RISC Zero, a zero-knowledge (ZK) virtual machine technology developer, has raised $40 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by Blockchain Capital, with Bain Capital Crypto, Galaxy Digital, IOSG, RockawayX, Maven 11, Fenbushi Capital, Delphi Digital, Aglaé Ventures, IOBC, Tribute Labs’ Zero Dao, Figment Capital, and Alchemy Ventures also participating as notable investors.
The company’s primary goal is to equip developers and infrastructure providers with innovative cryptographic tools that enable trustless, scalable, and decentralized computation on and off the blockchain.
Their ZK technology empowers users to take control of their digital world by ensuring computational integrity and producing indisputable receipts of accurate program execution.
RISC Zero’s ZK Virtual Machine (zkVM) allows developers to build ZK-powered applications using familiar programming languages like Rust and C++. This novel virtual machine can run programs of varying complexity and scope on off-the-shelf computing platforms, a significant advancement in the blockchain industry.
The potential of zero-knowledge computing is immense, promising a world where data privacy, security, and trust are no longer concerns. With transparent and verifiable software supply chains, a new generation of applications can tackle critical digital-age challenges. This vision has attracted investment from prominent figures like Bart Stephens, Founder and Managing Partner at Blockchain Capital, who sees the promise of zero-knowledge computing as a reason to invest in RISC Zero.
With the funds raised in this Series A round, RISC Zero plans to launch its Bonsai computing platform, which will support rapid application development and deployment in both centralized and decentralized environments.
Bonsai aims to simplify ZK-proving functionality, making it accessible to any developer, using any programming language, on any blockchain.
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