the lack of commercial scale.
• Net Loss (9M 2025): $4.2 million. This reflects the high cost of maintaining and developing the platforms.
• Cash Runway: Following a January 2025 capital raise, the company had a cash and short-term investment buffer of about $4.8 million. Given the $3.5 million cash used in operations over the first nine months of 2025, the runway is just over one year, necessitating another capital raise soon.
• Subsidiary Liabilities: The company consolidated its majority-owned subsidiary, RPM Interactive, Inc., which requires DatChat, Inc. to assume all of RPM Interactive, Inc.'s liabilities, totaling $5.4 million. This adds significant off-balance sheet risk to the parent company.

What this estimate hides is the risk of the pending RPM Interactive, Inc. IPO; if it fails, DatChat, Inc. continues to absorb those liabilities, accelerating its own cash depletion.

DatChat, Inc. (DATS) Market Position & Future Outlook

DatChat, Inc., which rebranded to Myseum, Inc. in August 2025, is in a critical transition phase, pivoting its core focus from secure messaging to social group media sharing and content preservation within the burgeoning decentralized social network market, but faces an existential liquidity challenge given its negligible revenue.

Competitive Landscape

The company operates in the intensely competitive secure messaging and decentralized social media (DeSoc) space, a market dominated by massive centralized players, which makes its strategic pivot to the niche of content preservation critical.

Opportunities & Challenges

The company's future trajectory hinges on the successful execution of its Myseum platform launch and the monetization of its AI-powered assets, all while managing a severe cash burn rate.

Industry Position

Myseum, Inc. is positioned as a micro-cap player in the broader secure communication and decentralized social network (DeSoc) sector, a space valued at $18.5 billion in 2025.

The core value proposition is data sovereignty (giving users control over their shared content) and digital legacy, which is a key driver for the DeSoc market, but the company's current financial standing is a major headwind. You defintely need to watch the cash flow statement closely.

• Leveraging its patent portfolio is the primary defense against larger competitors.
• The market capitalization of only $13.345 million (as of November 2025) reflects its early-stage, high-risk status.
• The August 2025 rebrand signals a clear commitment to the Myseum platform, shifting away from the saturated messaging app space.

For a deeper dive into the company's foundational principles, you can review its Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of DatChat, Inc. (DATS).