API3
API3 is a blockchain oracle provider that enables first-party data feeds via Airnode technology and offers an OEV Network for DeFi lending protocols to recapture MEV, serving over 40 EVM chains with 190+ data feeds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersGrand Cayman, Cayman Islands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What API3 does
API3 is a blockchain oracle provider founded in 2020 (operations since 2019) and headquartered in the Cayman Islands, operating as a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO). The company enables data providers to operate their own blockchain oracle nodes without third-party intermediaries through its proprietary Airnode technology, differentiating from competitors like Chainlink that rely on third-party aggregator architectures. API3's core product stack consists of the Api3 Market (a self-serve web3 data marketplace with 190+ data feeds across 40+ EVM chains), the OEV Network (a Layer 2 solution for recapturing MEV from oracle updates), dAPIs (decentralized data feeds aggregated from first-party nodes), and Airnode (serverless oracle node software).
API3's business model is structured around cost-plus pricing on data feeds (sold at estimated operational cost or a $0.05/day minimum) with explicit non-monetization of feed plans, paired with OEV protocol fees where the company retains 20% of Oracle Extractable Value revenue and distributes 80% to dApps as OEV Rewards. For API3-curated Morpho vaults, the company retains 100% of OEV. The go-to-market is primarily product-led and community-led, leveraging a self-serve marketplace, Discord/Telegram developer communities, and technical documentation, supplemented by direct onboarding for gas grants. Key customer segments are DeFi lending protocols (Morpho, Compound, Yei Finance, Lendle, Init Capital, Takara Lend, Moonwell) and blockchain networks/L2s seeking oracle infrastructure.
The company has raised approximately $7M in total funding (including a $4M token financing in May 2024 led by DWF Labs), operates with 11-50 employees, and holds less than 3% of the oracle market share against dominant competitor Chainlink which secures over $100B in DeFi value. API3's Total Value Secured grew from $20M to over $600M in 2024, demonstrating significant adoption momentum despite its minority market position.
API3 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- API3
- Legal name
- API3 Foundation
- Website
- https://api3.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- API3 is a blockchain oracle provider that enables first-party data feeds via Airnode technology and offers an OEV Network for DeFi lending protocols to recapture MEV, serving over 40 EVM chains with 190+ data feeds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
API3 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Oracle Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Oracle Networks & Off-Chain Data (price feeds, randomness, attestation) (FSAPABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Oracle Node Operators & Data Provider Networks (FSADAKAH), Blockchain Data & Indexing Infrastructure for Finance (Nodes, Indexers, Oracles) (FSAGAMAL), Developer APIs & Node Access (RPC providers, node infrastructure APIs) (FSAPABAC)
Keywords
Where API3 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Cayman
- HQ country
- Cayman Islands
Offices1 record
Markets served
API3 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Data Feed Plan Sales: API3 sells data feed plans at estimated operational cost (or $0.05/day minimum) through the Api3 Market. Plans are purchased for specific deviation thresholds and durations. Any overestimate rolls over as a discount. The company explicitly states it does not monetize data feed plans and instead relies on OEV for monetization.
- OEV Protocol Fees: API3 retains 20% of Oracle Extractable Value revenue as protocol fees. The remaining 80% is distributed to dApps as OEV Rewards. For API3-curated Morpho markets, the entirety of OEV belongs to API3.
- OEV Distribution to dApps: 80% of OEV searching revenue is paid to dApps as OEV Rewards in the native gas token of the network where the dApp is deployed. Rewards are calculated monthly based on oracle update auction proceeds.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Cost-plus pricing based on deviation threshold and chain |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
API3 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
API3 operates a first-party oracle infrastructure platform that enables data providers to operate their own blockchain oracle nodes directly without third-party intermediaries. Its core offerings include dAPIs (decentralized data feeds aggregated on-chain across 40+ EVM chains), Airnode (serverless oracle node software for API providers), the OEV Network (MEV recapture mechanism that returns 80% of Oracle Extractable Value to dApps), and the Api3 Market (a self-serve marketplace for browsing, purchasing, and managing data feed plans).
Product overview
API3 is a next-generation blockchain oracle provider offering a unified platform of oracle infrastructure products. The core offering consists of API3 Market (web3 data marketplace), OEV Network (MEV recapture solution), Airnode (serverless oracle nodes), and dAPIs (decentralized data feeds). These are complemented by supporting products including OEV Rewards (80% revenue sharing to dApps), OEV Dashboard (performance monitoring), Airkeeper and Airseeker (automated update/verification layers), Beacons (timestamped data points), DEAL (curation), Nodary (data service), Api3ReaderProxyV1 (integration contract), and @api3/contracts (SDK). Api3 Staking enables token holders to participate in network security. The platform supports over 40 EVM networks and 190+ data feeds, enabling DeFi protocols to access secure, verifiable, multi-source data while generating revenue through OEV capture.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Api3 Market: A web3 data marketplace that provides access to over 190 data feeds across all major EVM chains for decentralized applications.
- OEV Network
- Airnode
- dAPIs
Products and services
- API3 Market
- OEV Network
- Airnode
- dAPIs
Quantifiable outcome
- TVS grew from $20M to $600M+ in 2024 (30x increase)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use API3
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
API3 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
Feature7 records
API3 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- InfuramajorPartnership to expand liquid staking token (LST) support across Layer 2s. Infura provides enterprise-grade blockchain APIs and is the driving force behind the Decentralized Infrastructure Network (DIN) initiative.
- AllnodesmajorPartnership expands offerings for liquid staking tokens. Allnodes operates nodes for API3's data feeds including LST exchange rates, providing non-custodial hosting and staking services.
- AlchemymajorPartnership expands RPC provider network for powering multi-source data feeds for LSTs and LRTs. Alchemy provides multichain RPC services for reliable blockchain connectivity.
- Shift MarketsmajorFirst-party oracle node provider delivering secure and reliable crypto data. Shift Markets bridges traditional and emerging markets with cryptocurrency and forex trading solutions.
- dRPCmajorPartnership expands multichain RPC services for powering data feeds including LSTs and LRTs. dRPC provides Archive and Full nodes across 50+ EVM chains.
- BLOCKSIZEmajorEU-registered oracle node operator providing highly reliable crypto market data using volume-weighted average prices from centralized and decentralized exchanges.
- Blast APImajorPartnership expands offerings for liquid staking tokens. Blast API (built by Bware Labs) provides high-performance RPC services across 42+ blockchains with multi-region architecture.
- Coin MetricsmajorCoin Metrics joins as data provider, expanding cryptographically secure and verifiable data for aggregating data feeds. Provides CM Reference Rates covering 1,000+ cryptoassets.
- AnkrmajorPartnership expands Web3 infrastructure for powering decentralized data feeds for LSTs and LRTs. Ankr provides high-performance RPC and API services across 60+ chains.
- CoinGeckocoreData provider powering API3's first-party oracle nodes. CoinGecko certifies public keys and signs data with private keys, making signed data available directly via signed-api.coingecko.com.
- MorphocoreAPI3 operates as vault curator on Morpho, the largest decentralized lending protocol on Ethereum. API3 selects lending markets, manages risk parameters, and allocates capital via USDC vaults (Api3 Core, Kabu, Api3 dCOMP). API3 has direct financial exposure to every market it enables.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
API3 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chainlink: The dominant blockchain oracle network securing ~$100B in DeFi value. Chainlink is API3's primary direct competitor, offering price feed oracles across most major EVM and non-EVM chains, with deep protocol-level integrations that API3 is positioning to displace.
- Pyth Network: High-frequency oracle network primarily serving derivatives and DeFi protocols with first-party publisher data from exchanges and market makers. Shares API3's first-party data philosophy and is a direct competitor in DeFi price feeds, particularly on Solana and emerging L1s/L2s.
- Redstone Oracles: Modular oracle network offering push-based data feeds with a focus on LSTs, LRTs, and DeFi assets on EVM chains. Competes directly with API3 in the same data feed categories and on overlapping chains.
- Band Protocol: Cross-chain data oracle platform aggregating and connecting real-world data to smart contracts. Competes with API3 across multiple EVM-compatible chains for DeFi data feed integrations.
- DIA (Decentralized Information Asset): Cross-chain oracle and financial data provider offering both traditional and crypto price feeds with a focus on transparency and verifiability. Overlaps with API3 in serving DeFi protocols across EVM chains.
Emerging players
- Witnet: Decentralized oracle protocol that uses a network of witness nodes to fetch and attest to off-chain data. Operates in the same oracle infrastructure category as API3 but with a different architecture based on proof-of-eligibility consensus.
- Chronicle Protocol: Self-serve oracle protocol on Ethereum L2s (formerly PegoLayer/Rune) that, like API3, allows data providers to publish first-party signed data. Shares the first-party architecture philosophy and competes for similar DeFi lending integrations.
- Stork Network: Oracle network offering first-party signed price feeds on EVM chains. Competes in the same niche as API3, particularly for newer L2 deployments and DeFi protocol integrations.
Broad incumbents
- Infura: Enterprise-grade blockchain API and node infrastructure provider (ConsenSys subsidiary) that powers dApp connectivity across major networks. API3's RPC/data infrastructure partner via the DIN initiative, and a broader incumbent in Web3 infrastructure with overlapping developer audiences.
- Alchemy: Major Web3 developer platform providing RPC nodes, APIs, and developer tools across multiple chains. A strategic partner to API3 for powering data feeds and a broad incumbent in the same developer infrastructure ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
API3 social profiles
Digital presenceAPI3 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
API3 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
API3 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors22 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
API3 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 API3
What does API3 do?
API3 operates a first-party oracle infrastructure platform that enables data providers to operate their own blockchain oracle nodes directly without third-party intermediaries. Its core offerings include dAPIs (decentralized data feeds aggregated on-chain across 40+ EVM chains), Airnode (serverless oracle node software for API providers), the OEV Network (MEV recapture mechanism that returns 80% of Oracle Extractable Value to dApps), and the Api3 Market (a self-serve marketplace for browsing, purchasing, and managing data feed plans).
Is API3 a public or private company?
API3 is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was API3 founded?
API3 was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is API3 based?
API3 is headquartered in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
How does API3 make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Data Feed Plan Sales are the primary driver. The others are OEV Protocol Fees and OEV Distribution to dApps.
Who are API3's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chainlink, Pyth Network, Redstone Oracles, Band Protocol and DIA (Decentralized Information Asset). Emerging players are Witnet, Chronicle Protocol and Stork Network. Broad incumbents are Infura and Alchemy.
Does API3 have an API?
Yes. API3 provides data feeds (dAPIs) for smart contracts, accessible through the Api3ReaderProxyV1 contract interface. Developers can interact with data feeds using the @api3/contracts npm package which provides Solidity interfaces (IApi3ReaderProxy.sol, MockApi3ReaderProxy.sol) for contract integration. The signed API (signed-api.coingecko.com) allows verification of first-party oracle data sources. API3 Market enables programmatic access to browse, purchase plans, and manage data feeds across all supported EVM networks. Developer documentation is at docs.api3.org.
What industry is API3 in?
API3's product category is Blockchain Oracle Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPABAE, Oracle Networks & Off-Chain Data (price feeds, randomness, attestation), with a secondary code of FSADAKAH, Oracle Node Operators & Data Provider Networks. Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7370.