KernelDAO — Executive summary

KernelDAO is a multi-chain restaking ecosystem built around three core products — Kernel (infrastructure & governance), Kelp (liquid restaking / LRTs) and Gain (yield vaults) — designed to let holders earn extra security/yield on assets (ETH, BTC, BNB, etc.) while preserving liquidity. The protocol launched mainnet in December 2024 and has rapidly grown TVL across its products.  

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Technology & product suite

• Kernel (core infra & governance) — Acts as the protocol layer for restaking coordination and DAO governance. Kernel aims to provide secure, modular tooling for operators and DVNs (distributed validator networks).  

• Kelp (Liquid Restaking / LRT) — Users restake native assets and receive liquid derivatives (e.g., rsETH) which remain usable in DeFi, unlocking composability while retaining restake yields. Kelp reports multi-chain deployments and large TVL across chains. 

• Gain (Yield Vaults / Growth Vaults) — Yield aggregation and vaults that aim to redeploy restake rewards into diversified strategies (stable, BTC, RWA ambitions stated in roadmap).  

Takeaway: Kernel’s stack mirrors the modern LRT thesis — keep capital productive and liquid while increasing security and protocol revenue capture.

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Tokenomics (what $KERNEL does)

• Total supply: 1,000,000,000 $KERNEL. Distribution emphasizes community allocation (majority to users/community per GitBook/litepaper). 

• Primary utilities: governance, value accrual (protocol revenues flow back to ecosystem), staking/incentives across Kernel/Kelp/Gain.  

Why it matters: A user-centric distribution and clear utility across multiple high-value primitives (LRT + vaults) help align long-term incentives — but token release schedules and treasury economics should be monitored for dilution risk. 

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