CertiK Launches Invite Only Hunt Platform for Elite Security Researchers

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/certik-launches-invite-only-hunt-platform-for-elite-security-researchers. CertiK Launches Invite Only Bug Bounty Platform Hunt, where vetted security researchers run bug bounty programs, audit competitions & AI security challenges. Check more stories related to undefined at: https://hackernoon.com/c/undefined. You can also check exclusive content about #certik, #cybersecurity, #ai-and-ml, #smart-contracts, #software-engineering, #cybersecurity-skills, #technology, #good-company, and more. This story was written by: @ishanpandey. Learn more about this writer by checking @ishanpandey's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com. CertiK, the Web3 security firm backed by Sequoia, Coatue and Goldman Sachs at a $2 billion valuation, launched CertiK Hunt on July 1, 2026, an invite-only platform where vetted security researchers run bug bounty programs, audit competitions and AI security challenges for Web3 projects. Both researchers and projects are screened before joining, a structure CertiK says addresses the disputes and delayed payouts that plague open bug bounty programs. The launch lands in a market Immunefi has dominated since 2020, with more than $110 million paid to 45,000-plus researchers across 650-plus programs, and one where an invite-only track, along with rivals like Sherlock, Cantina and HackenProof, already exists. It also arrives two years after CertiK's own highest-profile bug disclosure, a $3 million fund withdrawal from Kraken that Kraken initially called extortion and CertiK called security testing, resolved only after the money was returned. Web3 lost $482 million to hacks and scams in Q1 2026, down sharply from 2025's Bybit-driven peak, but only 18 percent of that traced to the smart contract code that bug bounties actually test.