Learn Zcash

Who created Zcash?

Zcash was invented by a group of scientists and brought to life by Electric Coin Co. and Zooko Wilcox, a computer security specialist and original cypherpunk.

In 2013, a group of scientists got together to solve Bitcoin’s biggest problem: privacy. Their original solution was Zerocoin, a proposed privacy extension to Bitcoin, but they quickly pivoted and recruited additional scientists to build a standalone protocol known today as Zcash. The Zerocoin Electric Coin Company (now Electric Coin Co.) was formed in 2015 to create the protocol, and Zcash was launched in October 2016. The Zcash Foundation was formed in 2017 to further support Zcash, and in 2020, the Zcash Major Grants organization launched to help fund additional developers and community projects.

Listen to the story

  • History, Privacy, Zcash 101
Share this answer:

Related

Featured

How to use Zcash

Zcash is private, fast, and accessible for everyone. Use your mobile phone or computer to privately pay a friend, send money overseas, buy groceries, or send a donation to a …
Learn more

Is Zcash traceable?

Shielded Zcash transactions are encrypted, and users’ addresses, their transaction amount …
  • Crypto Basics, Privacy, Zcash 101

What’s the best Zcash wallet?

We recommend using a wallet that is shielded by default.
  • Privacy, Using Zcash, Zcash 101

What are Zcash unified addresses?

A unified address is generated from multiple Zcash address types, and with other features, like …
  • Advanced, Using Zcash, Zcash 101

Where can I use or spend Zcash?

Zcash is built for the digital age. It’s private, fast, flexible, and accessible to everyone. Use …
  • Tutorials, Using Zcash, Zcash 101

What are zk-SNARKs?

The acronym zk-SNARK stands for Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge …
  • Crypto Basics, Privacy, Zcash 101

Can I make money mining Zcash?

A miner earns roughly .03 ZEC per block mined. Your profitability depends on operating costs and …
  • Mining Zcash, Using Zcash, Zcash 101

Does Zcash contain a backdoor?

No. Zcash does not contain a backdoor, it has never contained a backdoor, and Electric Coin Co. has …
  • Crypto Basics, Privacy, Zcash 101

Is Bitcoin private?

Bitcoin transactions are public. They can be viewed by anyone.
Back to top

Ready to use ZEC?

Learn

Learn the basics of Zcash and browse resources.

Use Zcash

Find ecosystem resources, like exchanges and wallets.

Connect

Visit the Zcash Community Hub and join the conversation.

Build

Find tools and contribute to the Zcash Ecosystem.