Certik

CertiK is a blockchain and Web3 security company headquartered in New York. Its offering spans code security audits of smart contracts and blockchain code, penetration testing, distributed ledger technology security solutions for enterprise infrastructure, proof-of-reserves audits, and compliance products including SkyInsights (compliance, AML and risk management), Dubai VARA licensing advisory, and EU DORA/MiCA advisory for crypto-asset service providers. A central product line is Skynet, a 24/7 active-monitoring platform that detects attacks on deployed contracts; Skynet Premium, released alongside the company's Series B+ round, added real-time alerting on live smart contracts and an analytics dashboard for enterprise clients, while the public Security Leaderboard exposes selected Skynet metrics [0][2][3][5].

The company describes itself as combining formal verification with manual audits. Work cited on its site includes formal verification of TON's consensus module, formal verification of HyperEnclave core components (paper accepted at ASPLOS'24), the first formal proof of a zero-knowledge proof VM circuit with Delphinus Lab for zkWasm, an audit of the XLS-30d AMM on the XRP Ledger, an audit of the SEI Protocol prior to mainnet launch, an audit of LINE Blockchain (with CertiK joining as governance member and node validator), and work under an Ethereum Foundation grant on Rocq tactics for zkVMs. CertiK researchers have also been credited in Apple's iOS 17 security update for three kernel vulnerabilities, inducted into Ledger's Hall of Fame, acknowledged by Samsung for mobile blockchain security work, and awarded Sui's top bug bounty of $600,000 for a critical vulnerability [0][2].

Beyond audits, CertiK publishes threat intelligence and market research (e.g., stablecoin threat intelligence, crypto ATM fraud, prediction market reports) and engages in policy work, stating relationships with the U.S. Congress, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, Seoul and Busan governments, Abu Dhabi Global Market, and Japan's Financial Services Agency, with contributions on stablecoin and Web3 policy [0][2][3].

Founding story

CertiK's company page states it was founded in 2017 by professors from Columbia and Yale and grew out of research at those universities; The Block reports the company as founded in 2018 and based in New York. Co-founder Zhong Shao is the Thomas L. Kempner Professor and chair of computer science at Yale, whose FLINT group developed the CertiKOS operating system; co-founder and CEO Ronghui Gu is an associate professor of computer science at Columbia and a primary designer of CertiKOS and SeKVM [1][4].

Business model

CertiK sells security and compliance services and software to Web3 and institutional clients, including one-off and recurring code audits, penetration testing, proof-of-reserves verification, regulatory advisory, and subscription monitoring via Skynet/Skynet Premium, which includes an enterprise analytics dashboard. The company also operates CertiK Ventures, which makes investments in blockchain projects [0][2][3][5].

Revenue derives from paid security audits and enterprise security/compliance offerings plus booked revenue from the Skynet monitoring platform; CertiK has cited 20x revenue growth over one year (Series B2 announcement) and 12x revenue growth with profits up 3,000x in 2021, without disclosing absolute figures [3][4][5].

Traction

Company site claims 5,500 clients served, $500 billion of market capitalization assessed, 1.8 million monthly Skynet users and over 117,000 vulnerabilities detected. Earlier disclosures show growth over time: over 1,800 audit clients at the Series B2 announcement; over 1,300 enterprise clients, $90 billion of crypto assets protected and 23,000 vulnerabilities detected at the Series B+ announcement; and over 2,500 enterprise clients with more than $300 billion of crypto assets protected as of April 2022. Headcount was about 200 in April 2022 after a 4x annual increase [0][2][3][4][5].

Latest developments

Recent activity documented on the site and in press includes 2026 research on Aptos Confidential APT, Brazilian VASP regulation, DGrid AI routing, a Skynet 2026 Stablecoin Threat Intelligence Report (June 2026) and a Skynet Crypto ATM Fraud Report (March 2026); participation in the United Nations Global Fraud Summit 2026 and U.S. Congressional engagement by CBO Jason Jiang; and media citations of CertiK data on 2026 crypto hack losses ($1.3 billion) and AML enforcement trends. In 2026 CertiK was among security firms tracing funds stolen in the Syndicate Commons Bridge exploit [0][2][3][7].