Element (Matrix)

Element is the commercial entity behind the open-source **Matrix** decentralised messaging-and-collaboration protocol — a Slack / Microsoft Teams / WhatsApp / Signal alternative engineered specifically for digital sovereignty and federation. The protocol was created in 2014 by **Matthew Hodgson (CEO/CTO)** and **Amandine Le Pape (COO)** while they were working at Amdocs; the commercial entity **New Vector Ltd** was spun out in 2017, rebranded to Element in 2020, and renamed **Element Creations Limited** in 2025. The Matrix protocol itself is custodied by the independent **Matrix.org Foundation** (established 2018) — separate from Element the company — which gives the protocol the same kind of structural independence that the Linux Foundation provides for Linux. Element's procurement-grade positioning is unmatched in the EU-sovereignty conversation. **The German Bundeswehr's BwMessenger** — the official secure messenger used daily by the entirety of Germany's Armed Forces — is a fork of Element built by BWI GmbH (Bundeswehr's IT supplier) and Element together; BwMessenger is described in Bundeswehr / BWI communications as "the cornerstone of the Bundeswehr's communication infrastructure". The **French government's Tchap and Visio** (the chat and video-conferencing components of La Suite numérique, the French government workspace suite) are both built on Matrix. Other reference customers include **NATO, UN, HM Government, US Space Force, US Marines, and Swedish agencies**. Certifications: **ISO/IEC 27001:2022, Cyber Essentials Plus, OpenChain ISO/IEC 5230** (open-source supply-chain compliance). Deployment is sovereign-friendly by design. Element Server Suite is sold as software that customers run on their own infrastructure — including air-gapped deployments for defence and government use — and the Matrix protocol itself is fully open source (Apache 2.0). Element's regional structure includes **Element Software GmbH (Germany)** and **Element Software SARL (France)** for EU-customer contracting, alongside the UK parent (Element Creations Ltd) and a US subsidiary (Element Software Inc). Element Cloud is the managed SaaS option. Investors include Automattic, Notion, First Minute Capital, Status, Protocol Labs, and Metaplanet. Best fit: governments, defence ministries, regulated industries, and any organisation that wants federated cross-organisation communication on a sovereign-deployable open-source protocol. The UK post-Brexit jurisdiction (`other` ownership tier) is the only nuance for the strictest procurement criteria — the German + French subsidiaries are available for buyers who need an EU-incorporated counterparty.