Inception blog > Ecosystem > Behind the Stake #8: Under the Hood of K3 Labs’ Modular Automation Stack

Behind the Stake #8: Under the Hood of K3 Labs’ Modular Automation Stack

June 04, 2025

What if your DeFi strategy could run itself? Or your DAO governance could auto-trigger votes from on-chain events? That’s the promise of K3 Labs: a decentralized automation layer built for modular Web3. And what powers it all? Staked capital through protocols like Inception.

In this eighth episode of Behind the Stake, we explore how Inception contributes to K3's infrastructure by enabling stakers to delegate ETH and BTC into Symbiotic vaults. This staked capital backs task execution, ensures operator accountability, and brings credible security guarantees to trustless automation.

Note: This article only reflects data from K3’s Symbiotic integration. K3 also operates with additional collateral on EigenLayer, which is not covered in this analysis.

TL;DR

K3 is a modular task layer for Web3 apps and infra, like a decentralized Zapier
Operators run WASM-based tasks off-chain, with staked ETH or BTC securing the network
K3’s Symbiotic vaults hold over $165M in blue-chip collateral
Users can stake through Inception to support the network and receive liquid tokens

What is K3?

K3 provides a decentralized automation environment that lets developers link together events, data, and logic across chains. Think of it as “plug-and-play trustless infra”: a way to connect smart contracts, APIs, and even AI models without needing bespoke node deployments.

⮕ https://x.com/jaxxdwyer/status/1892905364787778055

Behind the drag-and-drop builder is a bonded validator network that executes and verifies tasks written in WebAssembly. These are stateless, sandboxed, and strictly resource-limited, minimizing risks while preserving flexibility.

K3 tasks can ingest real-time data, call APIs, and push results back to Ethereum, rollups, or even non-EVM chains. This gives builders the power of a serverless Web3 backend secured by onchain collateral.

By the Numbers

(Symbiotic Only)

As of early June 2025:

$165.5M in economic security staked through Symbiotic
10 active vaults, with top collateral being wstETH (87%) and LBTC (13%)
No slashing yet live; slasher modules not implemented

K3 LABS_scheme.png Collateral Max Limit Utilization & Distribution

Validator activity:

5 of 10 opted-in operators currently bonded (50%)
Top 3 operators hold 99.68% of the stake
Gini Index: 0.70, indicating high stake centralization

Scheme_Operator_K3 LABS.png Operator Vaults, Collateral Types and Distribution

Vault dynamics:

5 active curators; top 3 manage 97% of the capital
Max-limit Gini Index: 0.71, with a 883x cap difference between top and bottom

Scheme_Curator_K3 LABS.png Curator Vaults, Collateral Types and Distribution

These figures show strong initial backing but concentration risk on the Symbiotic side. It’s worth noting, however, that this excludes K3’s EigenLayer operations, which represent a broader picture.

The Role of Stakers

Each K3 task executed is ultimately secured by economic capital. Through Inception, users can delegate ETH, BTC, or other supported assets into Symbiotic vaults aligned with K3. In return, they receive a liquid token (e.g., inwstETHs) that remains usable across DeFi.

This design enables:

Passive exposure to off-chain compute and automation
Participation in a modular backend layer for Web3
Real alignment between capital and task execution security

Although K3 doesn’t currently issue points or token incentives for Symbiotic vault stakers, vault limits and high-quality collateral help sustain capital efficiency.

Automation Without Borders

K3 tasks are:

Stateless
Deterministic
Isolated in WASM

This means they can be run safely across any environment, pulling from APIs or chains and pushing results wherever needed. The platform supports multi-chain interoperability, including EVM and non-EVM networks, with adapters extending reach.

The drag-and-drop no-code builder (currently in beta) lets teams build workflows using pre-made blocks, a visual programming interface for automated infra. Whether you're syncing DAO votes to analytics triggers or coordinating DEX strategies across L2s, K3 makes it possible without running servers or hiring backend engineers.

Get Involved

Decentralized automation doesn't work without trustless security. Through Inception, stakers power K3’s backend with real capital, enabling the execution of Web3 tasks across domains.

Stake ETH or wstETH through Inception to help fuel K3’s decentralized compute layer and earn liquid tokens in return.

Start staking at: inceptionlrt.com/app