Rakurai

Rakurai is a Solana validator infrastructure project that builds custom node software to pack more high-value transactions into each block, then shares those extra block rewards with stakers through a trustless on-chain mechanism.

The Problem

Most Solana validators run the standard Agave client, which processes transactions on a first-come, first-served basis. This leaves value on the table: blocks are filled without regard to transaction fee density, so validators and their stakers miss the highest-fee transactions competing for block space. For individual stakers, yields reflect only base staking rewards plus MEV captured by whoever runs the validator, with no transparency or pass-through to delegators.

Core Mechanism

Rakurai addresses this at the infrastructure level with four components. The Rakurai Scheduler Library uses heuristics to prioritize high-fee transactions before assembling each block. The Rakurai Agave Client is a modified jito-solana fork, fully protocol-compatible with the standard Solana network, so Rakurai nodes participate in consensus normally while applying their optimized block construction internally. In benchmarks, Rakurai nodes process approximately five times more transactions per second than the standard client and can target blocks of up to 100 million compute units, roughly 50 percent larger than the cluster average. The Rakurai Activation Program is a smart contract governing validator opt-in, making participation auditable and permissionless. The Reward Distribution Program uses merkle-root verification to pass between 30 and 50 percent of block rewards directly to stakers in a trustless, non-custodial way. Together these components let Rakurai validators earn 15 to 20 percent more in block rewards than standard validators.

raiSOL: Liquid Staking Token

For users who want liquidity alongside yield, Rakurai offers raiSOL, a liquid staking token earning the full Rakurai reward stack: base staking rewards, MEV tips, and block reward shares. It charges zero fees, auto-compounds every epoch without any manual action, and can be swapped back to SOL instantly via Jupiter or Sanctum. For users who prefer native staking, direct SOL delegation to the Rakurai validator delivers identical reward economics with standard lockup terms.

Security and Audits

The reward distribution smart contracts were audited by Hashlock, with public audit documentation available. The merkle-root model is non-custodial: validators cannot unilaterally redirect delegator rewards, and distribution logic is enforced on-chain.

Team and Backing

Rakurai was founded by Ali Rizvi, a former Apple engineer with over 20 years designing ultra-low-latency, high-throughput systems for algorithmic trading, with a background in ASIC and SoC design. In March 2025 Rakurai closed a 3 million dollar seed round led by Anagram Ventures, with participation from Colosseum, Slow Ventures, Robot Ventures, Crypto.com Capital, P2P.org, GlobalStake, and Cyber Fund. Prior to the raise, Rakurai won the top prize in the infrastructure track at the 2024 Colosseum Solana Renaissance Hackathon, which surfaced the project to the broader Solana developer community.

Ecosystem Fit

Rakurai holds roughly 8.5 percent of Solana total network stake, making it a material participant in network consensus. Most yield optimization for Solana stakers happens through MEV infrastructure such as Jito, but Rakurai goes further by optimizing block construction itself and distributing the gains on-chain through a trustless reward-sharing mechanism. It competes on yield with other Solana LSTs such as mSOL, jitoSOL, and bSOL, but differentiates through its custom validator stack rather than relying solely on MEV capture. Validators not running the Rakurai client can still opt in to reward sharing via the Activation Program, giving the reward-distribution rails a potential network effect beyond Rakurai's own nodes.