Cartesi
Cartesi provides open-source blockchain infrastructure that runs a full Linux operating system inside app-specific rollups via a RISC-V virtual machine, enabling developers to build decentralized applications in mainstream languages like Python and Rust. It serves Web3 developers, DeFi protocols, gaming studios, and AI application builders through a product-led, foundation-governed model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersPersan, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cartesi does
Cartesi is an open-source blockchain infrastructure protocol that enables developers to build app-specific rollups using mainstream programming languages and tools rather than EVM-specific abstractions. Founded in 2018 and operated by the Cartesi Foundation Ltd. (headquartered in Persan, France, with 51-100 employees), the company's core technology is a RISC-V-based Virtual Machine that boots a full Linux operating system inside verifiable rollup environments, allowing developers to leverage decades of existing software libraries in Python, Rust, C++, and JavaScript.
The product stack centers on Cartesi Machine and Cartesi Rollups, app-specific rollups deployable as layer 2, layer 3, or sovereign rollups. Security is delivered through the PRT (Punch-relayer-terminal) fraud-proof system, classified as Stage-2 by L2BEAT and demonstrated live via the PRT Honeypot on Ethereum mainnet. Supporting products include the Cartesi CLI for developer workflows, Cartesi Coprocessor for offloading heavy computations from smart contracts, Rollup Lab for experimentation, and the CTSI token for ecosystem governance and incentives.
Cartesi pursues a product-led growth model targeting Web3 developers, DeFi protocols, gaming dApps, AI applications, and social appchains through a self-serve developer portal, open-source GitHub repositories, ETHGlobal hackathon participation, grants programs, and a thought-leadership podcast. Strategic integrations with Avail (data availability), Espresso (L2 infrastructure), EigenLayer (restaking), Base, Syscoin, and RiscZero (zkVM) extend distribution into partner ecosystems. Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed; the foundation structure and open-source core technology position economic value capture primarily through CTSI token utility rather than traditional SaaS or licensing streams.
Cartesi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cartesi
- Legal name
- Cartesi Foundation Ltd.
- Website
- https://cartesi.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cartesi provides open-source blockchain infrastructure that runs a full Linux operating system inside app-specific rollups via a RISC-V virtual machine, enabling developers to build decentralized applications in mainstream languages like Python and Rust. It serves Web3 developers, DeFi protocols, gaming studios, and AI application builders through a product-led, foundation-governed model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cartesi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Rollup Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools) (FSAPABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- DAO Treasury, Governance & On-Chain Finance Tools (FSADAMAL)
Keywords
Where Cartesi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Persan
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Cartesi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- CTSI Token Utility: Cartesi's native CTSI token is used within the ecosystem. While specific revenue model mechanics are not detailed in available sources, the token likely serves staking, governance, and fee payment functions within the rollup infrastructure.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Cartesi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cartesi provides a RISC-V-based modular blockchain protocol that enables developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) using mainstream programming languages (Python, Rust, C++, JavaScript) and existing Linux code libraries. Its core is the Cartesi Virtual Machine, which boots a full Linux operating system inside app-specific rollups, delivering dedicated compute resources, predictable fees, and a Stage-2 classified fraud-proof system that inherits Ethereum's security.
Product overview
Cartesi is an open-source, Linux-based blockchain scaling infrastructure that enables developers to build app-specific rollups with familiar programming languages (Python, Rust, C++) and existing code libraries. The core product is Cartesi Machine, a RISC-V virtual machine that executes full Linux OS in verifiable rollup environments, combined with Cartesi Rollups providing scalable, secure app-chain infrastructure. The technology stack includes Cartesi Coprocessor for offloading heavy computations, the Cartesi CLI for development workflows, the PRT Fraud-Proof System for security, and the CTSI token for governance. Supporting infrastructure includes Rollup Lab for experimentation, the Honeypot bug bounty program, and comprehensive documentation with AI agent support. The system supports modular deployment as layer 2, layer 3, or sovereign rollups, inheriting Ethereum's security while providing dedicated compute resources.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cartesi Machine A RISC-V-based virtual machine that enables full Linux and RISC-V stack execution in a composable, verifiable rollup environment, allowing developers to leverage decades-proven software ecosystems and run mature operating systems on-chain.
- Cartesi Rollups App-specific rollups infrastructure providing scalable and secure chains tailored to each dApp's needs, with dedicated compute resources, predictable fees, and a state-of-the-art fraud proof system categorized as Stage-2 by L2BEAT.
- Cartesi CLI Command-line interface tool for building and deploying decentralized applications on Cartesi, enabling developers to create applications from templates (Python, Rust, C++, JavaScript), build, run locally, and send inputs to the dApp.
- Cartesi Coprocessor Enables smart contracts to offload heavy computations, bringing flexibility and scalability to Web3 development by leveraging Cartesi's Linux-based VM for intensive processing tasks.
- PRT (Progressive Rollup Technology) Fraud-Proof System Advanced fraud proof system for Cartesi Rollups, providing security guarantees for on-chain computation verification, categorized as Stage-2 according to L2BEAT.
- PRT Honeypot Cartesi's first rollup application on Ethereum mainnet featuring the PRT Fraud-Proof System, designed as a security demonstration showcasing the robustness of Cartesi's fraud-proof infrastructure.
- Rollup Lab A platform for exploring and experimenting with Cartesi rollups technology, providing resources for developers to discover and test applications built on Cartesi.
- Honeypot Bug Bounty Cartesi's bug bounty program and security testing platform where developers can probe the security of Cartesi infrastructure for rewards.
- CTSI Token Native token of the Cartesi ecosystem used for governance, staking, and as an incentive mechanism within the Cartesi infrastructure.
Quantifiable outcome
- 85.96% token surge on mainnet launch announcement
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cartesi
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cartesi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Cartesi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.
- L2BEATcoreCollaborative research and thought leadership partnership. L2BEAT researchers appeared on Cartesi's 'Brain to Board' podcast discussing rollup standardization, recategorization, and the nuances behind Stage 2 classification and the future of app-specific rollups.
- BasecoreBase DevRel Lead Eric Brown joined Cartesi's podcast to explore building next-gen dApps and turning rollups into abstracted infrastructure backbone. Discussion on dev onboarding, scalable architecture, and developer tooling.
- SyscoinmoderateSyscoin Core Developer Jagdeep Sidhu discussed how Bitcoin and Ethereum influence modular infrastructure evolution, and how Syscoin builds using ZK proofs and data availability alongside Cartesi.
- World TycoonminorGrants program recipient building classic SimCity-style game engine in crypto era with real in-game economics and on-chain NFT ownership on Cartesi Rollups.
- Bug BusterminorCore team members discussed their platform bringing fairness and transparency to bug bounty programs, built on Cartesi infrastructure.
- EigenLayercoreCartesi Coprocessor integration explored with EigenLayer Developer Advocacy. Experiment Week #3 collaboration where builders explored Cartesi Coprocessor with EigenLayer's restaking infrastructure.
- RiscZeromoderateCGP project integrating RiscZero's zkVM with the Cartesi Machine to enable privacy-preserving computations on Cartesi Rollups.
- RIVESminorLow-level verifiable fantasy console for creating, playing, and verifying games on-chain, leveraging Cartesi's rollup infrastructure.
- Arcana NetworkmoderateChain abstraction solution exploration. Arcana's design choices ensure seamless communication with Cartesi and other protocols.
- EspressocoreStrategic integration enabling decentralized applications to process inputs through Espresso's L2 infrastructure. Combined Cartesi + Espresso architecture powers composable, next-gen dApps.
- SymbioticmoderateRedefining shared security in decentralized networks. Partnership exploring shared security for modular and scalable decentralized applications.
- AvailcoreStrategic integration announced to advance Web3 development. Avail's base-layer capabilities combined with Cartesi's Linux runtime for data availability solutions in Cartesi Rollups.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cartesi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Polygon Labs: Polygon operates a broad portfolio of L2/scaling solutions (Polygon PoS, Polygon zkEVM, Polygon Miden, Polygon CDK) targeting both app-chains and general-purpose L2s. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Cartesi across nearly every modular-rollup use case.
Emerging players
- Dymension: Dymension is a modular blockchain built around app-chains called RollApps, using its own settlement/consensus hub (Hub). It competes with Cartesi's positioning as app-rollup infrastructure with developer-friendly tooling.
- Manta Network: Manta Network is a modular L2 focused on programmable privacy and ZK-based computation. It overlaps with Cartesi in serving developers building computationally intensive dApps beyond the EVM.
- Caldera: Caldera is a rollup deployment platform that helps teams launch app-chains on multiple stacks. It is an emerging peer with partial overlap to Cartesi Rollups in serving the 'app-specific rollup' niche.
Direct peers
- Optimism: Optimism is one of the leading Ethereum L2 optimistic rollups using a modular execution stack (OP Stack). It is a direct peer to Cartesi because both provide rollup infrastructure for app-specific chains, compete for the same modular-blockchain narrative, and target dApp developers seeking scalable execution.
- Starknet: Starknet is a ZK rollup using a custom Cairo VM to enable complex on-chain computation, directly competing with Cartesi's positioning as 'compute-heavy' rollup infrastructure. Both target developers building beyond the limits of the EVM.
- AltLayer: AltLayer provides a rollup-as-a-service and restaked-rollup stack, directly competing with Cartesi's app-specific rollups positioning. Both target teams wanting to launch customized L2/L3s without building infrastructure from scratch.
- Scroll: Scroll is a ZK rollup focused on EVM-equivalence and bytecode-level compatibility. It competes with Cartesi for dApp developers seeking scalable execution, though it prioritizes EVM parity over Cartesi's Linux-runtime approach.
- Arbitrum: Arbitrum is a leading optimistic rollup on Ethereum with strong DeFi TVL and a Stylus feature that adds WASM/Rust support — closely paralleling Cartesi's goal of letting developers use mainstream languages in rollups. It competes head-to-head for app-chain deployments and developer mindshare.
Others
- RiscZero: RiscZero builds a general-purpose zkVM based on RISC-V that enables verifiable off-chain compute. It is a technology partner of Cartesi via the CGP project and an adjacent peer in the verifiable-compute and zk-rollup ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cartesi social profiles
Digital presenceCartesi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cartesi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Cartesi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cartesi 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 Cartesi
What does Cartesi do?
Cartesi provides a RISC-V-based modular blockchain protocol that enables developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) using mainstream programming languages (Python, Rust, C++, JavaScript) and existing Linux code libraries. Its core is the Cartesi Virtual Machine, which boots a full Linux operating system inside app-specific rollups, delivering dedicated compute resources, predictable fees, and a Stage-2 classified fraud-proof system that inherits Ethereum's security.
Is Cartesi a public or private company?
Cartesi is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Cartesi founded?
Cartesi was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cartesi based?
Cartesi is headquartered in Persan, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cartesi make money?
One revenue line is on record: CTSI Token Utility.
Who are Cartesi's main competitors?
Polygon Labs is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Dymension, Manta Network and Caldera. Direct peers are Optimism, Starknet, AltLayer, Scroll and Arbitrum. RiscZero is listed as an others.
Does Cartesi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cartesi.
What industry is Cartesi in?
Cartesi's product category is Blockchain Rollup Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPABAH, Deployment, Automation & DevOps (build pipelines, contract deployment tools), with a secondary code of FSADAMAL, DAO Treasury, Governance & On-Chain Finance Tools. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.