A quick overview of the projects selected for Outlier Ventures’ second zero-knowledge BaseCamp

Written by: Golden Finance cryptonaitive

On September 26, 2023, Outlier Ventures announced the list of projects selected for the second phase of Zero Knowledge Base Camp: SurferMonkey, ZKON, zkHub, Absinthe Labs, and Biosnarks.

It is reported that Outlier Ventures’ Zero Knowledge Base Camp accelerator consists of five startups in each phase, with the goal of using zero-knowledge proofs to drive privacy and scalability.

Zero Knowledge Base Camp is run by Outlier Ventures, together with venture partners ScalingX, Old Fashion Research and ecosystem partner Mina Foundation, to accelerate the most promising ZK startups.

The following is a brief introduction to the projects selected for the second phase of Outlier Ventures Zero Knowledge Base Camp:

SurferMonkey

SurferMonkey is a plug-and-play tool for blockchain privacy and compliance through zero-knowledge proofs. SurferMonkey envisions a future where privacy and compliance coexist seamlessly in the blockchain ecosystem, setting the global standard for secure and private transactions. The mission is to empower developers, businesses, and individuals by delivering cutting-edge, agnostic, decentralized privacy infrastructure that promotes regulatory compliance and protects user privacy in every transaction.

SurferMonkey has built-in interoperability. It is the next evolution of DarkWeb 3.0, which can interact seamlessly and anonymously across blockchains. From Polygon to Arbitrum, you can initiate operations without revealing your origin or destination. Featuring true anonymous interoperability, powered by fast 2-second ZKP generation, complete obfuscation of blockchain paths, and easy dApp integration without backend changes.

SurferMonkey’s 4 major technologies: universal zkMixer (a kind of agnostic ZKP technology with multi-chain), decentralized anonymous compliance technology (DACT-v2), universal plug-in (dApp integrated with SurferMonkey, deployed in all supported blocks on-chain), front-end integration (SurferMonkey infrastructure allows easy integration via front-end)

ZKON

ZKON (Zero Knowledge Oracle Network) is a trustless oracle network. ZKON operates as a decentralized network of secure oracles, facilitating seamless connectivity for third-party applications. Leveraging a zero-trust architecture, it enables account connectivity and data aggregation without the need to store a user’s full authentication method in a single point of failure.

ZKON can connect and prove web3 wallets and web2 accounts without keeping any authentication secrets.

zkHub

zkHub uses multi-party computation to generate zero-knowledge proofs quickly and privacy-preservingly. zkHub leverages cutting-edge multi-party computing technology to distribute zero-knowledge proof generation to our computing network. Proof generation is a slow and computationally expensive task. zkHub seamlessly combines MPC and zk-proofs to generate proofs at lightning speed. Experience a staggering 36x improvement over current proof times, allowing developers to build larger circuits than ever before.

Absinthe Labs

Absinthe Labs uses zero-knowledge proofs to create Sybil-resistant smart contracts. Bot-protected Web3 native token faucets are finally a reality. Improves the accessibility of developer resources without requiring authentication.

Biosnarks

Biosnarks is a biotech protocol that leverages zkSNARKs to facilitate data exchange and trust without revealing process or IP sensitive information. Biosnarks uses MINA’s Kimchi Proof for recursive proofs.

Drug and biotechnology development is an expensive and slow process. Development of a single therapy can take up to 10 years and cost between $300 million and $2.2 billion. The main culprits are poor reproducibility of basic research and the isolation of data and results. BioSNARKS opens up new possibilities for accelerated and more democratized drug and biotech development by allowing participants to interact with validated data, IP, protocols, and targets without revealing sensitive information.

Think of Biosnarks as a stack that enables privacy-preserving biodata and drug marketplaces for lead generation and optimization, even in a federated environment.