Methodology
How a Rabbithole campaign is measured, what qualifies, and what is published. Definitions only, figures appear on a campaign record once the sponsor and the evidence are approved.
The five measures
Every campaign reports the same five numbers, on the same definitions, during the reward window and after it closes.
| Measure | Definition | Observation window | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retained wallets | Unique qualifying wallets still in the target behaviour at the observation point. | D30 · D60 · D90 | Whether the campaign reached wallets that stay. |
| Retained capital | Qualifying dollar value still in the target position at the observation point. | D30 · D60 · D90 | The headline outcome the budget is bought against. |
| Time-in-position | Measured duration qualifying capital remains in the target position. | Continuous | Distinguishes held capital from capital passing through. |
| Repeat activity | Share of eligible wallets completing the target behaviour across more than one cycle. | Per cycle | Whether behaviour outlasts the reward that started it. |
| Cost per retained dollar | Approved incentive spend divided by qualifying capital retained at the selected point. | D30 · D60 · D90 | Comparable efficiency across campaigns and venues. |
- Retained wallets
- DefinitionUnique qualifying wallets still in the target behaviour at the observation point.
- Observation windowD30 · D60 · D90
- Why it mattersWhether the campaign reached wallets that stay.
- Retained capital
- DefinitionQualifying dollar value still in the target position at the observation point.
- Observation windowD30 · D60 · D90
- Why it mattersThe headline outcome the budget is bought against.
- Time-in-position
- DefinitionMeasured duration qualifying capital remains in the target position.
- Observation windowContinuous
- Why it mattersDistinguishes held capital from capital passing through.
- Repeat activity
- DefinitionShare of eligible wallets completing the target behaviour across more than one cycle.
- Observation windowPer cycle
- Why it mattersWhether behaviour outlasts the reward that started it.
- Cost per retained dollar
- DefinitionApproved incentive spend divided by qualifying capital retained at the selected point.
- Observation windowD30 · D60 · D90
- Why it mattersComparable efficiency across campaigns and venues.
What qualifies
Each campaign defines what qualifies. The distinction that matters is how a signal is applied: a hard rule excludes capital, a weighting changes what it earns, and a reporting signal changes nothing except what the sponsor can see.
| Signal | Applied as | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Hard rule | Wallets outside the campaign criteria are excluded. |
| Prior behaviour | Hard rule / weight | Minimum onchain history to qualify, or higher accrual for demonstrated activity. |
| Capital | Hard rule | Balance floor, and in-scope asset and venue checks. |
| Net-new balance | Hard rule | Separates capital new to the target position from capital rotated within it. |
| Persistence | Weighting | Accrual scales with measured time-in-position. |
| Concentration | Reporting | Segments results by wallet share. Does not exclude capital or change accrual. |
- Eligibility
- Applied asHard rule
- EffectWallets outside the campaign criteria are excluded.
- Prior behaviour
- Applied asHard rule / weight
- EffectMinimum onchain history to qualify, or higher accrual for demonstrated activity.
- Capital
- Applied asHard rule
- EffectBalance floor, and in-scope asset and venue checks.
- Net-new balance
- Applied asHard rule
- EffectSeparates capital new to the target position from capital rotated within it.
- Persistence
- Applied asWeighting
- EffectAccrual scales with measured time-in-position.
- Concentration
- Applied asReporting
- EffectSegments results by wallet share. Does not exclude capital or change accrual.
Signals and qualification rules vary by campaign. Rabbithole does not imply identity, compliance, or source-of-funds verification unless a campaign explicitly states it.
The reporting rail
Every campaign produces the same two records. Fields marked Always are published with any public result; fields marked On approval require the sponsor and the evidence to be cleared first.
Campaign record
- Sponsor and relationship
- On approval
- Market, network, assets
- Always
- Capacity and committed capital
- On approval
- Eligibility rules
- Always
- Reward mechanic
- Always
- Measurement window
- Always
Outcome record
- Capital activated
- On approval
- Retained at day 30 / 60 / 90
- On approval
- Median time-in-position
- On approval
- Cost per retained dollar
- On approval
- Cohort definition and exclusions
- Always
- Source and methodology
- Always
Cohorts and exclusions
A retention number is only meaningful against a stated cohort. Every published result carries its cohort definition and its exclusions.
- Activated cohort
- Wallets that met the eligibility rules and entered the target position inside the reward window.
- Observation point
- The day the cohort is re-measured, counted from campaign start. D30, D60, and D90 unless a campaign states otherwise.
- Exclusions
- Capital rotated within the same venue, circular flows between campaign wallets, and any address the sponsor names as internal.
- Restatements
- If an indexer corrects upstream data, the affected result is republished with a revision date rather than edited silently.
Market utility
Retained capital is worth different things in different markets. Each campaign is measured against the outcome its market actually needs, and against the failure mode it is trying to avoid.
DeFi and lending
- Objective
- Grow supplied capital that stays available to borrowers.
- Failure mode
- Supply arrives, utilisation stays flat, and capital leaves the moment rewards unlock.
- Retention metric
- Retained supply at day 30, 60, and 90, against the activated cohort.
- Market measure
- Utilisation, borrow demand, withdrawal capacity, and supplier concentration, where the venue exposes them.
Stablecoins
- Objective
- Grow retained supply that is actually usable in secondary markets.
- Failure mode
- Supply grows on paper while depth stays thin, so redemptions and exits move the peg.
- Retention metric
- Retained balances by holder cohort, through and beyond the incentive window.
- Market measure
- Secondary-market depth, price deviation, redemption capacity, and distribution across approved venues.
Ecosystems
- Objective
- Attract capital that stays in the ecosystem and gets used more than once.
- Failure mode
- Capital bridges in for the campaign and bridges straight back out afterwards.
- Retention metric
- Net bridged capital still held after the observation window closes.
- Market measure
- Repeat application usage, multi-protocol participation, and circular-flow exclusions.
Retained balances are not automatically deep liquidity. Where a venue does not expose market-side measures, Rabbithole reports capital retention, not market depth.
Diligence
What diligence on a Rabbithole campaign covers. Answers specific to a campaign are provided directly.
| Topic | What is documented |
|---|---|
| Custody and fund flow | Who funds rewards, and whether Rabbithole ever controls user principal. |
| Contracts | Addresses, versions, networks, and source links. |
| Permissions | Sponsor, operator, multisig, and emergency powers. |
| Audits | Firm, date, exact scope, and report. |
| Data sources | The indexers and providers behind reporting, and their update cadence. |
| Incidents | Status and disclosure channel. |
| Entity | The responsible operating and contracting entity. |
| Legal | Terms, privacy, eligibility, and jurisdictional limits. |
- Custody and fund flow
- What is documentedWho funds rewards, and whether Rabbithole ever controls user principal.
- Contracts
- What is documentedAddresses, versions, networks, and source links.
- Permissions
- What is documentedSponsor, operator, multisig, and emergency powers.
- Audits
- What is documentedFirm, date, exact scope, and report.
- Data sources
- What is documentedThe indexers and providers behind reporting, and their update cadence.
- Incidents
- What is documentedStatus and disclosure channel.
- Entity
- What is documentedThe responsible operating and contracting entity.
- Legal
- What is documentedTerms, privacy, eligibility, and jurisdictional limits.
Limits of these measures
What this methodology does not establish.
- Retention is measured against a defined position, not against a wallet’s total portfolio. Capital may leave one campaign and stay onchain.
- Attribution is to a campaign, not to a cause. A retained balance is not proof the incentive caused the retention.
- Market-side measures depend on what a venue exposes. Where they are unavailable, only retention is reported.
- Wallets are not identities. Concentration is reported at wallet level and one operator may control several.
Ask about a specific campaign
Eligibility, reward mechanics, and the full diligence pack are provided directly.