Rakurai
Rakurai operates a high-performance Solana validator client using a proprietary heuristics-based transaction scheduler, serving SOL stakers and validator operators. It offers native auto-compounding staking, the raiSOL liquid staking token, and trustless Merkle-based reward distribution via on-chain programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Rakurai does
Rakurai is a Solana staking infrastructure company that operates a high-performance validator client and supporting on-chain programs, headquartered in San Francisco (Rakurai Labs Inc., 4 Embarcadero Center). The company's core product is the Rakurai Validator Client, a fork of the jito-solana client integrated with the proprietary Rakurai Scheduler Library, which uses heuristics-based transaction scheduling to select high-value transactions. Rakurai reports that its infrastructure produces blocks approximately 50% larger than the Solana cluster average and targets 100 million CU block sizes. The company serves two customer segments: SOL stakers (retail and large) seeking higher APY through auto-compounding and MEV tip capture, and validator operators seeking to maximize block rewards and TPS through high-throughput infrastructure. Distribution is split between a self-serve staking platform (rakurai.io) for stakers and CLI tools plus technical documentation for validator operators, supplemented by channel partnerships with P2P.org and Crypto.com.
The product surface includes the Rakurai Validator Client, the Rakurai Reward Distribution Program (a Merkle-root-based mechanism for trustless, post-epoch distribution of validator block rewards to stakers), the Rakurai Tip Manager Program (an eight-account tip routing system that splits tips between validator and block builder commission accounts), the Rakurai Activation Program (a 2/2 multisig smart contract for enabling and 1/2 for disabling validators), the Spark Geyser plugin (ZeroMQ-based event streaming), the Rakurai Activation CLI, and a public API with OpenAPI specifications. At the user level, Rakurai offers native SOL staking with auto-compounding and the raiSOL liquid staking token.
Rakurai's business model is currently pre-revenue: the client is offered at 0 basis points commission, and no fees are charged. The company has stated intent to introduce a small future commission on validator block rewards plus a configurable commission on MEV tips, deducted via the Reward Distribution Program. The company is venture-backed with a $3 million seed round (March 2025) led by Anagram with participation from Slow Ventures, Robot Ventures, Paper Ventures, CyberFund, Colosseum, Crypto.com, GlobalStake, and P2P.org. As of the available data, Rakurai reports 8.5% of Solana's total network stake delegated to its validators, and its smart contracts have been audited by Hashlock.
Rakurai firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rakurai
- Legal name
- Rakurai Labs Inc.
- Website
- https://rakurai.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rakurai operates a high-performance Solana validator client using a proprietary heuristics-based transaction scheduler, serving SOL stakers and validator operators. It offers native auto-compounding staking, the raiSOL liquid staking token, and trustless Merkle-based reward distribution via on-chain programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rakurai industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Staking Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Validator Operations (FSADAOAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Governance / DAO Validator Participation & Delegation Infrastructure (FSADAKAL), Yield Aggregators, Auto-Compounding & Strategy Vaults (DeFi Yield) (FSADAHAK)
Keywords
Where Rakurai is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rakurai business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Validator Commission on Block Rewards: Rakurai charges a commission on block rewards earned by validators. The commission is currently set to 0 basis points, but Rakurai plans to introduce a small commission in the future. Validators can configure their own commission percentage (0-100%) on block rewards, with the remainder distributed to stakers.
- MEV Tip Commission: Rakurai deducts a commission from MEV tips earned by validators who are actively running the Rakurai scheduler. The commission is configurable via the Reward Distribution Program and deducted from the validator's identity account.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Validator client - No fees for running Rakurai client |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Rakurai product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rakurai operates high-performance Solana validator nodes using a fork of the Jito-Solana (Agave) client integrated with the proprietary Rakurai Scheduler Library. It offers native SOL staking with auto-compounding yield, liquid staking through the raiSOL token, and on-chain programs for validator activation, reward distribution, and MEV tip management. The platform also exposes a public API and tooling (Activation CLI, Spark Geyser) used by validator operators and Solana builders.
Product overview
Rakurai is a high-performance Solana staking infrastructure platform consisting of a proprietary validator client (fork of jito-solana with Rakurai Scheduler Library) and multiple on-chain programs. The core offering combines the Rakurai Validator Client for superior block rewards and TPS optimization with the Rakurai Reward Distribution Program (Merkle-root-based staking rewards), Rakurai Tip Manager Program (8-account tip management with automatic splitting), and Rakurai Activation Program (multisig-controlled scheduler management). Additional components include the Rakurai API for developer access, Rakurai Spark Geyser plugin for external event streaming via ZeroMQ, and Rakurai Activation CLI for validator operations. The staking layer offers both Native Staking with auto-compounding and Liquid Staking via the raiSOL token.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- raiSOL: Liquid staking token for Solana staking through Rakurai's high-performance validator nodes.
Products and services
- Rakurai Validator Client High-performance Solana validator client software forked from Jito-Solana (Agave) and bundled with the proprietary Rakurai Scheduler Library, designed for validator operators seeking better transaction prioritization, larger block capacity (100m compute units, ~50% larger than the cluster average), and higher MEV capture.
- raiSOL Liquid Staking Native liquid staking token representing SOL delegated to Rakurai validators, providing auto-compounding native SOL staking yield plus MEV/Jito tips. Designed for SOL holders who want to retain liquidity while earning staking rewards and MEV revenue.
- Native SOL Staking Native SOL staking service where users delegate their SOL to Rakurai-operated high-performance validators and receive auto-compounded staking rewards plus MEV tips, removing the need for manual compounding. Aimed at SOL holders seeking higher APY than the network average.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8.5% of Solana total network stake captured
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Rakurai
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Rakurai technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Rakurai partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- P2PcoreStaking infrastructure partner enabling Rakurai validator nodes and services to be accessible through P2P's platform.
- Crypto.comcoreMajor exchange and staking platform partner enabling broader distribution of Rakurai's staking services.
- HashlockcoreSecurity audit partner that conducted smart contract audit of Rakurai's programs, providing public audit report (December 2025) for transparency and trust.
- MeshMapminorEcosystem partner for validator infrastructure and mapping services.
- StakrSpaceminorStaking infrastructure partner providing validator services.
- ForboleminorValidator services and staking infrastructure partner.
- HausminorEcosystem partner for Solana infrastructure.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rakurai competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jito Labs: Jito Labs is the most direct peer: Rakurai's Agave client is a fork of the jito-solana client. Jito operates Solana's leading MEV infrastructure and liquid staking pool (JitoSOL), making it the dominant Solana validator/staking competitor that Rakurai must differentiate against technically.
- Marinade Finance: Marinade Finance is a leading Solana liquid staking protocol offering mSOL. It competes directly with Rakurai's raiSOL liquid staking token and also operates a delegated stake program, giving it overlapping validator and staker relationships.
- Helius: Helius is a Solana-focused infrastructure provider operating validators, RPC services, and developer APIs. It competes with Rakurai for Solana validator stake and offers adjacent infrastructure services like gRPC streaming and priority fee APIs.
- Triton One: Triton One operates Solana validators and RPC infrastructure with a focus on institutional stakers and high-performance node operations. It targets the same validator operator segment as Rakurai with a longer operating history.
- Chorus One: Chorus One is a multi-chain validator and staking infrastructure provider with significant Solana validator operations. It offers institutional-grade staking services and competes for the same validator operator and large-staker segments as Rakurai.
- Everstake: Everstake is a multi-chain non-custodial staking provider operating Solana validators with institutional and retail staker products. It competes with Rakurai for validator delegation share and offers similar liquid and native staking options.
- Staking Facilities: Staking Facilities (a Figment company) operates institutional-grade Solana validators with a focus on security, uptime, and compliance. It targets professional stakers in the same segment Rakurai serves.
Broad incumbents
- Figment: Figment is a large multi-chain staking infrastructure provider serving institutional stakers. It operates Solana validators and offers broader portfolio services across many networks, making it a broad incumbent competitor for validator stake.
- Coinbase Staking: Coinbase operates one of the largest staking platforms with Solana support. While not a specialist, its scale and brand make it a major channel for Solana stake that competes indirectly with Rakurai for staker delegation.
Emerging players
- P2P.org: P2P.org is a large staking infrastructure provider and a Rakurai channel partner. It operates validators across multiple networks including Solana and competes for institutional staker share while also distributing Rakurai's infrastructure through its platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rakurai social profiles
Digital presenceRakurai compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Rakurai financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rakurai leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Rakurai funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rakurai M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rakurai
What does Rakurai do?
Rakurai operates high-performance Solana validator nodes using a fork of the Jito-Solana (Agave) client integrated with the proprietary Rakurai Scheduler Library. It offers native SOL staking with auto-compounding yield, liquid staking through the raiSOL token, and on-chain programs for validator activation, reward distribution, and MEV tip management. The platform also exposes a public API and tooling (Activation CLI, Spark Geyser) used by validator operators and Solana builders.
Is Rakurai a public or private company?
Rakurai is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Rakurai founded?
Rakurai was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rakurai based?
Rakurai is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Rakurai make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Validator Commission on Block Rewards are the primary driver. The others are MEV Tip Commission.
Who are Rakurai's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jito Labs, Marinade Finance, Helius, Triton One, Chorus One, Everstake and Staking Facilities. Broad incumbents are Figment and Coinbase Staking. P2P.org is listed as an emerging player.
Does Rakurai have an API?
Yes. Rakurai API is available at https://api.rakurai.io with OpenAPI specifications (JSON and YAML formats) for developers to integrate. The documentation states: "We're working on updating our API docs. Stay tuned. The latest documentation will be available shortly." API supports scheduler versions retrieval and binary downloads for validators. Developer documentation is at docs.rakurai.io/rakuraiapi.
What industry is Rakurai in?
Rakurai's product category is Blockchain Staking Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAOAI, Proof-of-Stake (PoS) Validator Operations, with a secondary code of FSADAKAL, Governance / DAO Validator Participation & Delegation Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 52232 and its SIC code is 6199.