Sparking Joy Through Dune: Elias Simos Launches Rated to Elevate Validator‑Level Analytics
By [Your Name] – March 4 2026
San Francisco, CA – After a decade of navigating the fast‑moving web3 landscape, former Coinbase data‑engineer and self‑described “Dune wizard” Elias Simos is turning his expertise into a standalone analytics platform. His new venture, Rated, aims to provide granular, validator‑level insights for blockchain networks, a niche that has long been underserved by mainstream data services.
From Coinbase to Dune to Rated
Simos’ career in crypto data began at Coinbase, where he built and maintained dashboards that tracked on‑chain activity for several major networks. Recognizing the limitations of existing tools, he turned to Dune Analytics—a community‑driven SQL platform that enables developers and analysts to query blockchain data in real time. Over the next few years, Simos became one of Dune’s most prolific contributors, producing a suite of publicly shared queries that illuminated everything from token holder distribution to staking economics.
“Working with Dune taught me the power of open, query‑based analytics,” Simos told DeFi Daily in a recent interview. “But as the ecosystem matured, the need for deeper, validator‑specific metrics grew. That gap inspired the creation of Rated.”
Rated’s core product is a set of dashboards and API endpoints focused on validator performance, slash events, uptime, and reward distribution across proof‑of‑stake (PoS) networks such as Ethereum, Cosmos, and Polkadot. The platform aggregates data directly from consensus layers and presents it in a developer‑friendly format, allowing protocol teams, delegators, and institutional investors to make data‑driven decisions.
Why Validator‑Level Data Matters
Validator metrics sit at the heart of PoS security and economic incentives. While high‑level chain statistics (e.g., total value locked, transaction volume) are widely reported, nuances such as individual validator uptime, commission rates, and slashing histories can dramatically affect staking yields and network resilience.
- Risk Management: Institutional stakers can assess exposure to under‑performing or risky validators, mitigating potential losses from downtimes or slash penalties.
- Governance Insight: Delegators gain transparency into validator voting behavior, supporting more informed governance participation.
- Network Health: Protocol developers can monitor validator distribution to detect centralization trends that may jeopardize decentralization guarantees.
By delivering these insights in near‑real‑time, Rated positions itself as a strategic tool for the growing “staking as a service” market, projected to surpass $200 billion in assets under management by 2027.
Market Reception and Competition
Rated entered a competitive landscape populated by established analytics firms such as Nansen, Dune, and Glassnode, all of which provide broad on‑chain data. However, its narrow focus on validator‑level analytics differentiates it from the more generalized offerings.
Early adopters include:
- Staking platforms: Delegation services that integrate Rated’s API to surface performance scores for users.
- Research consortia: Academic groups studying PoS dynamics who cite Rated’s datasets in peer‑reviewed papers.
- Enterprise wallets: Institutional custodians that require compliance‑grade metrics on validator behavior.
Analysts at CryptoQuant note that while the market for validator analytics is still nascent, “the granularity offered by Rated could become a baseline requirement for any serious staking operation.”
Key Takeaways
| Insight | Implication |
|---|---|
| Validator‑level focus | Provides data not readily available from broader analytics platforms, filling a critical information gap. |
| Founder’s pedigree | Simos’ background at Coinbase and status as a Dune power user lend credibility and technical depth to the venture. |
| Strategic timing | Launch coincides with the rapid expansion of PoS ecosystems and increasing institutional participation in staking. |
| Potential for integration | APIs can be embedded into staking dashboards, wallet interfaces, and governance tools, expanding Rated’s ecosystem reach. |
| Competitive edge | Specialized data may attract a dedicated user base, even as larger analytics firms begin to address validator metrics. |
Looking Ahead
Rated is currently in beta, with a public roadmap that includes support for emerging PoS chains, advanced alerting mechanisms, and customizable analytics templates. Simos invites interested parties to explore the platform at rated.network and stay updated via his Twitter feed @eliasimos.
As the DeFi sector continues to mature, the demand for precise, validator‑centric data is likely to intensify. Rated’s emergence could signal a broader shift toward specialized analytics services that empower both individual delegators and large‑scale institutional actors to navigate the complexities of proof‑of‑stake networks with greater confidence.
Source: https://dune.com/blog/sparking-joy-through-dune-with-elias-simos
