DAO Maker
Last changed 2026-10-10 · Score recalculated — Rescored under Scoring v2, the published formula (avoid.net/scoring): 24 → 26. Problems weighed by who is responsible: the subject's own conduct −40, incidents the subject suffered −20, concerns that are not fraud −3.2, problems around the subject, caused by others −1.1; legitimacy credit long-running +10; no established finding that it defrauded anyone, so it stays out of the red band; fact-check adjustments (−8) now shown as page reliability, not in the score. Version history →
Why this score
| Every page starts at | 65 |
| The subject's own conduct | -40 |
| Concerns that are not fraud | -3.2 |
| Incidents it suffered (e.g. hacks) | -20 |
| Problems around it, caused by others | -1.1 |
| Long-running | +10 |
| Sum | 11 |
- No established finding that it defrauded anyone, so it stays out of the red band (26 or above).
Score: 26/100 (kept between 0 and 100)
How scoring works →Summary
DAO Maker is a crypto fundraising and launchpad platform founded in 2018 by Christoph Zaknun and Giorgio Marciano, known for its Strong Holder Offering (SHO) and Dynamic Coin Offering (DYCO) mechanisms. The platform suffered two confirmed exploits in August and September 2021 totaling approximately $11 million in losses, affecting over 5,200 users. A promised multi-phase compensation plan was subsequently undermined by an alleged governance vote manipulation, leaving a significant portion of hack victims unreimbursed as of 2024.
Connected Entities
6 entities · 60 linked investigations- DAO Maker→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- DAO Maker→mentioned with→Base(65%)
- DAO Maker→mentioned with→The DAO(85%)
- The DAO→mentioned with→Ethereum(80%)
- DAO Maker Vesting→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- DAO Maker→mentioned with→Cointelegraph(65%)
- Cointelegraph→mentioned with→Ethereum(60%)
- DAO Maker→mentioned with→DAO Maker Vesting(80%)
- DAO Maker Vesting→mentioned with→DAO Maker(80%)
- Base→mentioned with→Cointelegraph(65%)
- + 2 more
Timeline(10 events)
12 August 2021
DAO Maker SHO contract exploited via compromised admin private key; 7,376,245 USDC drained from 5,251 user wallets. Attacker converts funds to ~2,261 ETH. PeckShield first reports publicly.
CoinDesk19 August 2021
DAO Maker airdrops initial USDC compensation to affected users, covering approximately 30–50% of losses.
Quadriga Initiative Case Study4 September 2021
DAO Maker vesting contract exploited via unauthenticated init() function; attacker drains ~$4 million from four token contracts (DERC, CPD, CAPS, SHO tokens) using emergencyExit().
SlowMist Medium8 September 2021
DAO Maker airdrops USDR IOU tokens to hack victims representing remaining unpaid compensation, redeemable for DAO tokens at 110% face value by September 8, 2022.
Quadriga Initiative Case Study17 February 2022
CertiK completes most recent security audit of DAO Maker contracts, assigning a score of 85.84; identifies one major centralization/privilege concern.
CertiK Skynet8 September 2022
USDR token redemption deadline passes; ~3,500 addresses still hold approximately $3.5 million in unredeemed USDR tokens.
Rekt News3 October 2022
Governance proposal surfaces on DAO Maker Discord proposing suspension of USDR redemptions, framed as 'Prevent Major $DAO DUMP.' Proposal attributed to user @Dante.eth.
Rekt News16 October 2022
Governance vote closes; option to redeem USDR at 50% of par value passes with 61.72% of voting tokens, allegedly concentrated in six wallet addresses. Proposal subsequently deleted from Snapshot.
CoinTelegraph2024
CoinTelegraph reports that hack victims still have not received remaining reimbursement three years after the exploit; USDR tokens rendered non-redeemable for monetary value.
CoinTelegraphDecision Log
- slot 455357673 · hash 9L7qDGTSxdtZCHyyHwabP4e5pfnWpaauCDqEyUfH2mtV
- slot 426275250 · hash FjPjFHAPCw7LeS7TVPv2THkJs6ZP7YHpA5Qxtnrw6cpr
- slot 426275248 · hash 8nsg1JCBBrRWtSpVetZHCpN5NVyJNktVG1psnxU8XXDS
- slot 423324512 · hash 23yX13DfZ2VvJi8QtP8wMR85kam1EaAuHpGfcxym4iJU
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain (4 decisions). 13 of 16 cited source URLs have an Internet Archive snapshot.
model: claude-sonnet-4-6
generated: 5/31/2026, 6:59:08 AM
last updated: 10/10/2026, 6:39:40 PM
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