Dogecoin is an open-source digital currency based on the "Doge" meme that functions as a peer-to-peer medium for fast payments and digital tipping. Unlike projects backed by corporate entities, its value is driven by a global community, and the project is managed by a decentralized group of volunteers and the non-profit Dogecoin Foundation rather than a formal company. Originally created in 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a market parody, the project held no public sale or venture capital rounds. The network operates as a fork of LuckyCoin, which itself was a fork of Litecoin, using a proof of work consensus mechanism.