CE Labs
CE Labs is a Berlin-based cryptography engineering firm delivering formally verified cryptographic libraries and high-assurance security consulting for organizations building high-stakes software systems requiring post-quantum and classical cryptographic implementations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2026
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CE Labs does
CE Labs is a Berlin-based cryptography engineering firm that delivers high-assurance security engineering services alongside a portfolio of formally verified open-source cryptographic libraries. The legal entity is CryptoEng UG (haftungsbeschränkt), registered at Weserstr. 44, 10247 Berlin, and CE Labs operates as a spin-off from Cryspen (announced June 2026). The company serves organizations building high-stakes software systems — including IoT device manufacturers, OEMs, and operators of safety-critical infrastructure — that require provable rather than merely asserted security properties.
The core technology stack is Rust-based: libcrux delivers formally verified, high-performance implementations of post-quantum (ML-KEM, ML-DSA) and classical cryptographic primitives; libcrux-iot extends these primitives with optimizations for resource-constrained and embedded devices (SHA-3 bit interleaving, reduced stack usage, armv7-m pipelining); hpke-rs provides a verified HPKE (RFC 9180) implementation; and OpenMLS is a Rust implementation of the Messaging Layer Security protocol. Verification is performed using the F* and Lean proof assistants, producing machine-checked proofs of functional correctness and equivalence rather than relying on testing alone. Side-channel hardening, formal protocol analysis against security models, and threat modelling using STRIDE and MITRE ATT&CK frame the engineering practice.
CE Labs monetizes through professional services engagements structured as Design → Specify → Implement → Analyze, covering systems and architecture, protocols and key management, cryptography engineering, and machine-checked proofs, with additional focused audits and post-quantum migration work. Distribution is exclusively direct: prospective clients contact [email protected] and engagements are scoped individually. The team is small (1-10, with 5+ named including Founder & Managing Director Dr. Franziskus Kiefer), the company has received a ZIM government grant for libcrux-iot development, and operates without disclosed institutional investors. The named commercial customer is Crypto Quantique, which integrates libcrux-iot into its IoT platform.
CE Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CE Labs
- Legal name
- CryptoEng UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
- Website
- https://celabs.eu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2026
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CE Labs is a Berlin-based cryptography engineering firm delivering formally verified cryptographic libraries and high-assurance security consulting for organizations building high-stakes software systems requiring post-quantum and classical cryptographic implementations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CE Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CE Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Security Engineering Professional Services: Professional services engagements covering security design and architecture, formal protocol analysis, cryptography engineering, and machine-checked proof delivery. Engagements run from initial design through to final analysis and verification, with focused audits and post-quantum migration work also available.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
CE Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CE Labs provides high-assurance cryptography engineering and security consulting services, covering systems and architecture design, protocols and key management, cryptography engineering, and machine-checked proofs. The firm supports these services with a portfolio of open-source cryptographic libraries (libcrux, libcrux-iot, hpke-rs, OpenMLS) that provide verifiable reference implementations.
Product overview
CE Labs is a specialized security engineering consultancy offering professional services across four core areas: Systems & Architecture, Protocols & Key Management, Cryptography Engineering, and Machine-Checked Proofs. The company follows a Design → Specify → Implement → Analyze engagement methodology. In addition to consulting services, CE Labs maintains several open-source cryptographic libraries including libcrux (formally verified cryptographic primitives), libcrux-iot (optimized for IoT devices), hpke-rs (HPKE implementation), and OpenMLS (secure group messaging protocol). These open-source projects form the technical foundation that CE Labs leverages in its client engagements, providing auditable, production-ready cryptographic implementations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Systems & Architecture
Quantifiable outcome
- libcrux-iot achieves best-in-class performance on resource-constrained IoT devices through optimized polynomial arithmetic, SHA-3 bit interleaving, reduced stack usage, and armv7-m pipelining optimizations.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CE Labs
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CE Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
CE Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CryspencoreCE Labs was spun off from Cryspen as a dedicated cryptography and security infrastructure team. The two companies remain close strategic partners: CE Labs leverages Cryspen's verification tools (F*, Hax) for high assurance, while Cryspen uses CE Labs' production code to test and refine its toolchain. This mutual relationship covers the intersection of cryptography and formal verification.
- Crypto QuantiquecoreCrypto Quantique partnered with CE Labs to launch the libcrux-iot library. Crypto Quantique integrates libcrux-iot into their IoT software platform, enabling device manufacturers and OEMs to connect and manage devices to multiple cloud providers using high-assurance post-quantum cryptography.
- EvIT Program (Cyberagentur)coreCE Labs is building verified cryptographic components for secure communication as part of the EvIT program (by Germany's Cyberagentur), developing advanced protocols and demonstrators to set new industry standards and turn formal guarantees into deployable systems.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CE Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- SandboxAQ: US-based company commercializing cryptography and quantum-safe security products. Overlaps with CE Labs on the post-quantum migration thesis, but operates at much larger scale with broader product ambitions (security/AI).
- CertiK: Formal verification company focused primarily on blockchain smart contracts and Web3. Adjacent competitor for formal-verification engineering talent and a partial overlap on the 'machine-checked proof' value proposition, though its target vertical is distinct.
Direct peers
- Galois: US-based formal verification and high-assurance software company with deep roots in cryptographic verification. Directly comparable in providing mathematically verified implementations for high-stakes security systems.
- PQShield: UK-based provider of post-quantum cryptography hardware and software, with a strong focus on IoT and embedded devices. PQShield is the most direct comparable to CE Labs' libcrux-iot offering, competing for the same IoT/OEM customers seeking NIST-standardized PQC.
- Quarkslab: France-based security and cryptography research firm offering consulting, reverse engineering, and cryptographic implementation services. Direct comparable as a European specialist cryptography/security consultancy.
- Runtime Verification: Formal verification company with expertise in cryptographic protocol verification (including work on Cairo, Move, and other formally verified runtimes). Direct comparable in the niche of formal verification applied to security-critical software.
- Cryspen: Parent/sister company that CE Labs was spun off from. Cryspen builds the F* and Hax verification toolchain that CE Labs uses in production. Closely coupled strategic partner covering the adjacent 'verification tooling' niche.
- Trail of Bits: US-based security consulting firm with deep formal verification capability (e.g., their work on cryptography in Rust and verification tools). Closely comparable to CE Labs in combining security consulting with rigorous formal-methods research output.
- Cryptography Services (NCC Group): Netherlands-based cryptography consulting practice (part of NCC Group) offering high-assurance cryptographic design, review and implementation services. Directly competes with CE Labs' core professional services across threat modelling, protocol analysis and cryptography engineering.
Broad incumbents
- Kudelski Security: Switzerland-based broader cybersecurity services firm that also delivers cryptographic and high-assurance security engagements. Comparable as a larger incumbent offering overlapping capabilities, though less specialized in formal verification than CE Labs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CE Labs social profiles
Digital presenceCE Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CE Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CE Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CE 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 CE Labs
What does CE Labs do?
CE Labs provides high-assurance cryptography engineering and security consulting services, covering systems and architecture design, protocols and key management, cryptography engineering, and machine-checked proofs. The firm supports these services with a portfolio of open-source cryptographic libraries (libcrux, libcrux-iot, hpke-rs, OpenMLS) that provide verifiable reference implementations.
Is CE Labs a public or private company?
CE Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CE Labs founded?
CE Labs was founded in 2026. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CE Labs based?
CE Labs is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CE Labs make money?
One revenue line is on record: security Engineering Professional Services.
Who are CE Labs's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are SandboxAQ and CertiK. Direct peers are Galois, PQShield, Quarkslab, Runtime Verification, Cryspen, Trail of Bits and Cryptography Services (NCC Group). Kudelski Security is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does CE Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for CE Labs.