zkLink Approves 16 Projects in Ecosystem Developer Grants Program Paving Way for Aggregated DeFi Future, Announces Phase 2

Singapore, July 24, 2024 — Aggregated rollup infra builder zkLink, today announced the recipients for Phase 1 of its Ecosystem Developer Grants program, a 20 million $ZKL grants program aimed at stimulating the growth of its aggregated DeFi ecosystem. The program, which received over 100 applications, had approved 16 projects for financial and marketing support to build on zkLink Nova, the industry’s first aggregated Layer 3 rollup network.

Running from March 11 to July 20, 2024, Phase 1 had earmarked 10 million ZKL tokens for its recipients. The grant recipients in Phase 1 include Oku Trade, RedStone, Holdstation, Solv Protocol, Snapshot, NovaSwap, POKT Network, Layerbank, Izumi Finance, AGX, Sturdy, Steer Protocol, Allspark, Protofire, SphereX and Chainnodes.

Vince Yang, CEO at zkLink, expressed his enthusiasm. “We are thrilled to announce the Phase 1 recipients of our Ecosystem Developer Grants Program. These projects exemplify the outstanding dedication to cultivate a vibrant and seamless aggregated DeFi ecosystem. Each recipient has demonstrated a commitment to advancing aggregated solutions like zkLink Nova, driving innovative change and inspiring others through their work”.  

On zkLink Nova, dApps can access a ‘unified Ethereum experience’ of aggregated assets from eight of Ethereum’s broader Layer 2 rollup ecosystems, such as Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, ZKsync, Linea, Scroll, Manta, and Mantle. Secured by zero-knowledge proofs and multi-chain state synchronization, zkLink Nova offers developers the opportunity to explore new interoperable DeFi primitives while benefiting from the lower gas costs of its aggregated Layer 3 zkEVM network.

“The grants program reflects our vision to seamlessly bridge Web3 and Web2 together through industry collaboration. We are excited to see how the grant recipients will utilize this funding to further their projects and contribute to the community,” Yang added. 

“Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you for your contributions. We look forward to seeing the continued progress to unifying Layer 2s into one interoperable platform.”

zkLink Ecosystem Developer Grants Program Phase 2

Phase 2 of the Ecosystem Developer Grants Program will commence on 24 July 2024, and conclude on 30 September 2024. The phase will build on the successes and lessons learned from Phase 1, ensuring that grant applicants will receive guidance, flexible funding mechanisms, and reduced decision-making times.

The goal of Phase 2 is to support applications that are able to positively impact the on-chain activity and user experience(UX) on zkLink Nova. 

Protocols from diverse verticals, including but not limited to DeFi, meme projects, gaming, and AI are encouraged to apply. Special considerations will be given to open-sourced solutions and projects with a proven track record in either zero-knowledge (ZK) or Optimism (OP) rollup networks. Phase 2 will also continue to support innovative protocols and encourage the deployment of native dApps on zkLink Nova.

For more information about the zkLink Ecosystem Grants Program or to apply, visit website.

About zkLink

zkLink develops leading zero-knowledge blockchain solutions for the Ethereum ecosystem. Its flagship zkLink Nova is the industry’s first aggregated Layer 3 zkEVM Rollup network built on top of Ethereum and Ethereum Layer 2 rollups (L2s). It is an EVM-compatible, open platform that allows for scattered assets across Ethereum Layer 2s to be aggregated for interoperable trade and transactions. It is secured by zero-knowledge proof technology, charges extremely low gas costs, offers fast finality, and inherits its security from Ethereum.

zkLink is funded by notable backers including Coinbase Ventures, Solana Ventures, SIG DTI, Arrington Capital, and others.

Media Contact:

neil@zklink.org