Daryl Hok is an operations and corporate development executive in the Web3 security sector, best known for serving as Chief Operating Officer at CertiK. He has been associated with scaling security services for blockchain protocols and DeFi applications, including audit delivery, security product operations, and go-to-market execution. Public professional profiles also list Hok as a founder and CEO of Seashell, a Web3-oriented venture focused on consumer-facing financial products.
Overview
Hok’s career blends three functions that tend to be critical in high-growth security businesses, product management, corporate development, and operating leadership. In crypto, his work is most closely tied to the institutionalization of blockchain security, where protocols increasingly rely on third-party audits, continuous monitoring, and incident response capabilities to meet user expectations and withstand adversarial environments.
- Known for: Operating leadership at CertiK during periods of rapid market growth and rising exploit frequency.
- Functional strengths: Product execution, corporate development and M&A, and business development.
- Current focus: Founder-led work in a Web3 consumer venture, as listed on public professional profiles.
History and Background
Before becoming widely associated with Web3 security, Hok worked in product and corporate development roles in the legal and regulatory intelligence space. Public biographies describe him as having led corporate development and M&A at FiscalNote, a machine-learning driven policy and regulatory intelligence company. In that capacity, he has been credited with supporting growth through multiple acquisitions, including a high-profile purchase of a policy intelligence asset from The Economist Group.
Public profiles also describe Hok as having held product management responsibilities for software product launches and data infrastructure development. This product and data foundation is relevant to blockchain security businesses, which must operationalize technical research into repeatable client deliverables, maintain standardized reporting, and support monitoring systems that generate actionable signals from on-chain activity.
CertiK Role and Operational Scope
At CertiK, Hok is best known for operational leadership tied to the company’s growth as an auditing and security services provider. CertiK operates across multiple security workstreams, including smart contract audits, protocol reviews, security scoring, and continuous monitoring. In practice, COO responsibilities in this category typically include coordinating audit throughput and quality control, expanding delivery teams, establishing consistent methodology, and aligning product roadmaps with a market where threats evolve quickly.
CertiK’s expansion occurred alongside a surge in DeFi exploits and bridge-related incidents, which increased demand for both preventive and post-deployment security. CryptoSlate’s coverage of CertiK’s fundraising illustrates the scale of institutional interest in the sector during that period, including reports on valuation milestones near $1 billion and later around $2 billion.
- CertiK valuation near $1 billion after Sequoia-led raise
- CertiK raises $88M, valuation reported at $2B
Market Context and Security Operations
Blockchain security firms operate under unusual constraints. Audits reduce risk, but they do not guarantee safety, especially when exploits involve compromised keys, governance attacks, novel economic manipulation, or downstream dependency failures. Continuous monitoring and incident response are increasingly important because many critical failures occur after deployment due to upgrades, configuration changes, or newly discovered attack vectors.
CertiK has periodically been part of public security disputes and disclosures that reflect the sensitivity of this work. CryptoSlate has covered a high-profile disagreement involving CertiK and Kraken related to vulnerability handling and the return of funds used in white-hat testing, highlighting the reputational and operational pressures security firms face when incidents become public.
Founder Activity and Web3 Consumer Focus
Public professional profiles list Hok as the founder and CEO of Seashell, described as a Web3 venture that aims to build consumer-oriented financial tooling. While details vary by source, this positioning aligns with a broader industry trend, security and compliance executives increasingly move toward consumer-facing products where payments, custody-like experiences, and identity-linked workflows create new requirements for risk management and trusted execution.
In this context, Hok’s background in security operations and data-driven product development can be applied to challenges such as safeguarding user accounts, limiting fraud and phishing risk, and building controls that support scale without sacrificing usability.
Education
Hok is reported to hold a dual BA in Economics and Psychology from Yale University, with academic interest often described in behavioral economics. This combination is relevant to cybersecurity-adjacent work because user behavior, incentive design, and social engineering play a significant role in how losses occur in crypto systems.
Risks and Considerations
For security providers and founders in Web3, a recurring challenge is expectation management. Users may interpret an audit or security rating as a guarantee, while real-world safety depends on operational controls, key management, upgrade discipline, and incident readiness. For consumer-facing ventures, additional risks include fraud exposure, regulatory uncertainty, and the need to balance growth with robust monitoring and response processes.
Hok’s career is best viewed through this operational lens, building organizations and products that translate complex risk into execution standards, while adapting to a threat landscape that changes faster than most traditional software markets.
