ZPrize Launches Competition to Advance Zero-Knowledge Research with Findora
Editor’s note: this article was originally published on cryptomode.com and is reposted here with the author’s permission.
Just in case you missed it, ZPrize is a recent initiative that offers rewards for solving ZK issues and advancing ZK research, partnering with privacy projects like Findora to promote adoption in Web3.
Nearly six years ago, Zcash started building the first private money system. At the time, it took nearly 60 seconds just to generate a single proof. Zero-knowledge technology has advanced private money a long way since then, and ZPrize is here to ensure it continues its progress.
ZPrize offers prizes to individuals or teams who can submit an advancement in zero knowledge research or solve specific issues. Thanks to sponsors like Findora, they now have a $7 million reward pool through ZPrize.
Findora researchers can proudly point to their own contributions in speeding up these proofs. What started as a ZK cryptography research project at Stanford University, Findora has evolved to implement Bulletproofs and TurboPlonk, with improvements in efficiency. Findora researchers have continued working hard to push the limits of ZK technology and in turn, have made it a more practical tool for privacy.
Now Findora is partnering with ZPrize to continue the work of expanding ZK research and development.
What is ZPrize?
ZPrize is a contest platform dedicated to “accelerating the future of zero-knowledge cryptography.” Styled after XPRIZE, it features a prize program where teams compete to solve problems and win rewards. For example, there is currently a $750,000 prize for WASM prover optimization that anyone can apply to solve. All winning entries will be put into an open-source library so that everyone can benefit from the work.
ZPrize is supported by industry leaders like the Ethereum Foundation, Aleo, Polygon, Mina, and Findora. Through its sponsors, ZPrize has amassed a prize pool of $7 million to be distributed over dozens of prizes to teams that add the next piece to the ZK puzzle.
Findora and ZPrize in The Story of Zero-Knowledge Technology
It is likely that Satoshi wanted Bitcoin to be private but knew that the technology needed to make it private was not yet ready. Zero-knowledge cryptography finally gives us the ability to bring more privacy to public blockchains.
Findora believes that many Web3 applications will eventually be powered by zero-knowledge proofs. Part of what makes ZPrize so special is that it brings together otherwise competitive ZK projects and gives them a surface to work together to advance the state-of-the-art in ZK.
Findora shares ZPrize’s belief that in order to go far, it’s best to work together. This is part of why Findora has made its Zei Library, an extensive collection of arguably the most advanced ZK cryptography, open source, and available to ZPrize contestants. To that extent, Findora is part of an alliance of projects sharing their research and breakthroughs to achieve the next generation of ZK solutions.
Through ZPrize, the vision for crypto and web3 can be fully realized with ZK, which will allow for the creation of systems that protect decentralized self-sovereignty, restore privacy, and return to users control of their own data.
About Findora
Findora scales Ethereum privacy with next-generation zero-knowledge proof technology. It is a leading privacy-preserving smart contract platform for Web3, giving developers the tools they need to build a new financial internet. Founded in 2017 and born out of next-generation cryptography research, Findora finally launched publicly in 2021 and is poised to use privacy to make DeFi a safe place for individuals and financial institutions.
About ZPrize
ZPrize hosts competitions that will accelerate zero-knowledge cryptography. It is a collaborative effort that includes over 32 partners and sponsors, including Aleo, Jump Crypto, Polygon, Polkadot, Manta Network, and Findora. Learn more about ZPrize at www.zprize.io/faq.
