Interop Labs
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Interop Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interop Labs
- Legal name
- Interop Labs Inc.
- Website
- https://interoplabs.io
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Interop Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Interoperability Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cross-Chain Messaging Protocols (general-purpose message passing) (FSAPAKAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Chain Developer Tooling (messaging SDKs, relayers, interoperability APIs) (FSAPABAF), Relayer/Validator Networks & Middleware (relayer marketplaces, keeper networks) (FSAPAKAG), Interoperability Standards & Frameworks (IBC-like standards, interoperability SDKs) (FSAPAKAE), Interchain Routing & Intent Networks (solvers, relayers, pathfinding) (FSAPAKAD)
Keywords
Interop Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Interop Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interop Labs builds Web3 interoperability technology and is the initial developer of the Axelar Network, a permissionless decentralized protocol that connects blockchain ecosystems and enables cross-chain asset transfers, arbitrary message passing, and generalized multichain application development. The company also created the AXL token as the network's native utility and governance asset. Following Circle Internet Group's acquisition of Interop Labs in December 2025, the Axelar Network continues to operate under community governance while the team's IP is incorporated into Circle's blockchain infrastructure.
Product overview
Interop Labs is a blockchain technology company and the inventor of Axelar Network, a decentralized interoperability protocol that enables cross-chain communication between different blockchain ecosystems. The company developed the AXL token as the network's native cryptocurrency. Following Circle's acquisition of Interop Labs in late 2025, the Axelar Network and AXL token continue to operate independently under community governance while Interop Labs' team and IP became part of Circle's infrastructure expansion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Axelar Network: Blockchain interoperability network developed by Interop Labs, enabling cross-chain communication and applications.
Products and services
- Axelar Network
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 participating institutions on the Arc public testnet
Companies that use Interop Labs
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Interop Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Interop Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Axelar NetworkcoreAxelar Network is the core product developed by Interop Labs — a decentralized cross-chain interoperability protocol. Circle's acquisition excluded the AXL token, which continues to operate independently under community governance. Axelar Network enables cross-chain communication and asset transfers across multiple blockchain ecosystems.
- Circle Internet GroupcoreCircle announced plans to acquire Interop Labs, the developer team behind Axelar Network, including the engineering talent and proprietary technology. The acquisition was expected to complete by early 2026 and aims to enhance interoperability and developer tools for multichain applications as part of Circle's broader expansion into blockchain infrastructure.
- University of WaterloocoreInterop Labs pledged a $1 million USD donation to the University of Waterloo to establish the GENESIS Lab, a research facility focused on AI and blockchain technology. The lab aims to foster collaboration between academia and industry, supporting PhD and undergraduate fellowships, and aligns with efforts to advance open distributed systems at the intersection of AI and blockchain.
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Interop Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Connext: Modular cross-chain messaging and bridging protocol focused on calldata-passing and intent-based transfers. Competes head-on with Axelar in developer-facing cross-chain tooling.
- LayerZero Labs: Developer of the LayerZero omnichain interoperability protocol, the most direct competitor to Axelar in cross-chain messaging. Both target the same dApp developer segment with general-purpose message-passing primitives.
- Wormhole (Jump Crypto): Operator of the Wormhole cross-chain messaging protocol connecting multiple VMs and chains. Directly competes with Axelar in bridging and general message passing for DeFi and institutional use cases.
- Celer Network: Provider of the cBridge and inter-chain messaging framework, with both asset bridging and generalized message-passing capabilities overlapping directly with Axelar's offering.
Broad incumbents
- Chainlink Labs: Dominant oracle network that has expanded into cross-chain interoperability via CCIP. Competes with Axelar in the same enterprise cross-chain messaging category, with the advantage of an entrenched oracle customer base.
- Cosmos / Interchain Foundation: Creator of IBC, the most established interoperability standard for app-chains and Cosmos SDK networks. Sets a reference architecture Axelar is benchmarked against in the cross-chain messaging category.
- Polkadot (Web3 Foundation / Parity): Heterogeneous sharded chain using XCM for cross-consensus messaging. An incumbent interoperability framework that overlaps with Axelar in serving multi-chain application developers.
Emerging players
- LI.FI: Cross-chain bridge and DEX aggregation layer that integrates multiple underlying protocols including Axelar. Sits one layer above Axelar in the stack, but competes for the same multichain developer mindshare.
- Across Protocol: Optimistic bridge for fast, low-cost cross-chain transfers. Competes for bridging volume on EVM chains where Axelar also operates, with a different security/latency tradeoff.
- Stargate Finance (LayerZero): Cross-chain liquidity and bridging application built on LayerZero. Indirectly competes with Axelar for cross-chain transfer volume and developer attention in the omnichain application stack.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interop Labs social profiles
Digital presenceInterop Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interop Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Interop Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interop Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interop Labs
What does Interop Labs do?
Interop Labs builds Web3 interoperability technology and is the initial developer of the Axelar Network, a permissionless decentralized protocol that connects blockchain ecosystems and enables cross-chain asset transfers, arbitrary message passing, and generalized multichain application development. The company also created the AXL token as the network's native utility and governance asset. Following Circle Internet Group's acquisition of Interop Labs in December 2025, the Axelar Network continues to operate under community governance while the team's IP is incorporated into Circle's blockchain infrastructure.
Is Interop Labs a public or private company?
Interop Labs is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Interop Labs founded?
Interop Labs was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Who are Interop Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Connext, LayerZero Labs, Wormhole (Jump Crypto) and Celer Network. Broad incumbents are Chainlink Labs, Cosmos / Interchain Foundation and Polkadot (Web3 Foundation / Parity). Emerging players are LI.FI, Across Protocol and Stargate Finance (LayerZero).
Does Interop Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interop Labs.
What industry is Interop Labs in?
Interop Labs's product category is Blockchain Interoperability Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAKAA, Cross-Chain Messaging Protocols (general-purpose message passing), with a secondary code of FSAPABAF, Cross-Chain Developer Tooling (messaging SDKs, relayers, interoperability APIs). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.