OpenRelay
OpenRelay is a Web3 infrastructure company providing Ethereum development tools — Rivet cloud APIs, Plugeth Go implementation library, and Cardinal EVM consensus tooling — serving decentralized application developers building on Ethereum and related blockchain networks.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersLenexa, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What OpenRelay does
OpenRelay is a Web3 infrastructure company building developer-facing tooling for the Ethereum ecosystem. The company serves Web3 developers and DApp builders who need reliable access to Ethereum nodes, protocol libraries, and EVM-compatible infrastructure, with a stated horizontal segmentation approach and global distribution via self-serve channels. It maintains an open-source ethos anchored by community contribution, transparency, and privacy as core operating values.
The product portfolio centers on three offerings: Rivet, a cloud-based Ethereum API service marketed on usability and documentation quality and delivered via rivet.cloud; Plugeth, a Go-language library that serves as an official Go implementation of the Ethereum protocol, distributed via GitHub; and Cardinal, an Ethereum implementation that exposes an EVM and APIs but explicitly excludes the peer-to-peer and consensus layers. Supporting tooling includes Flume (developed at ETHDenver 2020), Bolt, and Gateway Services powered since 2019. The company has expanded infrastructure coverage to Ethereum Classic, Polygon, Pocket Network, and Sepolia testnet, and supported the 2022 Mainnet Merge. Technology stack is Go-heavy, open-source-first, and hosted under the openrelayxyz GitHub organization.
The business model combines self-serve cloud API subscriptions for Rivet with managed gateway services and open-source distribution of protocol libraries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. OpenRelay is privately held, founded in 2015, incorporated in Q1 2018 in Lenexa, United States, and operates with a 1-10 person core team. The company has raised approximately $1.5M in disclosed funding, including a $1.5M seed led by Digital Finance Group (DFG) in December 2021, a prior $15K raise in 2020, and an undisclosed Embiggen funding round in 2019. Leadership comprises CEO Austin Roberts and co-founder/COO Elizabeth Van Horn, supported by a small named technical team.
OpenRelay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenRelay
- Legal name
- OpenRelay
- Website
- https://openrelay.xyz
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenRelay is a Web3 infrastructure company providing Ethereum development tools — Rivet cloud APIs, Plugeth Go implementation library, and Cardinal EVM consensus tooling — serving decentralized application developers building on Ethereum and related blockchain networks.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenRelay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cross-Chain Developer Tooling (messaging SDKs, relayers, interoperability APIs) (FSAPABAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Smart Contract Execution Environments (EVM/WASM, runtimes, precompiles) (FSAPABAA), Relayer/Validator Networks & Middleware (relayer marketplaces, keeper networks) (FSAPAKAG), API Analytics, Monetization & Developer Experience Tooling (HDAEAIAJ)
Keywords
Where OpenRelay is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lenexa
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
OpenRelay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Rivet Cloud API Services: Cloud-based Ethereum APIs offered as a managed service, likely subscription or usage-based pricing for API access and infrastructure reliability.
- Gateway Services: Infrastructure services powered since 2019, providing blockchain connectivity and data services to customers.
- Open-source Software Distribution: While core tools (Plugeth, Cardinal) are open-source, the company likely derives revenue from related services, consulting, or enterprise support offerings.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
OpenRelay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenRelay develops and distributes open-source Web3 infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, anchored by three products: Rivet, a set of cloud-based Ethereum APIs focused on usability and documentation that enables developers to build and deploy DApps; Plugeth, an official Go-language implementation library of the Ethereum protocol designed to simplify Ethereum interaction for Go developers; and Cardinal, an EVM implementation providing APIs and peer-to-peer consensus elements for EVM-to-EVM interoperability. Revenue is primarily generated through Rivet cloud API subscriptions and Gateway Services.
Product overview
OpenRelay is a Web3 infrastructure company building the foundation for the decentralized web. The company offers a portfolio of three interconnected products: Rivet (cloud-based Ethereum APIs for DApp development), Plugeth (an official Go implementation library for the Ethereum protocol), and Cardinal (EVM-to-EVM peer-to-peer consensus elements). Together, these products provide developers with APIs, development libraries, and interoperability tools for building on Ethereum and related blockchain platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Rivet: Cloud-based Ethereum APIs designed for ease of use with clear documentation, helping developers get up and running quickly to develop and deploy DApps.
- Plugeth
- Cardinal
Products and services
- Rivet Rivet is a set of cloud-based Ethereum APIs designed for ease of use, clarity, and high-quality documentation. It helps developers get up and running quickly to develop and deploy robust decentralized applications (DApps) on the Ethereum blockchain without the complexity typically associated with such technologies. The service is offered via self-serve signup at rivet.cloud and targets developers and enterprises that need reliable, scalable Ethereum infrastructure.
- Plugeth Plugeth (π-ethereum) is a Go-language library that serves as the official Go implementation of the Ethereum protocol. It is designed to make interacting with the Ethereum blockchain easy for developers already familiar with Go, enabling native Go-based Ethereum protocol interaction and integration into Go developer workflows.
- Cardinal Cardinal is an Ethereum implementation that provides an EVM implementation and APIs for interacting with the EVM, plus EVM-to-EVM peer-to-peer consensus elements for Ethereum. It enables interoperability between different Ethereum Virtual Machine implementations.
Companies that use OpenRelay
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
OpenRelay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
OpenRelay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)coreOpenRelay builds on IPFS as part of their decentralized web infrastructure foundation. IPFS provides distributed file storage capabilities that complement their Ethereum-focused tooling.
- 0x ProtocolcoreOpenRelay launched the first 0x Relayer source in Q4 2017, establishing early integration with the 0x decentralized exchange protocol. This represents a foundational partnership in their protocol tooling history.
- PolygoncoreInitiated Polygon integration in 2022 as part of their multi-chain infrastructure support, enabling developers to build on Polygon using OpenRelay tools.
- Ethereum Classic (ETC)coreLaunched Ethereum Classic support in 2020, expanding beyond Ethereum mainnet to support the ETC blockchain ecosystem. EtherCattle initiative began in Q1 2018 as a supporting project for ETC.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenRelay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Chainstack: Chainstack offers managed blockchain node infrastructure and APIs across many chains, including Ethereum. It competes directly with Rivet for hosted node and RPC workloads.
- Infura: Infura (a ConsenSys product) provides hosted Ethereum and IPFS APIs and developer tooling, directly competing with Rivet for the same DApp developer audience.
- GetBlock: GetBlock provides shared and dedicated nodes plus API access for dozens of blockchains. It is a direct competitor to Rivet's managed Ethereum API offering.
- QuickNode: QuickNode offers multi-chain blockchain API and node infrastructure with self-serve and enterprise tiers. It is a direct competitor to Rivet's managed Ethereum API service.
- Alchemy: Alchemy is a leading Web3 developer platform offering managed Ethereum and multi-chain APIs. It directly competes with OpenRelay's Rivet product for the same developer and enterprise customers building on Ethereum.
- Pocket Network: Pocket Network is a decentralized RPC protocol for blockchain infrastructure. OpenRelay has an existing integration with Pocket, and the two compete for decentralized Ethereum RPC workloads.
- Ankr: Ankr provides multi-chain node infrastructure, RPC endpoints, and Web3 APIs. It targets the same developer base as Rivet with overlapping Ethereum and L2 chain coverage.
Others
- 0x: 0x is the decentralized exchange protocol that OpenRelay's earliest product—a 0x Relayer—was built for. While not a direct infrastructure competitor today, it is a foundational protocol partner and ecosystem counterpart.
Emerging players
- Moralis: Moralis provides a Web3 development platform with APIs, SDKs, and identity/auth tooling. It overlaps with OpenRelay's developer-focused, API-first strategy, though it is broader in scope.
Broad incumbents
- Blockdaemon: Blockdaemon is a large, established blockchain infrastructure provider offering node, staking, and API services across many chains. It competes with Rivet on Ethereum API infrastructure but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
OpenRelay social profiles
Digital presenceOpenRelay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenRelay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
OpenRelay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenRelay 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 OpenRelay
What does OpenRelay do?
OpenRelay develops and distributes open-source Web3 infrastructure for the Ethereum ecosystem, anchored by three products: Rivet, a set of cloud-based Ethereum APIs focused on usability and documentation that enables developers to build and deploy DApps; Plugeth, an official Go-language implementation library of the Ethereum protocol designed to simplify Ethereum interaction for Go developers; and Cardinal, an EVM implementation providing APIs and peer-to-peer consensus elements for EVM-to-EVM interoperability. Revenue is primarily generated through Rivet cloud API subscriptions and Gateway Services.
Is OpenRelay a public or private company?
OpenRelay is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OpenRelay founded?
OpenRelay was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenRelay based?
OpenRelay is headquartered in Lenexa, United States, in the North America region.
How does OpenRelay make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Rivet Cloud API Services are the primary driver. The others are gateway Services and open-source Software Distribution.
Who are OpenRelay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Chainstack, Infura, GetBlock, QuickNode, Alchemy, Pocket Network and Ankr. 0x is listed as an others. Moralis is listed as an emerging player. Blockdaemon is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does OpenRelay have an API?
Yes. Rivet provides Cloud-based Ethereum APIs designed for ease of use with clear documentation, helping developers get up and running quickly to develop and deploy robust DApps (Decentralized Applications) without the complexity typically associated with such technologies. Developer documentation is at rivet.cloud.
What industry is OpenRelay in?
OpenRelay's product category is Blockchain Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPABAF, Cross-Chain Developer Tooling (messaging SDKs, relayers, interoperability APIs), with a secondary code of FSAPABAA, Smart Contract Execution Environments (EVM/WASM, runtimes, precompiles). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.