Variant: Why we lead the investment in zero-knowledge proof market L1 Gevulot

Author: Jesse Walden, Variant Lianchuang and Partner; Alana Levin, Variant Partner; Translation: Golden Finance xiaozou

Zero-knowledge cryptography plays an increasingly important role in protecting Internet data and verifying calculations The more important it is. The technology is developing at an ever-increasing pace and material costs are drastically reduced, giving a new generation of developers the ability to experiment with unique applications. Rollup is maturing, and as its on-chain activity grows, there will be greater demand for zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) generation. Even outside the realm of blockchain, artificial intelligence and its proliferation of deepfakes are driving the need for greater computational integrity. As these factors grow, so will the need for zero-knowledge proofs. We are on the cusp of an exponential growth inflection point.

As this new paradigm emerges, low-cost, high-performance, reliable zkp generation will become a top priority for developers. That’s why we’re excited to announce that Variant led Gevulot’s seed round.

As an L1 universal proof network, Gevulot allows anyone to deploy a prover or verifier on the chain, and it is easy: deploying these programs is largely like Deploy or interact with smart contracts.

Lower costs and faster. Gevulot’s open supplier allows professional suppliers to compete with each other, helping to lower prices for zkp buyers. At the same time, a logically centralized integration point is created for requirements, thereby reducing the discovery and coordination costs of proving buyers. It also helps maximize network-wide utilization: if hardware proves capable of meeting demand from different sources, it's less likely to sit idle. It's a win-win situation. Over time, we expect that it will be possible for zkp buyers to distribute the proof work to multiple provers, further optimizing cost and performance in ways that are not possible with a single/centralized service.

More flexible and reliable. Decentralized networks are preferable to centralized solutions. Not only does it include all the options of a centralized solution (since the buyer can specify only one prover to execute the request), but it also opens the market for specific requirements such as multiple provers generating redundant proofs. In addition, because Gevulot runs as L1, it has a range of scaling options to promote prover activity - native incentives can promote prover uptime, and penalties can deter malicious behavior. All of the above options are beyond the scope of centralized services.

Teemu Päivinen, Tuomas Mäkinen and other members of the Gevulot team bring extensive system experience and expertise gained during their time at Equilibrium. At Equilibrium, they work closely with rollup and infrastructure projects such as Starknet, Avail, and Aleo. Helping teams navigate different technology stacks gives them the opportunity to understand what is missing in the infrastructure world: a high-performance, decentralized prover network. This practical experience, coupled with a reputation earned through strength and long-term industry project relationships, makes Gevulot the team best suited to build such important and reliable neutral infrastructure.