Rails

Rails is a self-custodial crypto exchange co-founded by Satraj Bambra, Rick Marini, and Brent Vegliacich. The company was born out of the necessity for a secure and efficient trading platform, a need that became particularly evident after the collapse of FTX, which left a significant void for trustworthy crypto trading venues.

The platform specializes in perpetual contracts, offering a hybrid model that combines the high-speed order processing typical of centralized exchanges with the security of on-chain, self-custody. This structure provides professional traders with low-latency order matching and cryptographically verified settlement, ensuring that users maintain control over their funds without sacrificing performance.

Rails recently secured $6.2 million in a seed funding round led by Slow Ventures, with participation from Round13 Capital and CMCC Global. This capital injection is intended to support the platform's launch and further development of its trading infrastructure.

The business model is centered on providing a secure and transparent trading environment for cryptocurrency derivatives. By allowing users to trade perpetuals while retaining self-custody, Rails mitigates the risk of fraud and insolvency that has plagued other platforms. The company serves sophisticated crypto traders who require both high performance and robust security.

Keywords: self-custodial exchange, perpetuals trading, cryptocurrency derivatives, hybrid exchange, on-chain settlement, low-latency trading, crypto trading platform, digital assets, blockchain finance, decentralized finance.