What credentials do you have as an auditor? The value these audit companies bring is not really code review but in depth knowledge about everything related to computer security.
Been running an Information Security company for over 15 years as I said elsewhere. I haven't formally audited software as business, but I know code, I know security, and I know Hive. It's more someone should do it, and it is constantly changing and would be really expensive to have a professional orgnization do it when it is updated.
To be honest, with Keychain approaching $400K in DHF funding, third party auditing should be baked in, it is used by almost everyone and has ultimate access to keys.
According to a quick search on HiveSQL, we've received 111,561.960 HBD so far (+16k SBD before HF). I don't know how you got to 400k.
Our current funding is 9k/month, an external audit at the rates you've presented would have set us back several months in development at each release.
It’s on the third year of the proposal.