Welcome back to the second part of our ZKonnect wrap-up! In case you missed it, you can catch up on the first part here, where we delved into the initial three weeks of whiteboard sessions, demos, and the thrilling ZKHack.
In this segment, in collaboration with Qiming Venture, we hosted a week full of nighttime events during the Devconnect week. Simultaneously, our hackers battled it out for prizes at ETHGlobal Istanbul. Hats off to our hackers for embracing challenges anytime, anywhere!
A Series of Night Events with Super Builders
We rocked three nights of ZK workshops and sessions, delved into MEV on one wild night, and explored security on another. It's been a hardcore week, no doubt about it. The in-person workshops were a pivotal moment, giving everyone a chance to connect, dive into common topics, and unleash a flood of creative ideas.
A massive shoutout to all the brilliant builders in the industry, and a special nod to our co-hosts Qiming and Mirana, who had our backs and kept the vibes high.
Now, what hidden treasures did we discover during this week-long nighttime events? Let's unveil the highlights one by one.
ZKP has been grabbing the spotlight for quite some time, and we felt blessed to have a lineup of brilliant zkp contributors right here in our hacker house, sharing their invaluable insights. Moreover, given that our hacker house is centered around zkp-based research this time, those three nights of zk events precisely offered our hackers opportunities for in-depth discussions with experienced applied zk builders.
Nov 13rd marked the beginning of our night event series, we arranged the workshop venue in a setup where everyone sat in a circle, bringing the speakers closer to the audience and fostering a sense of closeness among everyone. Starting with Scroll, QED, Risc Zero, Banana HQ, we had a great night on zk protocol and infrastructure exploration. For emerging ecosystems, tools and developer experience are crucial. That's why we aim to invite industry experts to explore how they can assist and inspire developers working on ZKP applications.
The next day was packed with insightful sessions, featuring Dr. Cathie from PSE discussing ZKML, Lance Davis on Giza, the Aztec team presenting a Noir workshop, DC hosting a Daimo workshop, and the Scroll teams in action. Dr. Cathie, a familiar face in our hacker house, shared her global insights on ZKML implementations. The on-site vibe was electric, with hackers actively engaging in discussions with our guest speakers. DC even provided a live demonstration of peer-to-peer transfers using Daimo on the spot.
On the final ZK night event on November 17th, our lineup featured Cecilia from Taiko discussing Chunk Prover, Harsh Bajpai leading a Kakarot workshop, Qi Zhou from EthStorage diving into ZKgo, Ismael shedding light on the Applications of Zero-Knowledge Proofs for MapReduce Computation, and an exciting ZkP2P workshop.
These presentations not only enriched our understanding of zero-knowledge proofs but also sparked inspiration and dialogue among attendees. It was a night to remember, filled with knowledge-sharing and exploration at its finest.
The guests over these three nights were all incredibly hardcore and brought an electrifying atmosphere. We had a unique chance to connect with these remarkable builders. Their dedication and expertise made this experience exceptional. In addition to the ZK Nights, we went the extra mile by organizing special evening events dedicated to MEV and Security.
On November 15th, we assembled a team of MEV experts to act as guides through this dark forest of Ethereum. Mike, a researcher from Ethereum Foundation, provided valuable insights into why it’s hard to enshrine PBS. Titan offered a deep dive into the inner workings of block builders and the intricate games played within. Danning, a skilled data scientist hailing from Flashbots, unveiled a compelling data analysis of order flow and the dynamics of block building. Finally, Kydo from Eigenlayer demonstrated how to conduct partial block auctions with EigenLayer.
These enlightening sessions not only expanded our horizons but also provided valuable tools and knowledge to navigate the ever-evolving Ethereum landscape.
Next up, we embarked on a journey into the realm of security, a crucial aspect in the blockchain adventure.
Scientist Alp, representing Veridise, took the stage to illuminate us on the subject of "Common Vulnerabilities in ZK Circuits." His insightful presentation shed light on the potential weak points within zk circuits and elucidated strategies for their detection.
The co-founder of Sherlock added another layer of security insights by introducing us to the concept of "Audit Contests." This innovative approach to security assessment fosters a dynamic environment for identifying vulnerabilities, further enhancing the robustness of blockchain systems.
Lastly, Hanzhi, co-founder of Riema Labs, delivered an excellent presentation themed around "Proactively Securing the World Computer: A New Paradigm in Blockchain Security." His insights opened up new horizons for addressing emerging security challenges in the ever-evolving world of blockchain technology.
Hello HyperCube, chewing glass winner of ZKHack
In just two days, our mentor Yu Guo, along with hackers Even and Kai, crafted the remarkable "Hello HyperCube," which went on to earn the Chewing Glass Award at ZK Hack. This project has a clear mission: to simplify the intricacies of zkSNARKs. It achieves this by implementing cryptographic primitives that transform a complex multivariate polynomial circuit into a more manageable univariate polynomial — a process known as "univarization.”
We applied a green discussion corner at Devconnect dedicated to Hello HyperCube. This innovative space provided a welcoming haven for anyone eager to explore this intriguing topic and actively participate in enlightening discussions.
As we came together for this demo, which marked the conclusion of our whiteboard discussion series, we were met with a bittersweet mix of emotions. It was a moment to pause and contemplate the remarkable journey we've been on, where we've achieved significant progress and generously shared a wealth of knowledge.
Hacking at Ethglobal Istanbul
The Ethglobal Istanbul Hackathon was a resounding success, taking place seamlessly from November 17th to 19th, right at the weekend that followed the conclusion of Devconnect. This hackathon featured a total of 51 prize pools, looking forward to reconnecting with around 1500 community members from both, the vibrant local community of Ethereum enthusiasts and our international hackers, travelling from afar. This is undoubtedly a developer's celebration!
Our hackers also took part in this massive hackathon and secured some of the prize pools. Below are the projects that won prizes:
It’s an on-chain game lobby with p2p chat & settings negotiation, reusable by any web2 or web3 game.
Tgwap allows traders to automatically sell tokens from the moment they buy them.
GOAT RAMP brings your offchain credit card payments onchain by extracting the signatures inside the NFC chip.
LendingZK is a pioneering lending platform prioritizing privacy. Experience confidential transactions with zero-knowledge email.
A big salute to these fearless hackers who embrace challenges and hacking with enthusiasm! Their active engagement is what keeps our hacker house vibrant and thriving.
See you… until next time!
This month has been extraordinary for Antalpha Hacker House, marking our first month-long hacker house venture overseas — a significant challenge for us. Throughout this month, we reunited with many old friends and made the acquaintance of numerous interesting new ones. Thank you all! You've helped us create some wonderful memories.
We'd like to express our deep appreciation once more to our co-host Qiming, our mentors, our hackers, our esteemed guest speakers, and all the friends who enriched our co-working space with their presence. Until next time, see you all!