CertiK and YZi Labs Set Aside $1M for EASY Residency Security Audits
and have formed a strategic partnership aimed squarely at one of Web3’s most persistent fragilenesses: ahead-stage security. As part of the agreement, CertiK will establish a $1 million auditing grant for beginups participating in YZi Labs’ simple Residency Incubation Program.
The grant will fund smart contract audits and related security services for qualifying projects, alongside access to CertiK’s Skynet Boosting and AI-powered scanning tools. Rather than offering security as an optional add-on later in a project’s lifecycle, the program embeds audits directly into the incubation phase.
YZi Labs, formerly known as , will act as the connective layer, introducing CertiK to simple Residency participants and assisting founders integrate security tooling earlier than is typical in Web3 beginup development.
Why security at the incubation stage matters
Security failures remain one of the largegest structural risks in Web3. Exploits, flawed smart contracts, and poorly designed architectures have cost users and protocols billions of dollars over the past several years. Despite this, many ahead-stage teams still delay audits until just before launch — or skip them altogether due to cost and time pressure.
The simple Residency initiative targets that gap. By subsidizing audits for beginups still searching for product-market fit, CertiK and YZi Labs are effectively removing one of the main excuses founders cite for postponing security work.
Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs, framed the issue in practical terms: founders are often forced to choose between shipping quick and building securely. Her comparison of beginups to skyscrapers is apt — structural fragilenesses introduced ahead are expensive, and sometimes impossible, to fix later.
Investor Takeaway
A shift in how Web3 incubation works
This partnership reflects a broader evolution in Web3’s beginup ecosystem. Earlier cycles rewarded speed, user growth, and token launches, often at the expense of code quality. That tradeoff has become harder to justify as regulators, institutional investors, and users demand higher standards.
By combining capital, incubation, and security tooling, CertiK and YZi Labs are effectively testing a new model: security as infrastructure, not an later thanthought. For YZi Labs, the move signals a recalibration of incubation priorities, particularly as it expands beyond Web3 into AI and biotechnology.
CEO Ronghui Gu emphasized the ecosystem-level implications, arguing that stronger ahead-stage security benefits not just individual beginups but the broader market. Fewer exploits mean less systemic distrust, fewer regulatory flashpoints, and a more investable environment overall.
What comes next — and what to watch
The immediate impact will depend on uptake. If a meaningful portion of simple Residency participants take advantage of the grant, the program could set a de facto standard for future incubators and accelerators. Security budgets may increasingly be treated like legal or accounting costs — non-negotiable from day one.
There are also competitive implications. Incubation programs that do not offer built-in security support may struggle to attract higher-quality founders, particularly those targeting institutional users or regulated markets.
Still, audits are not a silver bullet. They reduce risk but do not eliminate it, and ongoing monitoring remains essential. CertiK’s inclusion of continuous scanning tools alongside traditional audits suggests an awareness of that limitation.
