cyberRaise: On‑Chain Fundraising Revolutionized

cyberRaise is MetaLeX Labs’ compliant, early‑stage fundraising dApp designed to transform how startups and investors engage in venture financing. Built atop the cyberCORPS operating system and the cyberDeals smart contract stack, cyberRaise makes the fundraising process fully transparent, programmable, and secure by leveraging blockchain technology. It empowers founders and investors to complete investment rounds without reliance on intermediaries or cumbersome paperwork, streamlining compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Advanced modules like LeXcheX for on-chain investor accreditation and LeXscroW for automated escrow ensure that all deal conditions are met before capital moves, eliminating counterparty risk.

The cyberRaise interface allows founders to choose from various deal types – classic SAFEs, SAFTs, SAFTEs, and hybrid SAFE + Token Warrant deals – under different regulatory exemptions (Reg D for U.S. offerings and Reg S for international offerings). Each option comes with standardized terms, enabling compliant fundraising in just a few clicks. (In brief: SAFE for future equity, SAFT for future tokens, SAFTE combining equity and token rights, and SAFE + Token Warrant bundling an equity SAFE with a token option side letter, as explained below.)

Key Smart Contracts and Modules

A number of smart contracts and modules underlie cyberRaise’s on-chain functionality, each handling a critical piece of the fundraising workflow:

DealManager: The on-chain deal orchestrator that coordinates each raise from inception to completion. It manages deal proposal creation, tracks signatures from the parties, and triggers the finalization of a deal’s lifecycle in a secure, auditable manner. In essence, the DealManager contract is responsible for moving a deal through all stages (proposed → signed → paid → finalized) and ensures the process is executed according to the rules set for that deal.
CyberAgreementRegistry: A transparent registry of standardized and attorney-vetted legal agreement templates. Each template is identified by a unique templateId (e.g. SAFE, SAFT, SAFTE, etc.), and every executed deal instantiates a new agreement instance with its own agreementId. This ties each on-chain deal to a specific legal document (retrievable via an IPFS URI or hash of the contract text) while maintaining an immutable record of all executed agreements. The registry also keeps track of which parties have signed and whether an agreement is fully signed, voided, or finalized. It includes a built-in delegation system (described later) that allows one address to sign on behalf of another under certain conditions.
IssuanceManager: Handles the compliant issuance of tokenized securities. It works with a factory to deploy CyberCertPrinter contracts (ERC-721 NFT contracts) for each security type, and mints non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that serve as digital security certificates representing the investment instruments (such as a SAFE agreement or a token warrant). These NFTs carry the key terms or data of the deal encoded in their metadata and serve as evidence of the investor’s rights (future equity, future tokens, etc.) in a programmable form. For example, when a SAFE deal is created, the IssuanceManager mints an NFT to the escrow representing the SAFE; if a token warrant is attached, an additional NFT is minted for that warrant. The NFTs are initially non-transferable (restricted) to comply with securities law, and the IssuanceManager allows the company to later toggle transferability or void the NFT if needed (e.g. if converting to a traditional certificate).
LeXscroWLite: A lightweight escrow smart contract that securely holds assets during the deal process. When a deal is proposed, LeXscroWLite (which is inherited by the DealManager) creates an escrow record for that deal, holding the company’s promised assets (the NFT certificates that were just minted) and awaiting the investor’s funds. It ensures that no funds or tokens change hands prematurely – only when every predefined condition (e.g. all required signatures, accreditation checks, deadlines, and any custom conditions) is satisfied will the escrow release assets to their rightful recipients. In practical terms, LeXscroWLite’s logic guarantees an atomic swap: the startup’s NFT securities will go to the investor only if the investor’s payment is received, and vice versa, the funds are delivered to the company wallet only upon the deal’s successful completion. If a deal expires or is voided, the escrow can return assets to their original owners (refund the investor’s money, and revoke/void the NFT) to unwind the transaction safely.
LeXcheX: Automates investor compliance by integrating on-chain accreditation checks. LeXcheX is an NFT-based accreditation system: an investor completes a one-time KYC/verification process (off-chain) and is issued a soul-bound NFT certificate attesting to their accredited status (for example, under U.S. SEC rules). The cyberRaise platform can then verify an investor’s eligibility in a single contract call. For instance, before accepting an investor’s funds, the DealManager invokes a condition that checks the investor’s address against the LeXcheX contract to confirm they hold a valid accreditation NFT. This fulfills requirements like SEC Rule 506(c) (verification of accredited investor status for public fundraising in the U.S.) without traditional paperwork – essentially letting on-chain code “skip the paper” in verifying investor qualifications. The accreditation NFT cannot be transferred, preventing it from being passed around, and can carry an expiration date or metadata about the verification method, providing a robust on-chain record of compliance.
TokenWarrantExtension: An extension module enabling hybrid deals that attach future token rights to equity raises. It supports structures like SAFE + Token Warrant deals, where an equity agreement (SAFE) is bundled with an option for the investor to receive tokens in the future (a structure increasingly favored by top-tier crypto VCs like a16z). This module automates the issuance of the token warrant NFT alongside the SAFE NFT during the deal’s creation, so that complex multi-faceted deals can be executed in one go. The TokenWarrantExtension handles additional parameters such as token warrant coverage, exercise price, and token release schedule. For example, it can enforce that if an investor wishes to exercise the warrant later to claim tokens, they must pay a predefined exercise price (which can be per token or a nominal amount) – whereas in a SAFTE (see below), the token rights come without an extra payment. By using this extension, cyberRaise can treat a bundled SAFE+Warrant as a single integrated deal on-chain, minting both the SAFE certificate and the token warrant certificate together and managing them under the same agreement ID.
ICondition: A flexible interface for plugging in bespoke deal conditions. Beyond the standard checks (like accreditation and signatures), cyberRaise allows founders to attach custom smart contract conditions that must be satisfied before a deal can finalize. These could include additional KYC/AML verifications, time-based vesting or lock-up requirements, minimum or maximum raise thresholds, or essentially any boolean condition that can be codified in a smart contract. The DealManager supports adding or removing such conditions on a pending deal. Each condition is a contract implementing the ICondition interface with a checkCondition function. During finalization, the DealManager will call each attached condition to ensure it returns true. This modular approach means cyberRaise can accommodate project-specific covenants and evolving regulatory requirements without altering its core logic. For example, a condition could require that only investors holding a certain verifiable credential (say, a specific DAO membership NFT or a regional compliance NFT) can participate in the deal – the condition contract would check the investor’s address for that credential before allowing closing.

Streamlined On-Chain Fundraising Process

With cyberRaise, the entire fundraising transaction is handled on-chain in a few seamless steps. Founders and investors interact through a user-friendly interface (or directly with the smart contracts if they prefer), and once terms are agreed and all conditions are met, funds and tokens are exchanged atomically. The process can be summarized as follows:

Proposing a Deal: The founder initiates a fundraising round via the intuitive cyberRaise dashboard, or alternatively by calling the DealManager contract directly. They select a standardized agreement template (e.g. choosing between a SAFE, SAFT, SAFTE, etc. as described above) and input the deal parameters specific to that raise. These parameters include things like the valuation cap or discount (for equity deals), the token allocation or network valuation (for token-based deals), whether a token warrant is attached (for hybrid deals), and any conversion terms or special conditions. Once the terms are set, the founder cryptographically signs the proposal using their Web3 wallet – this uses an EIP-712 compliant signature to sign the structured deal data off-chain. The signed proposal is then sent on-chain to the DealManager, which records a new pending deal with a unique deal ID. This on-chain proposal contains all the key terms and represents the founder’s commitment to the deal. At this stage, an investor counterparty may be specified (e.g. if the founder is privately inviting a particular investor, the investor’s address is included) or left open (using a placeholder address) if the round will be shared publicly or with multiple potential investors. The deal also includes an expiry date/time set by the founder (to prevent indefinite open offers), and it can optionally list custom condition contracts to be applied (from the ICondition interface described earlier).
Escrow Setup: As soon as a deal is proposed, the platform automatically sets up the on-chain escrow and initial security issuance for that deal. Specifically, the DealManager works with LeXscroWLite to create an escrow entry tied to the new agreement ID, and invokes the IssuanceManager to mint the NFT securities representing the investment instrument(s). For example, if the deal is a SAFE or a SAFTE, an NFT certificate for the convertible instrument is created. If a token warrant is part of the deal, a second NFT representing the warrant is also minted. These NFTs are not delivered to either party yet; instead, they are deposited into the escrow (held by the DealManager contract) to “lock in” the company’s promise on-chain. The deal now exists on-chain in a pending state, with its terms and template reference stored in the CyberAgreementRegistry, and with the company’s side of the bargain (the security NFTs) set aside in escrow awaiting the investor’s response. At this point, the founder can share a unique deal link or ID with the prospective investor so they can review and complete the transaction. (If an investor address was pre-specified, that investor will be recognized as the only one allowed to countersign; if the deal was left open, the first investor to fill in their details and sign will become the counterparty.) The legal agreement text associated with the chosen template is accessible via the CyberAgreementRegistry (typically an IPFS link), so the investor can read the full contract terms before signing.
Investor Countersigning & Funding: The investor reviews the deal terms (either on the cyberRaise app, which will display the key terms and provide the link to the full legal text, or by independently retrieving the template from IPFS via the template ID). If they agree to proceed, the investor countersigns the agreement through their Web3 wallet, indicating acceptance of the terms, and simultaneously transfers the investment funds into the escrow. This is done in a single user transaction for ease – under the hood, the app calls a function (such as signDealAndPay) on the DealManager which validates the investor’s signature on the agreement and invokes an ERC-20 safeTransferFrom to pull in the funds (e.g. USDC or ETH) from the investor’s wallet into the escrow contract. Before the investor’s signature and payment are accepted, cyberRaise will automatically enforce compliance checks. Notably, the platform verifies the investor’s LeXcheX accreditation NFT in this step if the deal is under a U.S. Reg D/Rule 506(c) scenario, to ensure the investor is indeed accredited. This check is performed by a LexChexCondition (an ICondition module) attached to the deal, which queries the LeXcheX contract to confirm the address has a valid accreditation certificate. If the investor does not meet the required conditions (e.g. missing accreditation or other custom requirements), the transaction will fail and the funds won’t be transferred – ensuring that money only moves if all criteria are satisfied. When all checks pass, the investor’s funds are moved into escrow and their signature is recorded on-chain in the CyberAgreementRegistry. Importantly, these actions (countersigning and funding) occur atomically in one blockchain transaction, so the investor’s money is only escrowed if their signature is valid and all initial conditions (like accreditation) are met. The deal’s status now updates from “Pending” to “Paid” in the escrow, indicating that the counterparty has signed and deposited funds.
Finalizing the Deal: Once both parties have signed the agreement and the funds are in escrow, the platform automatically (or in some cases, with a final explicit call) validates that all deal conditions are satisfied and then finalizes the deal. The conditions for closing include: verifying that all required signatures are on record (founder and investor), checking any remaining custom ICondition modules (for example, if there was a condition that a minimum total raise amount be reached or an external approval be given, etc.), and confirming that the closing deadline has not passed. If everything is in order, the LeXscroW escrow releases the assets to their rightful recipients in one atomic operation. Specifically, the invested funds (the ERC-20 or ETH in escrow) are instantly transferred directly to the startup’s designated treasury address on file – typically this is the company’s wallet or multi-signature treasury that was set as the companyPayable address when the CyberCorp entity was configured. Simultaneously, the NFT security (or multiple NFTs, in a hybrid deal) are delivered to the investor’s wallet address. This swap is orchestrated entirely by the smart contract with no opportunity for either party to default or delay: effectively, “closing” the deal happens as a single blockchain transaction. There is no settlement delay or separate paperwork to finalize – both parties automatically receive what they bargained for: the company now has the capital, and the investor holds an on-chain token evidencing their investment. The CyberAgreementRegistry marks the contract as finalized and logs a ContractFinalized event on-chain. An immutable public record now exists of the entire transaction: the terms (via template and parameters), the signatures and timestamps, and the outcome of the deal. If for some reason all conditions are not met (for example, if the deadline expired or a condition was unsatisfied), the deal would not finalize and could be voided/refunded instead (the code will return the investor’s funds and void the NFTs in such cases). But in normal operations, this finalization step completes the raise and “escrows out” the assets to the proper parties, concluding the round.

Hybrid Deals and Token Warrants: cyberRaise seamlessly supports complex hybrid arrangements without adding friction to the process. For instance, in a SAFE + Token Warrant round, the founder’s single proposal can bundle both an equity SAFE and a token warrant for a future token drop. The investor’s single countersignature and payment likewise covers both instruments. Behind the scenes, the TokenWarrantExtension works with the IssuanceManager to mint multiple NFTs as needed – for example, an investor might receive two NFT certificates upon closing: one representing the SAFE (future equity agreement) and another representing the token warrant rights. Despite involving multiple instruments, the platform treats the bundle as one cohesive deal: everything is signed, funded, and finalized in one workflow. This approach simplifies what traditionally would require separate agreements and closing steps, and it provides the investor with a clear, tokenized record of each component of their investment. Notably, offering equity with an optional token upside in this manner has become a popular approach in Web3 fundraising (a method favored by firms like a16z), and cyberRaise makes executing such deals as straightforward as a standard SAFE. In contrast to a Token Warrant, a SAFTE (Simple Agreement for Future Tokens and Equity) achieves a similar equity+token outcome but in a single instrument – the investor automatically gets both equity and future tokens if they are issued, without needing to pay a separate exercise price for the tokens. cyberRaise is able to accommodate both models, giving startups flexibility in how they structure hybrid deals. Whether it’s a bundled SAFE with a warrant (where tokens might later be purchased or vested) or a SAFTE agreement (where token rights are granted up-front alongside equity), the platform can handle the issuance and enforcement of these multifaceted deals under the hood. All the complexity (multiple instruments, conditional token issuance, etc.) is managed by smart contracts, so from the user’s perspective the hybrid deal is executed as one unified transaction.

Deal Expiry and Custom Conditions: To ensure fairness and clarity in every raise, cyberRaise enforces explicit deal expiration and supports additional custom conditions. Founders can specify an expiration time or deadline for the deal; if the investor hasn’t countersigned and funded by that time, the deal is automatically voided on-chain, with any escrowed assets returned to their senders. This prevents open-ended commitments and forces each party to act within a defined timeframe or else walk away with no harm done. Furthermore, thanks to the ICondition interface, founders can require bespoke conditions that must be met before closing. This can include mandatory KYC/AML verifications, minimum or maximum investment amounts, or any other project-specific covenant. For example, a deal could be set such that only investors holding a certain credential (like a specific LeXcheX accreditation level or a particular NFT membership token) are allowed to participate – the smart contract will check for that condition and only finalize if it’s fulfilled. These programmable conditions ensure that even nuanced legal or regulatory requirements can be enforced by code. The flexibility of the plugin architecture means cyberRaise can adapt to various jurisdictions and deal structures while still benefiting from on-chain automation.

Delegated Signing Authority: cyberRaise also provides flexibility for real-world corporate workflows through a delegation feature. In many startups, the person who controls the funds (e.g. a multi-signature corporate wallet) may not be the one actually executing documents day-to-day. To accommodate this, cyberRaise allows a founder or authorized company officer to delegate signing authority to another EVM address on-chain. In practice, one wallet (for example, the founder’s personal wallet) can be authorized to propose and sign deals on behalf of another address (for example, the company’s official treasury wallet or a multi-sig). This means a company can keep its funds and issued securities in a secure custody account, while a delegate (with a separate key) handles the interactions and approvals on cyberRaise. The delegation is established by an on-chain setting in the CyberAgreementRegistry – essentially, the company’s address appoints a delegate address and an optional expiry time for that delegation. Once in place, whenever the delegate signs an agreement, the platform recognizes it as if the company itself signed (the signature verification logic checks the delegation mapping to validate this). Only the specific delegate designated (and only within the time window, if an expiry was set) can act for the delegator, ensuring security. This feature streamlines the process for teams using multi-sig treasuries or hardware vaults: the founder can initiate and close deals with their own key, while funds flow in and out of the multi-sig as intended and the NFTs are ultimately held by the multi-sig or corporate entity. In short, founders can confidently conduct raises through their convenient hot wallet or executive account, while still having the final assets (investor funds and security NFTs) end up in the proper company-controlled wallets. The on-chain audit trail will show that the company was the party to the agreement, with the delegate’s signature approved via the delegation mechanism, preserving legal clarity about who the actual issuer and counterparty are.

Benefits of an On-Chain Deal Flow

By turning the entire fundraising pipeline into code, cyberRaise delivers significant advantages over traditional methods:

Speed and Efficiency: Deals that might take weeks or months to coordinate can now close in minutes once terms are agreed. Execution is automatic upon conditions being met – no waiting for wire transfers, coordinating schedules for signings, or couriering documents for signatures. This rapid closing means startups can secure funding faster and start deploying capital immediately. Observers note that MetaLeX’s approach “streamlines startup fundraising by automating the SAFE process on-chain, reducing legal fees” – time saved is money saved.
Cost Reduction: The automation of legal agreements and elimination of third-party intermediaries (like escrow agents or excessive legal oversight) cuts down on transaction friction and expenses. Founders spend far less on attorney hours and administrative costs, since the smart contracts enforce the terms automatically. Standardized on-chain templates mean that in many cases, bespoke document drafting is minimized, further reducing legal overhead.
Trust Minimization: All participants can trust the code rather than each other. The rules of the deal are enforced by smart contracts, removing the need to rely on a counterparty’s promise. Funds aren’t released until conditions are verified on-chain, and signatures are cryptographically secured and validated. Investors gain confidence that their money will only be released if they indeed receive the agreed-upon securities, and founders are assured that investor funds are locked in escrow once the deal is signed. This cryptographic certainty eliminates the risk of either party backing out after the other has performed, effectively neutralizing counterparty risk.
Transparency and Immutable Records: Every action in a cyberRaise deal – proposal creation, each party’s signature with timestamp, fund deposits, and final distributions – is recorded on the blockchain. This provides an immutable audit trail for regulators, auditors, or future investors. Anyone can independently verify what happened, when it happened, and the exact terms of the deal (since the template ID and key parameters are on-chain in the CyberAgreementRegistry). The cap table updates in real-time on-chain: an investor’s rights are evidenced by an NFT in their wallet, and that record cannot be tampered with or hidden. This level of transparency and certainty is unprecedented in traditional fundraising, where much is done on faith and paper. With cyberRaise, disputes over “who owns what” or whether funds were sent are virtually eliminated by the public ledger.
Global Accessibility with Built-In Compliance: Because deals are conducted via Web3 wallets and smart contracts, cyberRaise opens up participation to global investors (with the necessary compliance checks baked in). Projects can broadly solicit interest (even via Twitter or community forums) and let the platform handle accreditation checks and regional restrictions. Modules like LeXcheX make it possible to publicly advertise a raise under Rule 506(c) and still restrict actual investment to verified accredited investors in the U.S., while also accommodating non-U.S. investors under Reg S. This expands the pool of capital for startups without sacrificing legal compliance, since the smart contracts rigorously enforce the rules on who can invest and automatically include the proper legend and transfer restrictions on the issued securities. A founder in Singapore could raise from investors in the U.S. and Europe seamlessly on the same platform, with each investor’s credentials verified on-chain and the appropriate legal framework (Reg D, Reg S, etc.) automatically applied based on template selection.
Innovative Deal Possibilities: The composable nature of cyberRaise’s contracts means new financing structures can be created or combined easily. Founders are not limited to vanilla SAFE terms – they can offer creative deal sweeteners like token warrants, revenue-sharing conditions, tiered conversions, or other novel mechanisms, and trust the platform to handle the complexity. For instance, cyberRaise supports SAFTEs (which give investors equity plus token rights) and other hybrids that align with Web3 projects’ unique needs. Because these features are modular, MetaLeX can introduce new templates or extensions (for example, for convertible notes, revenue loans, or NFT-based crowdfunding agreements) that plug into the same DealManager and escrow framework. All of this is accomplished in one unified workflow that keeps things simple for users despite the sophisticated outcomes. This flexibility to tailor deals, combined with automation, is paving the way for venture financing that is both innovative and compliant by design.

In sum, cyberRaise transforms fundraising into a faster, safer, and more transparent endeavor. Founders benefit from quick, automated deal execution and reduced overhead, while investors gain reassurance through built-in compliance checks and cryptographic security. The days of shuffling PDFs, coordinating endless emails, and relying on trust are replaced by smart contracts and NFTs that encapsulate the deal. Ultimately, cyberRaise doesn’t just make fundraising simpler — it makes it fundamentally more programmatic and secure. It paves the way for a future where startups can raise capital as easily as sending a transaction, with every legal and financial requirement handled by code. This is venture financing reimagined for the blockchain era, turning the vision of fully on-chain startups (or cyberCORPs) into a reality today.

Sources: The details above are grounded in the cyberRaise app and codebase – notably the MetaLeX Tech cybercorps-contracts repository (which implements the DealManager, CyberAgreementRegistry, LeXcheX, etc.) and the live cyberRaise interface. The platform’s supported deal types and compliance features are backed by the smart contracts (see SecurityClass enums for SAFE, SAFT, SAFTE, etc., and condition checks for accreditation), ensuring that this launch is fully supported by on-chain functionality and not just aspirational marketing.