Certik & YZi Labs Drop $1M Audit Fund to Fortify Early Web3 Security

Security heavyweights just opened the vault for Web3's next generation. A million-dollar war chest aims to bulletproof projects before they ever hit mainnet.

Pre-Market Armor

Forget reactive patches—this fund targets the blueprint phase. The logic is brutal and simple: catch vulnerabilities when they're cheap to fix, not after they've drained wallets. It's a direct investment in ecosystem trust, cutting the typical audit cost barrier that leaves early-stage code exposed.

The Proactive Play

This isn't just a grant; it's a strategic filter. By backing audits upfront, the fund effectively curates the pipeline. Stronger foundational code means fewer headline-grabbing exploits down the line—and less ammunition for the traditional finance crowd who still think 'crypto security' is an oxymoron. (Let's be real, their legacy systems get breached by a phishing email from 'IT Support.')

The move signals a maturity pivot. The industry's pouring concrete, not just raising flags. Building in security from day one might finally turn 'trustless' from a buzzword into a baseline.

Certik’s $1M Support for EASY Residency Teams

Under the partnership, Certik will invest the entire amount of $1 million in startups that have been chosen under EASY Residency. This allocation is expected to minimize tradeoffs at early stages of security. It stimulates teams to engage in capturing products prior to delivery to actual users.

YZi Labs will also provide access to the founders to the audit and monitoring teams of Certik. This is aimed at incorporating security at an early stage of the product. The purpose of this approach is to find out vulnerabilities in advance.

Ella Zhang, the head of YZi Labs, noted that the founders need to concentrate on product requirements and not on security issues. She pointed out that the program enables security professionals to control risk. Zhang further said this will ease the pressure on early builders.

Certik CEO Ronghui Gu pointed to the purpose of the partnership. He explained that it will introduce safety into the development of new Web3 companies. Gu stressed that the partnership focuses on increasing standards of development.

The plan comes at a time when exploits and porosity of protocols are still affecting the industry. The losses have made security a top priority in development. Early-stage protection is being considered as an essential element rather than a post-launch correction.

EASY Residency Expands Into Global Innovation Hubs

EASY Residency has grown to various world centers. These are Dubai, San Francisco, New York, and Singapore. The program offers capital, mentorship, and currently direct security assistance.

The residency will give up to 500,000 to startups. They also get access to the advice of industry experts in crypto, AI, and biotech. This entails institutionalized assistance that is in line with the long-term objectives.

Certik has been auditing thousands of projects since 2017. It oversees hundreds of billions of dollars in digital assets. This has been discovered to have a lot of bugs in its audits before live implementation.

The joint venture is seeking to shift the time when security can be a part of the startup cycle. Audits are not done late, they are moved to the beginning of development. This leads to the inflow of new players.