Episodes

  • ZK Benchmarks with Conner Swann

    ZK Benchmarks with Conner Swann
    Apr 9 2025
    In this episode Anna explores the contentious topic of ZK benchmarking with Conner Swann, founder of ProofLab. Drawing parallels with AI's development, they explore how tools like ProofLab could help standardize benchmarking across dimensions like speed, cost, and security. The conversation touches on the importance of formal verification and real-world workload testing, while considering how better benchmarking could accelerate ZK adoption and potentially lead to ZK's own 'ChatGPT moment' Related links:
    • zkSummit
    • The Zero-Knowledge Community Survey
    • NoirHack
    • Noir
    • ethProofs
    • Designing Optimistic Interoperability with Nomad
    • Trusted Setup Ceremonies Explored
    • Anna’s Post on Benchmarking
    • The path to secure and efficient zkVMs: How to track progress
    • Ben Fisch on Limiting Factors of Verifiable Compute
    • ZKarnage

    Further reading:
    • Celo Espero ceremony
    • ZKVM Benchmarking
    • The same thing that happened to AI is Happening to ZK

    Applications for zkSummit13 are open, spots are limited for this edition so apply soon (www.zksummit.com) if you want to join. ZK is finally easy with Noir, the fastest-growing zero-knowledge programming language. Build privacy-preserving apps without any ZK experience. Aztec Labs is running a 4 week program,...
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    52 mins
  • Coordinating Provers with Norbert from ZkCloud

    Coordinating Provers with Norbert from ZkCloud
    Apr 2 2025
    In this episode Anna dives back into the topic of prover networks & prover marketplaces with Norbert Vadas, Head of Product at ZkCloud. They kick off by mapping out different actors in the ZK supply chain, and then cover the variety of approaches and economic models behind prover marketplaces. They explore the ZkCloud system before diving into Norbert’s perspective on the future of large-scale, industrial-grade ZK proving and what that will unlock. Related links:
    • ZKV
    • ZK Hack Kraków
    • Mina Snarketplace
    • Mina: What are SNARK workers and the Snarketplace
    • Gevulot
    • ZkCloud
    • EthCC Paris: Toghrul Maharramov - Multi-Verifiers as a Hedge Against Bridge Vulnerabilities
    • RISC Zero Bonsai
    • Polygon zkEVM
    • GitHub: Aztec Protocol Barretenberg
    • ZK11: SNARK proving ASICs - Justin Drake

    Applications for zkSummit13 are now open, early bird tickets close this week! Apply now at www.zksummit.com. ZK is finally easy with Noir, the fastest-growing zero-knowledge programming language. Build privacy-preserving apps without any ZK experience. Aztec Labs is running a 4 week program, Noir Hack, with $200K in funding and grants. Sign up now at noirhack.com. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our...
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • The Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill

    The Founding of Zero Knowledge Systems with Austin Hill
    Mar 25 2025
    This week, we present the third installment in the Zero Knowledge Systems story. In this episode, Anna chats with Austin Hill, one of the original founders of Zero Knowledge Systems. They explore the company’s early days, Austin’s background in tech, and what this scene in Montreal was like in the late ’90s. The conversation covers fundraising during the dot-com boom, Zero Knowledge Systems’s ambitious vision for internet privacy, its flagship product Freedom, and how the company pivoted from a broad individual privacy mission to a more focused B2B approach. They cover Austin’s journey after ZKS—including how he discovered Bitcoin, co-founded Blockstream, and navigated the challenges of building a business around open-source infrastructure. He also discusses a new project he's involved in, which ventures into a completely different field—material nanotechnology. We encourage you to check out the first two episodes of the series here and here before diving into this one. Related links:
    • Part 1: Back to the Future with Zero Knowledge
    • Part 2: Zero Knowledge Systems, Privacy and Security with Jonathan Wilkins
    • Zero Knowledge Enemy of the State Shift Article
    • Knowing Glances: Understanding Infrastructures of Surveillance

    Further reading:
    • Zero Knowledge Systems Wikipedia
    • Blockstream Website
    • Wired Article: Zero-Knowledge: Nothing Personal
    • News Burst: Zero-Knowledge open sources Freedom
    • Zero-Knowledge Systems Introduces Security and Privacy Tool Suite
    • Interview:...
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • Making ZK More Human with ZK Email

    Making ZK More Human with ZK Email
    Mar 19 2025
    This week Anna catches up with Aayush Gupta from ZK Email, covering the latest developments and real-world applications of the ZK Email protocol. They explore how the project serves as a bridge between Web2 systems and Web3 infrastructure and go on to discuss use cases like wallet-based account recovery, anonymous reputation-based communication, and digital provenance verification. This was an exploration of novel ZK use cases, which is something we love to cover - so we hope you enjoy it! Related links:
    • ZK Email Website
    • ZKP2P with Brian & Richard
    • Modular Summit 3.0 Panel: ZK Applications
    • ZK12: Future of ZK Applications with Anna & Friends
    • ZK for web2 interop with zkLogin & ZK Email
    • ZK Email: Making Airdrops More Human

    Applications for zkSummit13 are open, spots are limited for this edition so apply soon (www.zksummit.com) if you want to join. Missing Link are a talent team built for the Web3 era, helping projects across the ecosystem connect with the right candidates at the right time. Whether you're an established project or a startup searching for specialized talent, Missing Link can help. Visit their website at missing-link.io. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube Read transcript
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Learning ZK with Jeffrey from RareSkills

    Learning ZK with Jeffrey from RareSkills
    Mar 12 2025
    This week Anna chats with Jeffrey Scholz, founder of RareSkills. They discuss onboarding developers into ZK and dive into RareSkills' education program via The ZK Book and their ZK bootcamps. They explore strategies for breaking down complex topics, decisions on curriculum design, tool selection, and methodologies for enabling self-sufficient learning. A great listen for the listeners who want to learn ZK and are trying to figure out how to approach the challenge. Related links: RareSkills WebsiteZK HACK WebsiteZK HACK Whiteboard SessionsRareSkills ZK BookJeffrey Scholz on MediumJeffrey Scholz’s course on UdemyConsensys Bootcamp in 2021Encode ClubZK Podcast Episode 309 - ZK Jargon Decoder with Nico Mohnblatt videoZK HACK - Thaler Book Study Group Playlist on YouTubeThe MoonMath Manual to zk-SNARKs by Least Authority Applications for zkSummit13 are now open, spots are limited for this edition so apply soon (www.zksummit.com) if you want to join. Missing Link are a talent team built for the Web3 era, helping projects across the ecosystem connect with the right candidates at the right time. Whether you're an established project or a startup searching for specialized talent, Missing Link can help. Visit their website at missing-link.io. **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube Read transcript
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Zero Knowledge Systems, Privacy and Security with Jonathan Wilkins

    Zero Knowledge Systems, Privacy and Security with Jonathan Wilkins
    Mar 5 2025
    This week Anna jumps back into the story of Zero Knowledge Systems with Jonathan Wilkins, cofounder Blockstream and Cloaked Services and previous employee of ZKS back in 2000. They explore the emergence of security culture in the 1990s, what led Jonathan to join Zero Knowledge Systems and his experience working on projects such as the Freedom Network. They discuss the office atmosphere and the research lab before catching up on the work Jonathan has focused on since then. Key concepts we see in the ZK community today were first pioneered by the Zero Knowledge Systems research team and we hope to invite more of these past members of the team in the future! Related links:
    • Podcast Episode: Back to the Future with Zero Knowledge
    • iSEC Partners
    • X.25 Networks
    • 2600 Meetups
    • C++ Builder
    • Delphi
    • ‘Zero-Knowledge: Nothing Personal’ - Wired
    • Handbook of Applied Cryptography by Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot and Scott A. Vanstone
    • Ian Goldberg profile
    • Adam Schostack - Schostack + Associates
    • Adam Back Twitter
    • Austin Hill Twitter
    • Bitcointalk
    • Tor Network
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • ZK in Solana with Mert Mumtaz

    ZK in Solana with Mert Mumtaz
    Feb 26 2025
    This week Anna and Tarun chat with Mert Mumtaz. Mert is the co-founder and CEO of Helius and is known for his contributions to the Solana ecosystem. They explore Mert’s background, his entry into the space, and his experiences during the 2022 market downturn and subsequent recovery. The conversation covers Solana’s positioning within the broader blockchain landscape and includes an overview of emerging ZK projects in the ecosystem. Related links:
    • Zero-Knowledge Proofs: Its Applications on Solana
    • Episode 135 - Look into Solana
    • Solana projects mentioned: Backpack, Anza, Gido, Jupiter
    • ZK projects mentioned: Phantom, Elusiv, Light Protocol, Dark Protocol
    • Solana Token Extensions

    --------------- Applications for zkSummit13 are now open, spots are limited for this edition so apply soon (www.zksummit.com) if you want to join. --------------- **If you like what we do:** * Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree * Subscribe to our podcast newsletter * Follow us on Twitter @zeroknowledgefm * Join us on Telegram * Catch us on YouTube
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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • ZODA & The Accidental Computer

    ZODA & The Accidental Computer
    Feb 19 2025
    Read transcript This week Anna catches up with Nico, Guillermo and Alex from Bain Capital Crypto to discuss two of their recent works; ZODA: Zero-Overhead Data Availability by the trio and The Accidental Computer by Alex & Guille. The group starts with a discussion about how papers like FRIDA and Foundations of Data Availability Sampling inspired ZODA and then cover the innovations presented in ZODA itself. They wrap up with a discussion about The Accidental Computer, and in doing so tease out some of the fundamental concepts in current ZK research. Related links:
    • ZK Podcast: Disclosures
    • ZODA: Zero-Overhead Data Availability by Alex Evans, Guillermo Angeris and Nico Mohnblatt
    • FRIDA: Data Availability Sampling from FRI by Mathias Hall-Andersen, Mark Simkin and Benedikt Wagner
    • Foundations of Data Availability Sampling by Mathias Hall-Andersen, Mark Simkin and Benedikt Wagner
    • The Accidental Computer: Polynomial Commitments from Data Availability by Alex Evans and Guillermo Angeris
    • Guille's Tweet “anon, what if I told you that you can prove the correctness of the largest celestia block in <200ms on a single core of an mba”
    • Bain Capital Crypto Blog

    --------------- Applications for zkSummit13 are now open, spots are limited for this edition so apply soon (www.zksummit.com) if you want to join. The deadline for Speaker applications is March 15th! --------------- IF YOU LIKE WHAT WE DO: Find all our links here! @ZeroKnowledge | Linktree Subscribe to our podcast newsletter Follow us on X
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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