StarkWare Industries Ltd.
Headquarters
Netanya Israel
About us
To bring scalability, security, and privacy to blockchains using STARK proofs.
StarkWare builds zero-knowledge proof infrastructure that makes Ethereum applications faster and cheaper. Founded in 2018 by cryptography researchers, the company operates the Starknet Layer 2 network and StarkEx scaling service. Both use STARK proofs to bundle thousands of transactions off-chain, then verify them on Ethereum with a single cryptographic proof. Major platforms like dYdX, Immutable X, and Sorare run on StarkEx, while Starknet lets any developer deploy smart contracts at scale. The team has processed hundreds of millions of transactions and secured billions in total value locked across DeFi, gaming, and NFT applications. After rapid growth through 2022, StarkWare restructured in 2026 to focus more on revenue-generating products alongside core infrastructure development.
Products
Starknet is a permissionless Layer 2 network where any developer can deploy smart contracts that inherit Ethereum's security while achieving massive scale. StarkEx is a permissioned scaling service used by major platforms for NFT trading, derivatives, AMMs, and DeFi pooling. Both run on Cairo, StarkWare's Rust-inspired programming language for writing STARK-provable smart contracts. The company recently launched STRK20, a privacy framework for shielded ERC-20 transfers on Starknet with regulatory compliance features. All products use STARK proofs to compress transaction data while maintaining cryptographic guarantees.
Funding
StarkWare has raised approximately $273 million across multiple rounds, reaching an $8 billion valuation in May 2022 during a $100 million Series D led by Coatue, Greenoaks, Tiger Global, and others. Earlier investors include Sequoia Capital, Paradigm, and Founders Fund. The company hit a $2 billion valuation in 2021 and reported $64.9 million in annual revenue by 2025. However, Ethereum's Dencun upgrade reduced rollup fee revenues industry-wide, prompting StarkWare to restructure operations in early 2026 and pivot toward more sustainable revenue models.
Recent news
In April 2026, StarkWare announced a strategic organizational restructuring into two independent business units—focusing separately on Starknet and applications—alongside staff layoffs. The strategic shift aims to streamline operations, make the company more agile, and refocus on product commercialization and sustainable revenue generation.
Technology
Cairo sits at the center of StarkWare's stack—a Turing-complete language for writing STARK-provable programs that feels similar to Rust. The Cairo toolchain and Starknet sequencers are built in Rust for performance and memory safety. Critical components like the Stone STARK Prover use C++ for maximum optimization, while Python handles algorithmic development and off-chain microservices. The newer Stwo Prover incorporates SIMD instructions (AVX-512, NEON) and WebAssembly for hardware-level performance. Formal verification uses the Lean proof assistant to ensure mathematical correctness of cryptographic protocols.
Benefits
StarkWare operates with a remote-friendly, globally distributed team across multiple countries. The company emphasizes work-life balance and has publicly advocated against employees tying their identity to work to prevent burnout. Following the 2026 restructuring, teams work in 'startup mode' with high autonomy and small, agile groups focused on specific products. Compensation packages are highly competitive, reflecting the company's deep-tech focus and need for top cryptography and engineering talent. Health coverage and other standard benefits are provided, though specific details vary by location.