what's Shielded Labs?

Shielded Labs is a non-profit organization based in Switzerland dedicated to the development and improvement of Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. Their mission is to enhance Zcash's privacy and security features, making it the leading option for private digital money. Funded through donations from Zcash holders and supporters, the organization operates independently to align with community interests. A key initiative is Crosslink, a hybrid Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm designed to upgrade Zcash's network. Crosslink aims to combine the security of PoW with the energy efficiency and decentralization benefits of PoS, targeting completion of a full implementation within 12 months followed by production deployment. Zooko Wilcox, Zcash's founder, joined as Head of Product to accelerate this upgrade. The organization conducts regular workshops and prototype releases for Crosslink, fostering community involvement. They emphasize cryptographic innovations to maintain Zcash's shielded transactions, ensuring user privacy through zero-knowledge proofs.

Shielded Labs received over 3,000 units in donations via an anonymous fundraising mechanism.