Xerberus Labs
Xerberus Labs is a London-based non-profit that operates an independent, investor-funded risk-rating protocol for DeFi vaults, using an open dendrogram-based Intrinsic Risk framework to rate Assets, Protocols, and Organisations and serving DeFi capital allocators and DAO community members via a self-serve web terminal and Risk API.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Xerberus Labs does
Xerberus Labs is a London-based non-profit (founded 2022, 1-10 employees) that operates an independent risk-rating protocol for DeFi vaults. The company's core product, the Xerberus Risk Rating Protocol, applies an "Intrinsic Risk" methodology that maps the complete structural hierarchy of a vault using a dendrogram framework with 300+ documented risk subscores and 85+ tracked DeFi mechanisms, each subscore anchored to a real historical incident such as Terra/Luna, Euler, Mango Markets, or the FTX contagion. Ratings are produced independently across three object classes — Assets (e.g., WETH, stETH, USDC), Protocols (e.g., Aave v3, Morpho, Lido), and the Organisations operating them — and live composite scores are published openly (e.g., Security 84%, Economics 75%, Governance 91% for current ratings) via the Live Ratings Terminal web app at app.xerberus.io.
The platform is delivered through three surfaces: a self-serve Live Ratings Terminal and Portfolio tracker (current open beta v3.1.0), a public Risk API with Gitbook documentation for programmatic integration, and a Financial Analytics Dashboard add-on module built for the Cardano ecosystem's treasury management tooling. Ratings are free and never paid for by the protocols being rated (0% protocol fees); importance of risk factors is set through a staked consensus weights mechanism intended to shift weighting power from committees to market participants, with raw inputs pulled directly from on-chain data and full methodology documentation published on Obsidian.
Revenue mechanics are non-traditional for a for-profit: Xerberus is structured as a non-profit, sells no priced subscription plans publicly, and instead derives funding from investor-aligned ratings and usage-based "convenience services" (compute for running risk models and optimization markets), with all fees reinvested into protocol maintenance. Distribution is product-led growth via the web app and a Typeform-based vault request portal. Partnerships in 2025 — including SundaeLabs (financial analytics dashboard) and IO Engineering (Treasury Management Tooling Working Group) on Cardano, with TxPipe and MLabs as auditors — extend the technology into public-chain DAO treasury oversight. Disclosed funding to date is limited to a Thrive Protocol commitment dated 2024-08-28.
Xerberus Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Xerberus Labs
- Legal name
- Xerberus
- Website
- https://xerberus.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Xerberus Labs is a London-based non-profit that operates an independent, investor-funded risk-rating protocol for DeFi vaults, using an open dendrogram-based Intrinsic Risk framework to rate Assets, Protocols, and Organisations and serving DeFi capital allocators and DAO community members via a self-serve web terminal and Risk API.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Xerberus Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- DeFi Risk Analytics
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Borrowing/Lending Risk & Credit Infrastructure (on-chain credit scoring, risk engines, insurance wrappers) (FSAPAEAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Collateral Management, Liquidation & Risk Engines (Credit) (FSADAFAE), Lending Protocol Infrastructure (Oracles, Rate Models, Vaults) (FSADAFAN)
Keywords
Where Xerberus Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Xerberus Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Investor-Funded Ratings: Xerberus is funded directly by investors seeking accurate risk assessments. Revenue is tied to providing the most accurate risk assessments for capital allocators, ensuring alignment between the protocol and its users.
- Convenience Services (Compute & Optimization Markets): The protocol offers convenience services such as compute for running risk models and operates optimization markets that generate fees. All fees are reinvested into protocol maintenance and development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Xerberus Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Xerberus Labs operates a non-profit, investor-funded risk rating protocol for DeFi vaults. Its Intrinsic Risk framework maps the complete structural hierarchy of vaults using a dendrogram-based system to score Assets, Protocols, and Organisations independently across security, economics, and governance domains, with every subscore referencing real historical DeFi incidents. The offering is delivered via a Live Ratings Terminal web app, a Portfolio tracker, and a developer-facing Risk API.
Product overview
Xerberus Labs offers the Xerberus Risk Rating Protocol as its core product — an independent, open, and investor-funded risk rating system for DeFi vaults. The protocol is delivered through the Live Ratings Terminal web application and Portfolio tracking tools, with a developer-facing Risk API for programmatic access. Xerberus rates three object classes independently: Assets (tokens), Protocols (technical systems), and Organisations (entities behind them). The system maps complete structural hierarchies using 300+ risk subscores and 85+ DeFi mechanisms. Additionally, Xerberus developed a Financial Analytics Dashboard for the Cardano Treasury Management Tooling initiative to enhance transparency of treasury fund data.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Xerberus Protocol: The risk rating protocol for DeFi Vaults, designed as public infrastructure with open ratings accessible to everyone.
Products and services
- Xerberus Risk Rating Protocol An independent, investor-funded risk rating protocol for DeFi vaults that maps the complete structural hierarchy of vaults using a dendrogram-based Intrinsic Risk framework. It rates Assets, Protocols, and Organisations independently using 300+ risk subscores and 85+ DeFi mechanisms, with every subscore referencing real historical incidents. Designed as public-good, non-profit infrastructure for DeFi capital allocators.
- Live Ratings Terminal Web-based application providing access to live DeFi vault risk ratings, including security, economics, and governance subscores, along with a portfolio tracker for monitoring risk assessments across vault holdings. Targets DeFi capital allocators and individual investors.
- Risk API Developer-facing API providing programmatic access to Xerberus risk rating data, enabling integration of vault risk assessments, subscores, and related data into external applications and workflows.
- Financial Analytics Dashboard
Quantifiable outcome
- Security score of 84%, Economics score of 75%, Governance score of 91% for current live ratings
Companies that use Xerberus Labs
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Xerberus Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Xerberus Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SundaeLabscoreCollaborated with SundaeLabs to build treasury management tooling for Cardano. SundaeLabs built on-chain smart contracts and a web-based administration dashboard, while Xerberus built a financial analytics dashboard. The collaboration aims to enhance transparency and community oversight of treasury funds.
- TxPipeminorAuditing partner for Cardano treasury management tooling collaboration, providing security auditing services alongside MLabs.
- MLabsminorAuditing partner for Cardano treasury management tooling collaboration, providing security auditing services alongside TxPipe.
- IO EngineeringcoreWorked with IO Engineering on Cardano Treasury Management Tooling Working Group. IO Engineering contributed to the design draft for smart contract-based treasury management using Treasury Reserve contracts and Vendor contracts.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Xerberus Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Credmark: Credmark builds on-chain credit scoring infrastructure for DeFi lending - directly comparable to Xerberus's risk engine and multi-class rating system for lending protocols and assets.
- Risk Harbor: Risk Harbor is a DeFi risk marketplace that aggregates risk data and pricing for portfolios - comparable to Xerberus's investment in optimization markets and risk data infrastructure.
- DeFiSafety: DeFiSafety produces protocol safety scores for DeFi platforms, closely comparable to Xerberus's transparent methodology and investor-funded approach to evaluating decentralized finance risk.
- ChainSecurity: ChainSecurity offers smart contract audits and formal verification for DeFi protocols - directly competes in the technical security scoring pillar of Xerberus's dendrogram (smart contract security at 100%).
- Gauntlet: Gauntlet provides quantitative risk modeling and parameter optimization for DeFi protocols - addresses vault and protocol-level risk in the same target market as Xerberus with adjacent methodology.
- De.Fi: De.Fi is a DeFi portfolio safety scanner and risk assessment platform offering smart contract audits and security scores across protocols - directly overlapping with Xerberus's vault risk rating offering.
Broad incumbents
- OpenZeppelin: OpenZeppelin is a leading provider of smart contract development tools, audits, and Defender security platform - broadly adjacent security infrastructure for the protocols that Xerberus rates.
- Quantstamp: Quantstamp is an established smart contract audit and security service provider for blockchain protocols - addresses the smart contract security domain overlapping with Xerberus but as a broader audit incumbent.
Emerging players
- Certora: Certora provides formal verification tooling for smart contracts and DeFi protocols - covers a subset of Xerberus's protocol security scoring through a different technique (formal verification vs. dendrogram-based scoring).
Others
- Rekt News: Rekt News is a leading investigative publication chronicling DeFi exploits and incidents - serves as a complementary public reference for the historical incidents that anchor Xerberus's scoring methodology.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Xerberus Labs social profiles
Digital presenceXerberus Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Xerberus Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Xerberus Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Xerberus Labs 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 Xerberus Labs
What does Xerberus Labs do?
Xerberus Labs operates a non-profit, investor-funded risk rating protocol for DeFi vaults. Its Intrinsic Risk framework maps the complete structural hierarchy of vaults using a dendrogram-based system to score Assets, Protocols, and Organisations independently across security, economics, and governance domains, with every subscore referencing real historical DeFi incidents. The offering is delivered via a Live Ratings Terminal web app, a Portfolio tracker, and a developer-facing Risk API.
Is Xerberus Labs a public or private company?
Xerberus Labs is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Xerberus Labs founded?
Xerberus Labs was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Xerberus Labs based?
Xerberus Labs is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Xerberus Labs make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Investor-Funded Ratings are the primary driver. The others are convenience Services (Compute & Optimization Markets).
Who are Xerberus Labs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Credmark, Risk Harbor, DeFiSafety, ChainSecurity, Gauntlet and De.Fi. Broad incumbents are OpenZeppelin and Quantstamp. Certora is listed as an emerging player. Rekt News is listed as an others.
Does Xerberus Labs have an API?
Yes. Xerberus offers a Risk API that provides programmatic access to risk rating data for DeFi vaults. The API enables developers and capital allocators to retrieve risk assessments, subscores, and related data programmatically. Developer documentation is at xerberus.gitbook.io/documentation.
What industry is Xerberus Labs in?
Xerberus Labs's product category is DeFi Risk Analytics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAEAI, Borrowing/Lending Risk & Credit Infrastructure (on-chain credit scoring, risk engines, insurance wrappers), with a secondary code of FSADAFAE, Collateral Management, Liquidation & Risk Engines (Credit). Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6199.