Lighter
Cambridge, US · Founded 2014 · Delaware corporation · 21 known investors
Lighter is a zero-knowledge rollup built on Ethereum that enables high-speed, low-cost onchain trading through cryptographic proofs of order matching and liquidations. It serves traders seeking exchange-level performance with blockchain transparency and self-custody.
Crypto & Web3Fintech
Founders & leadership
Lighter was founded in 2014 by Vladimir Novakovski, Alexis Fox, and Micah Risk.
VN
Vladimir NovakovskiFounder & CEO
AF
Alexis FoxCo-founder
MR
Micah RiskCo-founder
RP
Ronald PastoreExecutive
Board
SE
Susan E VitkaBoard director
LF
Investors · 21
Abstract VenturesSan Francisco · $250K – $750K
Andreessen HorowitzMenlo Park · $500K – $50M
AntiSan Juan · $250K – $30M
Chapter OneLos Angeles · $5K – $200K
Cleo CapitalNew York · $100K – $1M
Coatue ManagementNew York · $1M – $20M
DragonflyNew York City · $3M – $30M
Founders FundSan Francisco · $500K – $5M
Haun VenturesSilicon Valley · $1M – $100M
HyperithmTokyo
Mirana VenturesHong Kong · $2M – $20M
Multicoin CapitalAustin · $1M – $50M
Pharsalus CapitalNew Yorkvia Anthony Ghosn · inferred
Craft VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $50K – $50M
Rainfall VenturesreportedSan Francisco · $100K – $1M
Ribbit Capitalreported · 2 sourcesPalo Alto · $100K – $15M
RobinhoodreportedMenlo Park
Robot VenturesreportedBeaverton · $100K – $1M
South Park CommonsreportedSan Francisco · $1M – $10M
Stray Dog CapitalreportedLeawood · $100K – $1M
Also in the syndicate · 1
Robinhood Markets
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements$73.9M disclosed across 3 rounds · 2018–2025
- $68MraisedNov 2025 · 3 sources
Founders Fund (lead), Ribbit Capital (lead), Haun Ventures, Robinhood, Robinhood Markets
Source ↗
▶$1.7MraisedSep 2019 · 6 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
▶$1.7MraisedSep 2019 · 6 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Alexis FoxExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Micah RiskExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Ronald PastoreExecutive Officer, Director
- Susan VitkaDirector
- Noah HellerDirector
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $1.7M
- Minimum investment
- $25K
- First sale
- Sep 2019
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$4.2MraisedJul 2018 · 17 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
▶$4.2MraisedJul 2018 · 17 investors · Other Technology
Rule 506(b)Officers, directors & promoters on the filing
- Susan E VitkaDirector
- Alexis FoxExecutive Officer, Director
- Lisa FeriaDirector
- Micah RiskExecutive Officer
- Ronald PastoreExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $5.8M
- Amount sold
- $4.2M
- Minimum investment
- $200K
- Proceeds to insiders
- $100K
- First sale
- Jul 2018
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2014
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Competitors · 8
by search overlapCryptoRank37 shared keywordsCryptoRank provides cryptocurrency market data, analytics, and research, including live prices and market capitalization rankings for thousands of coins, along with fundraising trends and token sale tracking. It publishes insights and reports covering exchanges, funding rounds, and market narratives for crypto investors and researchers.
Bitget31 shared keywordsBitget is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that also offers Bitget CFD, letting users trade traditional assets such as forex, gold, crude oil, and indices directly with USDT via an MT5 account. It provides multi-asset trading with up to 500x leverage for retail and crypto traders.
Token Terminal27 shared keywordsToken Terminal operates a blockchain data infrastructure platform that ingests, decodes, and standardizes petabytes of onchain data across 100+ blockchains for institutions, research outlets, and developers. The company provides institutional-grade analytics and metrics derived from raw blockchain data, serving financial institutions, hedge funds, index providers, and blockchain projects.
MEXC27 shared keywordsMEXC is a cryptocurrency exchange where users trade a range of tokens and futures, with features such as low fees and liquidity. It highlights asset security measures including a Guardian Fund, 1:1 backed reserves, and a futures insurance fund.
Coinbase26 shared keywordsCoinbase is a cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers trading, custody, and financial services for cryptocurrencies, stocks, derivatives, and prediction markets to consumers, institutions, and developers. The company operates a full-stack infrastructure including secure custody, liquidity services, stablecoin infrastructure, and global settlement rails.
Defillama22 shared keywordsDefiLlama is an aggregator that tracks total value locked (TVL) and other metrics across decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols and blockchains. It provides analytics dashboards, a DEX aggregator (LlamaSwap), an API, and related tools for crypto users and researchers.
Tradingview21 shared keywordsTradingView is a charting platform and social network used by over 100 million traders and investors worldwide to analyze and trade across global financial markets. The platform provides tools for technical analysis, market data, and community collaboration for retail and institutional traders.
Robinhood16 shared keywordsRobinhood is a financial trading platform that enables users to manage portfolios across stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, options, futures, and prediction markets. The platform serves retail investors with low barriers to entry, offering portfolio management services and market insights.
Companies competing with Lighter for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
Lighter (LIT) Tokenomics: Robinhood Hype, a Real Burn, and the December 2026 Cliffinsights.unlocks.app · Jul 2026
What is Lighter? Robinhood's perps DEXcrypto.news · Jul 2026
Robinhood Chain's perps deal with Lighter spans 12 years of relationship building, says CEO Novakovskicryptobriefing.com · Jul 2026Frequently asked questions
- What does Lighter do?
- Lighter is a zero-knowledge rollup built on Ethereum that enables high-speed, low-cost onchain trading through cryptographic proofs of order matching and liquidations. It serves traders seeking exchange-level performance with blockchain transparency and self-custody.
- Who founded Lighter?
- Lighter was founded by Vladimir Novakovski, Alexis Fox, Micah Risk in 2014.
- Who are Lighter's investors?
- Lighter's investors include Abstract Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Anti, Chapter One, Cleo Capital, Coatue Management, Dragonfly, Founders Fund and 12 more.
- How much funding has Lighter raised?
- Lighter has disclosed $73.9M raised across 3 rounds.
- Where is Lighter headquartered?
- Lighter is headquartered in Cambridge, US.