Rocket Pool
Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol that lets any ETH holder stake from 0.01 ETH for the rETH liquid staking token, and lets node operators run validators with only 4 ETH. It serves retail stakers, node operators, and DeFi integrators across 105+ regions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBrisbane, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Rocket Pool does
Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol founded in December 2016 by David Rugendyke and operated by Rocket Pool Pty Ltd., headquartered in Brisbane, Australia. The protocol enables two core use cases: (1) liquid staking, allowing any ETH holder to stake from 0.01 ETH and receive rETH, a token that accrues staking rewards and is usable across DeFi; and (2) node staking, allowing operators to run Ethereum validators with a minimum of 4 ETH via Megapools (introduced in the Saturn 1 upgrade in February 2026), compared to the 32 ETH required for solo staking. The protocol is governed by a Protocol DAO (RPL stakers vote on protocol changes), an Oracle DAO (comprising Ethereum infrastructure providers like Sigma Prime, Consensys Codefi, and Blockdaemon), plus Grants and Incentives management committees.
The technology stack centers on audited smart contracts (audited by Sigma Prime, Consensys Diligence, Trail of Bits, ChainSafe, Cantina, Bailsec, and Hashlock) that manage validator registration, ETH staking deposits, rETH/rETH/ETH rate calculation, and reward distribution. Key technical features include the Smoothing Pool (for balanced MEV reward distribution), Megapools (gas-efficient multi-validator setup), and an Immunefi-hosted bug bounty program with rewards up to $150,000. The protocol is deeply integrated across DeFi (Aave, Spark, MakerDAO, Compound, Morpho, Curve, Balancer, Uniswap across 7 chains) and Layer 2 networks (Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync Era, Polygon, Base, Unichain).
Revenue mechanics center on node operator commissions (~14% of liquid staker rewards) and the newly introduced RPL Fee Switch (February 2026) which activates optional protocol revenue sharing for RPL stakers. The protocol historically charges 0% to liquid stakers, meaning protocol-level revenue was effectively zero prior to Saturn 1. The company operates with 1-10 employees and relies heavily on community-led growth via Discord, DAO governance, GitHub open-source development, and organic DeFi ecosystem integration rather than traditional sales or marketing channels.
Rocket Pool firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rocket Pool
- Legal name
- Rocket Pool Pty Ltd.
- Website
- https://rocketpool.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol that lets any ETH holder stake from 0.01 ETH for the rETH liquid staking token, and lets node operators run validators with only 4 ETH. It serves retail stakers, node operators, and DeFi integrators across 105+ regions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rocket Pool industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Liquid Staking Protocol
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Liquid Staking Protocols & Liquid Staking Tokens (LST) (FSADAOAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Liquid Staking & Restaking Protocols (FSADAMAE), Staking Pools & Delegation Platforms (FSADAOAJ), Yield, Vaults & Asset Management (vault strategies, robo-vaults, structured yield) (FSAPAEAG)
Keywords
Where Rocket Pool is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brisbane
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Rocket Pool business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Node Operator Fees: Node operators charge approximately 14% commission on rewards generated from liquid staker ETH. This is the primary revenue stream for node operators running validators on the protocol.
- Protocol Fee: Currently 0% protocol fee. The Rocket Pool protocol matches liquid stakers with node operators without taking a fee for this service.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Liquid Staking - 0.01 ETH minimum, ~1.95% APR |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Node Staking - 4 ETH minimum, ~4.03% APR + RPL rewards |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Rocket Pool product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol that lets users stake any amount of ETH (as low as 0.01 ETH) and receive rETH, a liquid staking token that represents staked ETH plus accrued rewards. Independent node operators stake 8 ETH (instead of the 32 ETH required for solo validation) plus RPL collateral to validate on the Ethereum network and earn commissions on the rewards they generate for rETH holders.
Product overview
Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol offering two primary products: Liquid Staking (producing the rETH token) and Node Staking (enabling operators to run validators). Liquid staking allows any user to stake ETH starting at 0.01 ETH in exchange for rETH, which accrues staking rewards and can be used across DeFi. Node staking lets operators run Ethereum validators with only 4 ETH via Megapools, earning ETH rewards plus commission and RPL inflation rewards. The protocol's native RPL token serves as collateral for node operators and as the governance token for Protocol DAO decisions. Rocket Pool also supports third-party integrations including RockSolid vaults, multiple DeFi lending and exchange protocols, and Layer 2 deployments across Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync, Polygon, Base, and Unichain. Governance is handled through a multi-DAO structure comprising the Oracle DAO (managing on-chain data), Protocol DAO (voting on protocol changes), and two management committees (Grants and Incentives). The Saturn upgrade (launched February 2026) introduced Megapools, the RPL Fee Switch for protocol revenue sharing, and further reduced the minimum node operator requirement to 4 ETH.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- rETH (Rocket Pool ETH) Liquid Staking Token An ERC-20 liquid staking token issued to users who deposit ETH into the Rocket Pool protocol. rETH's exchange rate versus ETH increases over time as staking rewards accrue, allowing holders to earn staking yield while retaining a liquid, transferable, DeFi-composable asset.
- ETH Liquid Staking Service Permissionless, non-custodial Ethereum staking service accessible at stake.rocketpool.net. Users deposit ETH and receive rETH; the protocol aggregates deposits and assigns them to decentralized node operators for validation.
- Node Operator Staking Staking service for independent node operators who run Ethereum validators on behalf of rETH holders. Operators bond 8 ETH plus RPL collateral and earn commissions (default ~14%) on the staking rewards they generate.
- RPL Token Rocket Pool's native ERC-20 governance and collateral token. RPL is required as collateral by node operators (who risk slashing) and confers voting power in the Rocket Pool DAO governance system.
- Megapools Scaling infrastructure that lets a node operator back multiple Ethereum validators with a single 8 ETH bond, improving capital efficiency for solo stakers operating on Rocket Pool.
- Smoothing Pool Optional shared reward pool that smooths out block proposal and MEV rewards for participating node operators, providing more predictable returns regardless of individual validator performance.
- Smart Node Stack (CLI / Docker) Open-source software stack (CLI and Docker images) that node operators run to operate Rocket Pool validators, manage keys, and interact with the protocol.
- RockSolid Vault Single-asset RPL staking mechanism that allows RPL holders to stake their tokens and earn protocol rewards without running validator infrastructure.
- Protocol DAO (pDAO) On-chain governance body that administers Rocket Pool protocol parameters, treasury, and strategic decisions via RPL-weighted voting.
- Oracle DAO (oDAO) Decentralized committee of oracle nodes that maintain the rETH/ETH exchange rate oracle used by Rocket Pool and integrated DeFi protocols.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1.9% of all staked ETH on Ethereum
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Rocket Pool
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rocket Pool technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration42 records
Feature6 records
Rocket Pool partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lighthouse ETH2 Client Team (Sigma Prime)coreSigma Prime develops the Lighthouse Ethereum consensus client and is part of the Oracle DAO, providing key infrastructure and industry expertise to the protocol.
- Nimbus ETH2 Client TeamcoreNimbus team is part of the Oracle DAO, contributing to protocol governance and Ethereum infrastructure expertise.
- Prysm ETH2 Client TeamcorePrysm team is part of the Oracle DAO, contributing to protocol governance and Ethereum infrastructure expertise.
- Consensys CodeficoreConsensys Codefi is part of the Oracle DAO, contributing DeFi and enterprise expertise to the protocol.
- GitcoinminorGitcoin is part of the Oracle DAO, contributing to ecosystem development and grants funding.
- Rocket ScientistsminorRocket Scientists is part of the Oracle DAO, contributing technical expertise to the protocol.
- UniswapcoreUniswap provides DEX liquidity for rETH/ETH and RPL trading across Ethereum Mainnet, Arbitrum, Optimism, and Polygon.
- BalancercoreBalancer provides liquidity pools for rETH and RPL tokens enabling trading and yield strategies.
- CurvecoreCurve provides stablecoin and asset swaps for rETH liquidity on Mainnet.
- AavecoreAave accepts rETH as collateral for borrowing stablecoins and other assets, enabling leveraged positions.
- CompoundminorCompound lending protocol accepts rETH as collateral for borrowing.
- 1inchminor1inch DEX aggregator enables ETH/rETH swaps.
- CowSwapminorCowSwap DEX enables ETH/RPL and ETH/rETH trading with MEV protection.
- ShapeShiftminorShapeShift multichain platform enables rETH/RPL trading.
- PancakeSwapminorPancakeSwap provides rETH/wETH liquidity pools on BNB Chain.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rocket Pool competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lido: Lido is the dominant Ethereum liquid staking protocol issuing stETH. It is the most direct competitor to Rocket Pool, operating the same core model (pooled ETH staking with a liquid representation) at materially larger scale (30%+ of staked ETH).
- Frax Finance: Frax issues sfrxETH, a liquid staking derivative on Ethereum built on Frax's frxETH base layer. It directly competes with Rocket Pool's rETH for Ethereum stakers seeking liquid yield, with similar DeFi integration strategies.
- StakeWise: StakeWise is a permissionless Ethereum liquid staking protocol with similar node operator architecture to Rocket Pool. Both compete for decentralized stakers seeking non-custodial liquid staking alternatives to Lido.
- Stader Labs: Stader issues ETHx, a liquid staking token for Ethereum, competing directly with rETH for ETH stakers. Both target permissionless node operation and DeFi composability.
- Ankr: Ankr offers ankrETH, an Ethereum liquid staking token, and provides node infrastructure services similar to Rocket Pool's node staking product. It competes on both the liquid staking token and node operator layers.
Broad incumbents
- Coinbase (cbETH): Coinbase is a major centralized crypto exchange that offers cbETH, a wrapped liquid staking token. As both an investor in Rocket Pool and a competing staking provider, it represents the centralized alternative to Rocket Pool's decentralized model.
- Binance (wbETH): Binance offers wbETH, a wrapped staked ETH product bundled with its exchange services. It is one of the largest centralized staking providers competing with Rocket Pool for retail ETH stakers prioritizing convenience.
Emerging players
- EigenLayer: EigenLayer pioneered Ethereum restaking, allowing staked ETH to secure additional services. It is adjacent to Rocket Pool — both consume Ethereum staking capital — and creates potential integration opportunities (LRTs built on rETH) as well as competitive overlap in capital allocation.
- Convex Finance: Convex aggregates Curve LP token rewards in a similar DeFi yield-optimization pattern to Rocket Pool's rETH vault integrations. While it operates in Curve's stablecoin/Swap ecosystem, both sit at the intersection of liquid DeFi primitives and yield aggregation.
Regional players
- Marinade Finance: Marinade is the leading liquid staking protocol on Solana, offering a similar decentralized validator pool architecture to Rocket Pool. Comparable as a peer liquid staking protocol, though it operates on a different blockchain ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rocket Pool social profiles
Digital presenceRocket Pool compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Rocket Pool financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rocket Pool leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Rocket Pool funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rocket Pool M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rocket Pool
What does Rocket Pool do?
Rocket Pool is a decentralized Ethereum liquid staking protocol that lets users stake any amount of ETH (as low as 0.01 ETH) and receive rETH, a liquid staking token that represents staked ETH plus accrued rewards. Independent node operators stake 8 ETH (instead of the 32 ETH required for solo validation) plus RPL collateral to validate on the Ethereum network and earn commissions on the rewards they generate for rETH holders.
Is Rocket Pool a public or private company?
Rocket Pool is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Rocket Pool founded?
Rocket Pool was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Rocket Pool based?
Rocket Pool is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Rocket Pool make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Node Operator Fees are the primary driver. The others are protocol Fee.
Who are Rocket Pool's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lido, Frax Finance, StakeWise, Stader Labs and Ankr. Broad incumbents are Coinbase (cbETH) and Binance (wbETH). Emerging players are EigenLayer and Convex Finance. Marinade Finance is listed as a regional player.
Does Rocket Pool have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rocket Pool.
What industry is Rocket Pool in?
Rocket Pool's product category is Liquid Staking Protocol. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSADAOAL, Liquid Staking Protocols & Liquid Staking Tokens (LST), with a secondary code of FSADAMAE, Liquid Staking & Restaking Protocols. Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6199.