VELAR
Velar is a non-custodial DeFi protocol on Stacks L2 offering a Bitcoin-settled DEX, perpetual derivatives exchange, launchpad, bridge, and staking, targeting retail crypto traders and developers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What VELAR does
Velar (legal entity Velar Labs Inc., incorporated in Panama and operationally headquartered in Dubai) is a multi-feature decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on the Stacks Layer 2 network with Bitcoin finality. Its product suite centers on two trading venues: Velar Dharma, a Uniswap V2-inspired automated market maker for permissionless token swaps on Bitcoin, and Velar Artha, marketed as the world's first decentralized perpetual derivatives exchange on Bitcoin, offering up to 20x leverage on BTC and other tokens. Supporting products include Velar Launchpad for IDO token launches, a cross-chain Bridge, $VELAR staking with tiered utility, LP farming, seasonal yield farming, and developer-facing public REST API and TypeScript SDK.
The protocol is non-custodial, uses Clarity smart contracts (with EVM-compatible components), and has completed third-party security audits covering both the AMM and PerpDEX. Velar generates revenue via a 0.3% swap fee on DEX trades and IDO listing/success fees, monetizing transaction flow rather than subscriptions. Go-to-market is fully product-led and community-led: users connect Leather, Xverse, or Asigna wallets and access the platform globally (excluding ~40 restricted jurisdictions including the US, UK, China, and Russia), while $VELAR staking is used as a land-and-expand mechanism to drive launchpad participation and user lockup. The platform targets retail crypto traders, DeFi liquidity providers, and developers building on Bitcoin L2, and is backed by a syndicate of ~22 crypto-native investors including CMS Holdings, Trust Machines, Cypher Capital, Bitcoin Startup Lab, and Kyros Ventures following a $3.5M seed round in February 2024.
VELAR firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- VELAR
- Legal name
- Velar Labs Inc.
- Website
- https://velar.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Velar is a non-custodial DeFi protocol on Stacks L2 offering a Bitcoin-settled DEX, perpetual derivatives exchange, launchpad, bridge, and staking, targeting retail crypto traders and developers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
VELAR industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Finance Protocol
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Exchanges (523210), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Perpetuals & Derivatives DEXs (FSADABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Liquidity Management & Market-Making Protocols (FSADAMAH), Derivatives, Perpetuals & Options Protocols (FSADAMAC)
Keywords
Where VELAR is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices1 record
Markets served
VELAR business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- DEX Trading Fees: Velar charges a 0.3% fee from traders swapping tokens on the DEX. A portion of trading fees is allocated to the treasury for product development and active participant reward pool replenishment.
- IDO Launchpad Fees: Velar charges listing fees and/or success fees from projects launching tokens on its IDO Launchpad platform. Additional revenue may come through partnerships with organizations and Stacks community participation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | 0.3% trading fee on DEX swaps |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
VELAR product offering
Product offeringCore offering
VELAR is a multi-feature decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on Bitcoin Layer 2 (Stacks), enabling permissionless token swaps via an Automated Market Maker DEX, leveraged perpetual derivatives trading up to 20x, an IDO launchpad for new token issuance, a cross-chain bridge, staking, yield farming, and developer SDK/API access. The protocol operates as a non-custodial, trustless platform using Clarity smart contracts on Stacks L2.
Product overview
Velar is a Bitcoin-focused DeFi liquidity protocol offering a comprehensive suite of decentralized finance products built on Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions (primarily Stacks). The platform operates as a unified ecosystem consisting of Velar DEX (a Uniswap V2-inspired decentralized exchange for token swaps), Velar Artha (the world's first decentralized perpetual derivatives exchange enabling up to 20x leverage trading on Bitcoin), Velar Launchpad (a token launch service for Stacks-based projects), Velar Bridge (cross-chain asset transfer functionality), and staking/farming modules. The protocol is non-custodial, written in Clarity language on Stacks L2, and provides developer access through a public API and TypeScript/JavaScript SDK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Velar Artha: The world's first decentralized perpetual derivatives exchange on Bitcoin, offering leverage trading.
- Velar Dharma
- Velar Kama
- Velar Moksha
Products and services
- Velar DEX A decentralized exchange (DEX) inspired by Uniswap V2, enabling seamless, permissionless token swaps on Bitcoin's Layer 2 infrastructure via Stacks. Users connect compatible Bitcoin wallets to swap assets with a 0.3% trading fee.
- Velar Artha PerpDEX The world's first decentralized perpetual derivatives exchange on Bitcoin, enabling trustless, non-custodial leveraged trading of Bitcoin and various tokens with up to 20x leverage using synthetic assets.
- Velar Launchpad A token launchpad that simplifies the process of launching tokens for Stacks-based projects, charging listing fees and/or success fees. Allocations are tiered based on users' $VELAR token staking levels.
- Velar Bridge A cross-chain bridge enabling seamless asset transfers between different blockchain networks, allowing users to move assets into the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem on Stacks.
- Velar Staking Staking program allowing users to stake $VELAR tokens to unlock tiered benefits including IDO participation on the Launchpad, trading fee discounts, early access to features, and exclusive testnet access.
- Velar SDK A TypeScript/JavaScript software development kit (npm: @velarprotocol/velar-sdk) enabling developers to implement token swaps, manage liquidity, and interact with the Velar DEX ecosystem on the Stacks blockchain with slippage protection and multi-hop routing.
- Velar API A public REST API (https://api.velar.co) providing endpoints for token data, real-time and historical prices, circulating supply, and pool/liquidity data for third-party application integration.
Quantifiable outcome
- $800 billion+ of dormant Bitcoin liquidity available to unlock
Companies that use VELAR
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
VELAR technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature7 records
VELAR partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- StackscoreStacks is the Layer 2 infrastructure powering Velar's Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem. The launch of sBTC by Stacks enables Velar to unlock Bitcoin liquidity for use in financial protocols. Velar builds its smart contracts and dApps (DEX, Launchpad, staking, yield farming) on Stacks.
- Trust MachinessupportingStrategic ecosystem partner supporting the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem development. Part of the broader Stacks ecosystem infrastructure.
- Bitcoin Startup LabsupportingStrategic partner committed to making Bitcoin DeFi accessible. Supports ecosystem development and startup growth within the Bitcoin DeFi space.
- CMS HoldingssupportingStrategic partner in the Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem, backing Velar's mission to bring DeFi capabilities to Bitcoin.
- Black Edge CapitalsupportingStrategic partner supporting the development of Bitcoin DeFi infrastructure and Velar's platform growth.
- Samara AGsupportingStrategic ecosystem partner contributing to Bitcoin DeFi development and Velar's mission.
- GBVsupportingStrategic partner supporting Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem development and Velar's platform.
- Cypher CapitalsupportingStrategic partner contributing to Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem growth and Velar's mission.
- MapleBlock CapitalsupportingStrategic partner supporting Bitcoin DeFi infrastructure development.
- G20 GroupsupportingStrategic ecosystem partner for Bitcoin DeFi development.
- Kyros VenturessupportingStrategic partner supporting the growth and development of Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem.
- BlockpasssupportingThird-party KYC provider used by Velar for Know Your Customer compliance. Users may be required to undergo KYC verification through blockpass.org/kyc/.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
VELAR competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GMX: GMX is a leading decentralized perpetual exchange on Arbitrum and Avalanche. Comparable product (leveraged perps via liquidity pools) to Velar Artha, with established liquidity and a far larger user base.
- Uniswap: Uniswap is the canonical AMM-based DEX whose v2 architecture Velar Dharma explicitly replicates. Comparable as the benchmark product for Velar's DEX offering, though not on Bitcoin L2.
- Hyperliquid: Hyperliquid is a high-performance decentralized perpetual futures exchange with its own L1. Closely comparable to Velar Artha on perpetuals product and order-book/AMM hybrid model, at significantly greater scale.
- dYdX: dYdX is one of the largest decentralized perpetual derivatives exchanges, operating its own appchain. Directly comparable to Velar Artha's PerpDEX product but at vastly greater scale and on EVM infrastructure.
Emerging players
- Aevo: Aevo is a decentralized options and perpetual futures exchange built on a custom rollup. Comparable to Velar Artha's derivatives focus, though primarily options-focused rather than pure perps.
- Zest Protocol: Zest is a Bitcoin lending and yield protocol on Stacks. Comparable as a fellow Stacks-native Bitcoin DeFi builder, though it focuses on credit markets rather than trading/derivatives.
- SushiSwap: SushiSwap is a multi-chain AMM DEX with similar token-swap and liquidity-pool mechanics to Velar Dharma, operating across many EVM chains and competing for the same DeFi user persona.
Direct peers
- Apex Protocol: Apex is a decentralized perpetual futures protocol on Bitcoin via Stacks. Closest direct competitor to Velar Artha for the "Bitcoin-native PerpDEX" positioning.
- ALEX (formerly ALEX Lab): ALEX is a Bitcoin DeFi protocol built on Stacks L2 offering DEX, lending, and yield products. It is Velar's most direct head-to-head competitor in the Stacks Bitcoin DeFi ecosystem, competing for the same wallet-integrated user base.
- Bitflow Finance: Bitflow is a Stacks-based decentralized exchange and liquidity aggregator for Bitcoin and Stacks assets. Directly comparable to Velar's Velar Dharma DEX product on the same L2 chain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
VELAR social profiles
Digital presenceVELAR compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
VELAR financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
VELAR leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
VELAR funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors22 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
VELAR 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 VELAR
What does VELAR do?
VELAR is a multi-feature decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol built on Bitcoin Layer 2 (Stacks), enabling permissionless token swaps via an Automated Market Maker DEX, leveraged perpetual derivatives trading up to 20x, an IDO launchpad for new token issuance, a cross-chain bridge, staking, yield farming, and developer SDK/API access. The protocol operates as a non-custodial, trustless platform using Clarity smart contracts on Stacks L2.
Is VELAR a public or private company?
VELAR is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was VELAR founded?
VELAR was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is VELAR based?
VELAR is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does VELAR make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. DEX Trading Fees are the primary driver. The others are IDO Launchpad Fees.
Who are VELAR's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GMX, Uniswap, Hyperliquid and dYdX. Emerging players are Aevo, Zest Protocol and SushiSwap. Direct peers are Apex Protocol, ALEX (formerly ALEX Lab) and Bitflow Finance.
Does VELAR have an API?
Yes. Velar provides public REST APIs for developers to access various data points across the protocol. Available endpoints include: GET /tickers (all token data), GET /tokens (token details with optional symbol parameter), GET /circulating-supply (VELAR token supply), GET /prices (current prices), GET /prices/:contractAddress (price by contract), GET /prices/historical/:contractAddress (historical prices with interval options: hour, week, month, year), GET /pools (liquidity pool data), GET /pools/:lpTokenContractAddress (pool by LP token), GET /pools/:poolToken0ContractAddress/:poolToken1ContractAddress (pool by token pair). The API enables integration for token information, real-time price feeds, historical price analysis, supply statistics, market data, and pool/liquidity data. Developer documentation is at docs.velar.com/velar/developers/velar-api.
What industry is VELAR in?
VELAR's product category is Decentralized Finance Protocol. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADABAE, Perpetuals & Derivatives DEXs, with a secondary code of FSADAMAH, Liquidity Management & Market-Making Protocols. Its NAICS code is 523210 and its SIC code is 6221.