Akropolis

About Akropolis

Akropolis is a decentralized finance protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain, initially conceived to address the structural issues within the global pensions sector. Founded in 2017 by Ana Andrianova and Kate Kurbanova, the project's direction was deeply influenced by Andrianova's personal experiences during the 2008 financial crisis. Having worked at Lehman Brothers in London and witnessed her parents' pensions impacted, her goal was to create a provably solvent, distributed fund shielded from the domino effects of economic meltdowns. The company held an initial coin offering in 2019, raising $2.4 million.

Over time, Akropolis expanded its focus from pensions to the broader Decentralized Finance (DeFi) landscape. The core of its operation is the AkropolisOS, a software development kit (SDK) designed as a modular framework for developers. This allows for the creation of for-profit, user-owned financial applications (dApps) and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs). Essentially, Akropolis provides the infrastructure for developers to build and launch services for saving, lending, and investing without relying on traditional financial intermediaries. The platform is designed to be interoperable, integrating with other established DeFi protocols like Yearn Finance, Compound, Aave, and Curve to enhance its service offerings.

The business model centers on creating a self-sustaining ecosystem. It provides tools for developers to build financial products, and users can then interact with these dApps. Products launched on the platform include Sparta, a savings pool that also facilitates undercollateralized loans, and Delphi, a yield farming aggregator. Users can contribute liquidity to pools, stake assets to earn yield, and participate in lending. Revenue for the protocol is generated from fees on its yield-generating products, and this revenue is shared with holders of its native token, AKRO. The AKRO token is an ERC-20 token that serves a dual purpose. It functions as a governance token, granting holders the right to vote on protocol upgrades, new features, and financial strategies. Additionally, AKRO is used for staking to secure the network, where validators who bond tokens are rewarded for block production.