zkFold x zkPass: Bring zkPass to Cardano

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Vladimir Sinyakov

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Co-proposers and additional applicants

zkPass

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

zkPass is a leading cross-chain data oracle solution. Leveraging zkFold's expertise in Cardano smart contracts and ZKPs, we aim to integrate zkPass's robust data verification services on Cardano.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies.

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

No

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

BSL 1.1. The code will be available on GitHub.

[METADATA] SDG rating

N/A

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

zkPass is a privacy-focused data oracle using zero-knowledge proofs and multi-party сomputation to enable selective, secure, and private validation of user data from any HTTPS-based web sources to the blockchain permissionlessly.

It can cover various data types such as legal identity, financial records, healthcare information, social interactions, work experience, education and skill certifications, proof of real-world assets, etc. All these types of verifications can be done securely and privately without the need to disclose or upload any sensitive personal data to third parties.

By verifying zkPass proofs on-chain, users get an independent, unforgeable attestation of the validity of their private data. Currently, zkPass supports many EVM chains. By implementing zkPass proof verification contracts on Cardano, we enable Cardano users to access zkPass functionality from the comfort of their Cardano wallets.

zkFold has agreed with zkPass to build the necessary smart contract infrastructure on Cardano. At zkFold, we have a team that is uniquely capable of adopting zkPass’s smart contracts to Cardano’s architecture, which is significantly different from the EVM world.

The solution will consist of the following components:

• on-chain verification scripts that mint Cardano native tokens serving as attestations of user data validity,
• a JS library that integrates with zkPass’s JS-SDK and contains the off-chain code for building Cardano transactions and querying attestation data from the blockchain.

More information on zkPass can be found on their website and Notion explainer page:

https://zkpass.org/

https://zkpass.notion.site/zkPass-in-a-nutshell-af219eaf49be41448b9dc8db0a9edaf3

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Integrating zkPass with Cardano brings a unique approach to expanding data oracle capabilities. Unlike traditional oracles that rely on multi-signature processes, zkPass employs Multi-party Computation (MPC) to enhance security, uniformly treating all data retrieved via HTTPS protocols. Regardless of its source, each piece of data is processed consistently within the zkPass network, ensuring comprehensive security and data integrity and setting it apart from conventional oracles.

This approach not only enables better security but is also much more robust and universal. While traditional oracles deal with publicly available data and rely on the existence of multiple sources of the same data, zkPass lets users verify their own data. More precisely, any HTTPS-based communication, such as API calls to a trusted data source, can be processed with zkPass and verified on the Cardano blockchain.

The impact on Cardano from the implementation of this proposal will include

• completely new types of dapps that depend on bringing web2 data to web3
• more decentralization and security for the existing dapps
• a simpler design for dapps that utilize oracles

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

ZKFold is the company that works on L1 and L2 scaling for Cardano using zero-knowledge proofs. It aims to release the first version of zkFold Symbolic (the zero-knowledge smart contract language) in Q3 2024. The zkFold team consists of expert Haskell, Rust, and ZKP developers. The founder of zkFold, Vladimir Sinyakov, previously completed a Project Catalyst Fund 6 grant leading the ENCOINS team. ENCOINS is a DApp on Cardano that has been recently launched on the mainnet. Also, zkFold is consistently delivering Fund 11 proposals' milestones.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Create documentation

Implement a smart contract prototype

Implement off-chain code prototype

Generate JS code for building transactions

Generate JS code for querying blockchain attestations

Finalize smart contract and the JS library

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The zkFold team consists of expert Haskell, Rust, and ZKP developers. ZKFold's team members participated in the development of several successful projects on different blockchains, including Cardano, Polkadot, and Near. The zkFold team won the EMURGO BUILD Hackathon on the zero-knowledge track and took 3rd place in the Battle of the Builders at the Cardano Summit 2023 in Dubai. Also, all of zkFold's Fund 11 proposals have been accepted by the community.

Vladimir Sinyakov

Founder and CTO,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladimir-sinyakov/

Founder and protocol architect of ENCOINS. Ph.D. in Computational Mathematics. Prior experience includes five years of postdoc in applied mathematics (Control Theory), publishing in top journals in the field. Previously completed a Project Catalyst Fund 6 grant leading the ENCOINS team. ENCOINS is a DApp on Cardano that has been recently launched on the mainnet.

Stanislav Marycev

Co-founder, Business Development. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanislav-marycev/

Bachelor degree in Business Management. Cardano Blockchain Certified Associate (CBCA). PMP and agile professional with 12+ years of experience in worldwide IT and blockchain projects. Stanislav has experience in leading multicultural international teams (30+ countries) and working closely with top level stakeholders in finance.

Ilya Eriklintsev

ZKP researcher,

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilya-eriklintsev-3a296852/

Techlead at vSelf, an SSI solution on NEAR blockchain. More than six years of experience in the blockchain industry. Former researcher in Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Eitan Chatav

Developer

PhD in mathematics, expert in advanced mathematics and physics; probability and statistics, algebra, real and complex analysis. 5+ years of experience with blockchain, NFT, Haskell

Vladimir Morozov

Developer

B.Sc. in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, PhD in Computational Biology. 6+ years of experience with Haskell and Python

Other zkFold developers will contribute to this proposal on request.

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Documentation and project management: 56,000 ADA

1 technical writer @ $3,000 per month for 4 months = $12,000 (~25,000 ADA)

1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)

1 project manager @ $2,100 per month for 4 months = $8,400 (~18,000 ADA)

Implement a smart contract prototype: 51,000 ADA

3 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $18,000 (~38,000 ADA)

1 ZKP researcher @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)

Implement off-chain code prototype: 54,000 ADA

2 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 3 months = $19,000 (~41,000 ADA)

1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~13,000 ADA)

Generate JS code for building transactions: 32,000 ADA

2 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $12,000 (~25,000 ADA)

1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 1 months = $3,000 (~7,000 ADA)

Generate JS code for querying blockchain attestations: 45,000 ADA

2 software developers @ $3,000 per month for 3 months = $18,000 (~38,000 ADA)

1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 1 months = $3,000 (~7,000 ADA)

Finalize smart contract and the JS library: 12,000 ADA

1 software developer @ $3,000 per month for 2 months = $6,000 (~12,000 ADA)

Total: $117,000 = ~ 250,000 ADA

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The project requires a deep understanding of Cardano smart contracts and blockchain backend infrastructure, as well as expertise in zero-knowledge cryptographic protocols. As we pay competitive salaries to our developers and researchers, we've arrived at the budget breakdown above. Ultimately, the project's cost is comparable to other Cardano projects of similar scale.