C

Compound

Decentralized crypto lending protocol on Ethereum

Overview

Compound operates a decentralized autonomous interest-rate protocol on Ethereum for crypto lending and borrowing through smart contracts. Users supply crypto assets to liquidity pools and earn interest, with algorithmic rates driven by real-time supply and demand; lenders get cTokens that represent their stake and accrue value over time. It differentiates itself with on-chain, algorithmic rate-setting, a tokenized stake (cTokens), collateralized borrowing, and a governance token (COMP) that lets holders propose and vote on protocol changes. The goal is to create open money markets for crypto assets, removing traditional financial intermediaries and enabling broad participation in decentralized finance governance and lending/borrowing.

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About Compound

Simplify's Rating
Why Compound is rated
C+
Rated C on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

FintechCrypto & Web3Financial Services

Company Size

1-10

Company Stage

Series A

Total Funding

$33.7M

Headquarters

San Francisco, CA

Founded

2017

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What believers are saying

  • The August 17, 2026 DAO-approved $52 million budget funds native RWA and integration tooling.
  • Compound’s September 2026 institutional market reportedly launched oversubscribed with DeFi Saver, K3, KPK, and Yearn.
  • Gauntlet renewed risk management on October 15, 2026, supporting new institutional and RWA markets.

What critics are saying

  • Compound’s TVL fell from $12 billion in 2021 to about $1.2 billion today.
  • The July 11, 2026 Squarespace DNS hijack exposed Compound’s frontend weakness to wallet-draining attackers.
  • A failed institutional pivot can strand the $52 million program and leave Compound irrelevant versus Aave.

What makes Compound unique

  • Compound v3 powers an institution-only USDC market launched September 8, 2026.
  • Aaron Schnarch, Christopher Donovan, Steven Liu, and Leo Eikelman target institutional credit infrastructure.
  • Compound still commands battle-tested DeFi credibility after roughly $480 billion cumulative protocol volume.

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Funding

Total Funding

$33.7M

Above

Industry Average

Funded Over

3 Rounds

Notable Investors:
Series A funding typically happens when a startup has a product and some customers, and now needs funding to scale. This money is usually used to grow the team, expand marketing, and improve the product. Venture capital firms are frequently the main investors here.
Series A Funding Comparison
Above Average

Industry standards

$15M
$8.2M
$15M
$25M
$30M

Benefits

  • Stock Options
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Holidays
  • Remote Work Options
  • Hybrid Work Options
  • Company Equity
  • Full medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Parental Leave

Company News

Yahoo Finance
Aug 18th, 2026
Compound approves record $52M budget to rebuild institutional DeFi lending amid 90% TVL decline

Compound Finance has approved a $52 million budget to rebuild its decentralised lending platform around institutional users, the largest ever approved by its DAO. The protocol is focusing on real-world assets, partner integrations, and credit infrastructure for traditional finance. Aaron Schnarch, former CEO of Coinbase Custody, will serve as executive director of the Compound Foundation. Christopher Donovan, previously COO at Near Foundation, joins as COO, whilst Steven Liu from Maple Finance becomes chief product officer. Compound pioneered decentralised lending after launching in 2018 and has processed roughly $480 billion in deposits and borrowing volume. However, total value locked has fallen to about $1.2 billion from a peak of $12 billion in September 2021. Rival Aave now holds roughly $14.8 billion in locked assets.

Yahoo Finance
Jul 12th, 2024
Defi Apps Frontend Targeted In Domain Registry Attack On Squarespace

DeFi Apps Frontend Targeted in Domain Registry Attack on SquarespaceOn July 11, several decentralized finance (DeFi) apps fell victim to a domain registry attack, according to a post on X by Blockaid. The initial investigation suggests the attacker is targeting domain names hosted by Squarespace, putting any DeFi app using a Squarespace domain at potential risk.The attacker managed to take over the DNS registry for Compound Finance and attempted, but failed, to do the same with Celer Network's registry. The issue first came to light when security researchers noticed the Compound interface at compound.finance was redirecting users to a malicious site. This site featured a drainer app designed to steal users' tokens.At 1:38 pm UTC, Celer Network disclosed that it had also been targeted. However, thanks to its domain monitoring system, Celer detected and intercepted the takeover before any damage could be done. By 3:38 pm UTC, Blockaid had issued a warning that "multiple DeFi front ends are at risk of hijacking, with a few incidents already taking place." The attackers seem to be hijacking DNS records of projects hosted on Squarespace.0xngmi, a developer at DefiLlama, shared a list of potentially affected domains

BeInCrypto
Mar 12th, 2023
Could Defi Protocols Spell The End Of Retail Banks?

DeFi and Bitcoin have disrupted the financial world, raising questions about the future of traditional retail banks. DeFi offers decentralized financial services outside of traditional banking. While Bitcoin provides a decentralized and borderless currency. Can retail banks keep up with these disruptive technologies?Decentralized finance has grown exponentially over the past few years, with the total value locked in DeFi protocols reaching over $200 billion at its peak.Indeed, the growth of DeFi has been driven by several factors, including the desire for greater financial control and privacy, the potential for higher returns, and the growing dissatisfaction with the traditional banking system.The Benefits of DeFiSponsored SponsoredTo begin with, DeFi offers benefits over traditional banking, like greater control over financial transactions, lower fees, and more transparency. With DeFi, users have direct control over their funds and can transact with others without the need for middlemen like banks.Consequently, users enjoy lower fees and faster transaction times since there are no third-party fees or delays to contend with. Moreover, the use of blockchain technology in DeFi provides greater transparency and immutability

BeInCrypto
Jan 25th, 2023
Staying Safe In Web3: Top 5 Security Companies For 2023

Web3 security companies are responsible for ensuring that blockchain-based platforms and applications are protected from cyber threats. These companies offer a variety of services, including smart contract auditing, security testing, and incident response. In this article, we will discuss some of the top Web3 security companies currently in the market. But first, a little background on Web3. A Roadmap for SuccessThe success of Web3 is dependent upon pioneering solutions to the security issues posed by distinct application structures. For example, dApps in Web3 don’t rely on Web 2.0 data layer

Securities.io
Jan 23rd, 2023
Compound (Comp) Updates – Faster Protocol With New Features

Compound (COMP) is one of the leading forces behind the DeFi movement. The firm pioneered the concept of yield farming and has remained a popular option for users since its launch. According to company documentation, the platform now has over $3 billion in assets. Additionally, it has had $285 billion in total transaction volume since its launch.A lot has happened to Compound since it launched in September 2018 amid the DeFi rush. The protocol began as a community-inspired project that enabled users to borrow crypto assets. The network was revolutionary because it was the first time that a user-to-protocol approach was used rather than a peer-to-peer lending model.Continual UpgradesCompound I and II enabled users to secure returns by providing liquidity to lending pools

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