Stelo Labs is a technology company.
Stelo Labs has raised $6.0M across 1 funding round.
Stelo Labs has raised $6.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Stelo Labs is a San Francisco-based Web3 security startup founded in 2022 that builds tools to protect crypto wallets from scams, phishing, and fraud. Its core product is an open-source Chrome extension that interprets and enriches blockchain transactions for safer navigation in Web3, serving individual users, developers, and dApps. The company solves the rampant issue of crypto phishing and insecure transactions by providing clear interfaces, wallet health checks, and APIs for integration, with strong early momentum evidenced by a $6M seed round led by a16z crypto in 2023, plus participation from First Round Capital, OpenSea Ventures, and notable angels like Gokul Rajaram.[2][3][4][5] Stelo Labs has since launched Stelo v2 (a redesigned, faster extension), Stelo for Developers (an API powered by its Transaction Engine), and Approvals.xyz (a tool for monitoring token approvals and wallet safety).[2]
Stelo Labs was founded in 2022 by Aman Dhesi and Benjamin Scharfstein, who identified the growing need for user-friendly security in the maturing Web3 ecosystem plagued by scams.[3] The idea emerged amid rising crypto phishing attacks, leading to the creation of an open-source browser extension that simplifies transaction analysis and blocks threats—quickly gaining traction in the crypto community.[5] A pivotal moment came in early 2023 with the $6M funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz's a16z crypto, alongside investors like First Round Capital and OpenSea Ventures, which fueled product expansions including Stelo v2, a developer API, and Approvals.xyz.[2][4] This capital injection marked rapid validation and positioned Stelo Labs for scaling operations.
Stelo Labs rides the Web3 security wave, capitalizing on explosive crypto adoption amid frequent hacks and phishing (billions lost annually), where traditional finance tools fall short.[2][5] Timing is ideal post-2022 crypto winter, as maturing blockchains like Ethereum demand robust user protections to onboard mainstream users and developers. Favorable market forces include rising DeFi activity, regulatory scrutiny on scams, and investor appetite for infrastructure plays—exemplified by a16z's lead investment. Stelo influences the ecosystem by open-sourcing tools that empower dApps and wallets, fostering safer standards and reducing friction for the next billion Web3 users.[2][3][5]
Stelo Labs is poised for expansion with its $6M war chest, likely prioritizing API integrations into major wallets (e.g., MetaMask) and enterprise dApps, while evolving AI-driven threat detection amid advancing scams.[2] Trends like zero-knowledge proofs for privacy-preserving security and regulatory mandates for Web3 compliance will shape its trajectory, potentially unlocking partnerships with chains like Solana or Layer-2s. Its influence could grow into a foundational security layer, much like antivirus in Web2, solidifying Stelo Labs as a guardian of crypto's high-stakes growth from its strong 2023 launch.
Stelo Labs has raised $6.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Stelo Labs's investors include 10X Capital, Access Biotechnology, AirAngels, Awesome People Ventures, B Capital Group, Byers Capital, Coatue, Darling Ventures, EQT Ventures, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Jlabs.
Stelo Labs has raised $6.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Seed in February 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2023 | $6.0M Seed | 10X Capital, Access Biotechnology, AirAngels, Awesome People Ventures, B Capital Group, Byers Capital, Coatue, Darling Ventures, EQT Ventures, Jenny Fielding, Scott Hartley, Jlabs, Menlo Ventures, QEY Capital, Ribbit Capital, Sherpalo Ventures, Stripe, Unusual Ventures, Valar Ventures, World Fund, Baron Davis, Bobby Goodlatte, Bradley Horowitz, Charles Delingpole, James Beshara, Jeffrey Wilke, Manik Gupta, Mike Tsao, Niklas Jansen, Nik Sharma, Paul Forster, Ryan Tabone, Scott Belsky, Shane Neman, Shishir Mehrotra, Siqi Chen, Stefan Jeschonnek |