Hello friends,
@fabacab , @cos and I just got back from our trip to ETHBoulder and ETHDenver in Denver, CO. We wore Zcash shirts and were absolutely overwhelmed with questions and people approaching us at almost every event we attended.
While I was there, I posted each day on my Twitter [https://x.com/zReadyMouse\] the selfies of new Zodl users as well as their u-addresses to welcome them into the community.
Because of a friend we met at ETHDenver last year, and saw through our conferences trips but @fabacab and I got asked to speak about zcash at ETHBoulder. Vi talked about practical usage of Zodl with a live demo and interactive app support. I talked about integrating payment processor options into e-commerce websites, covering from scratch, Zgo, BTCPay’s server + zcash plugin and NOWPayments. As a result of our continued presence at these conferences, both Vi and I were invited to speak ETHConf in the coming months.
Stats:
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+51 new Zodl (formally Zashi) downloads
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+275 Individual interactions talking about ZEC (measured in # of “Protection is ZECsy” condoms given out)
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+54 new contact entries in my phone
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+87 new contact entries in @fabacab ’s phone
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+41 new contact entries in @cos ’s phone
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Attended 19 side events, including Aztec’s Privacy Meetup and Aleo/Miden’s Privacy Salon.
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Attended 2 main events (ETHBoulder and ETHDenver)
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@readymouse presented “Private Payment Processors” at ETHBoulder
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@fabacab presented the practical usage of Zashi at ETHBoulder
Impact Summary
@fabacab and I onboarded 34 new Zodl users in our 10 days in Buenos Aires, by adding @cos we onboarded 50 new Zodl users in 9 days.
* Supporting Financial Privacy Education for At-Risk Communities
Connections of Note:
Bitvavo (https://bitvavo.com): Bitvavo is the largest European spot exchange, and at the Aleo/Miden Privacy Salon @fabacab connected with their listing manager. The manager has been trying to get in contact with someone at the Zcash company for some time, as she had concerns about ZEC’s compliance and regulation but also because she wants to list ZEC. @Fabacab spent over an hour discussing the technical aspects of transparent vs shielded addresses, as well as onboarding her to the Zodl (formally Zashi) wallet. The listing manage left the event excited about connecting with a zcasher and hopes to continue the collaboration. Connection details were forwarded to @paulbrigner , to hopefully bring Zcash to the European spot exchange markets.
Event Collaboration Connections:
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WebZero + Berlin Blockchain Week
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Bitrefill + Zcash at Exxxotica
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Paris Blockchain Week
1. Webzero: We met the webzero team at ETHDenver last year, and then saw them again at Permissionless NYC, devConnect Buenos Aires and now here again at ETHDenver. Roman, Zoe, and Darcio are the main organizers and they are excited about the idea of a Zcash x Webzero co-hosted event, potentially during Berlin Blockchain Week in June as it’s their home base. Webzero consistency hosts quality networking events across the globe, and the production team is very data-driven with participation metrics.
2. Bitrefill: The gift card off ramping service would love to partner with Zcash for a booth at a future event. Zcash as the payment method/on-ramp, Bitrefill as the off ramp. @fabacab suggested Exxxotica Chicago to target the adult industry as a space that could benefit from encrypted money for payments with a natural collaboration of Bitrefill for the off-ramp. Lawrence at Bitrefill was particularly excited and willing to explore a collaboration.
3. Paris Blockchain Week (https://www.parisblockchainweek.com/): @cos connected with the hackathon sponsor coordinator for the Paris Blockchain Week hackathon and he was super excited to see Zcash representatives. He would love to have Zcash sponsor a bounty or in someway participate in the event. (We currently do not have bandwidth to support this event, but if someone wants to pick up with thread we can make introductions.)
Speaking Invitations:
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ETHConf during a privacy panel discussion (@fabacab + @readymouse )
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Chris Rios’s podcast from Power Down Semiconductors, Inc.
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Tony Chung at Blockmedia
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The Defi Professor podcast
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Pump Pals
All of these speaking opportunities are a result of our in-person relations built over multiple conferences. We will be following up on these speaking opportunities, as our time and energy allows.
Strategic Event Portfolio
1. DevConnect Argentina - November 17-22, 2025 (Complete!)
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First-ever “Ethereum World’s Fair” with global developer community
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Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress #2 by Web3Privacy Now + ETHBuenos Aires
→ Impact: +34 New Zashi users, and +175 personal conversations about Zcash
2. ETHDenver – 17 - 21st February 2026 (Complete!)
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Continue outreach, marketing and developer relation effort at largest free Ethereum event with 18,000+ attendees and major hackathon component
→ Impact: +51 New Zodl users, and +275 personal conversations about Zcash
3. ETH CC + ETHGlobal Cannes, France - March 2026 (Current Ask)
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Europe’s longest-running Ethereum conference (10,000+ attendees) with strong community focus and collaborative atmosphere
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Concurrent ETHGlobal hackathon in Cannes creates dual opportunity for advocacy and technical demonstration
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European venue expands Zcash touch points beyond North America and strengthens relationships with EU-based privacy advocates
4. Exxxotica Chicago – April 10-12, 2026 (Current Ask)
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Adult industry professional trade show and conference with 20,000 - 30,000 attendees
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Potential collaboration with Bitrefill for a joint booth
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Strong values alignment with privacy focused industry
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Optional: Daily seminar/workshop opportunity with upgraded booth package + sponsorship
5. BTC Vegas - April 27-29, 2026 (Future Vision)
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Premium Bitcoin conference with tickets ranging $1,999-$7,777
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High-net-worth individual attendance ideal for institutional outreach
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Interactions outside the ETH community, and across the larger web3 space
6. Consensus Miami - May 5-7, 2026 (Future Vision)
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North American flagship crypto event with 15,000+ expected attendees
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Miami’s crypto-friendly environment; perfect culmination event to demonstrate 6-month momentum
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Potential opportunity to co-host a lunch + learn workshop with WebQ to present practical usage of Zodl and intro to privacy technologies
6. ETHConf + ETHGlobal NYC – June 8-10 (Future Vision)
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Premier East Coast Ethereum event in crypto’s financial capital with strong developer and institutional presence
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ETHGlobal hackathon component attracts top-tier builders and offers opportunity to demonstrate Zcash tooling to fresh cohort of developers
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Potential speaking opportunities via connections made at devConnect Buenos Aires + ETHDenver
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Home base for us.
7. Berlin Blockchain Week – June 14 -20 (Future Vision)
- Potential event collaboration with WebZero
8. Permissionless NYC – June 24-26th (Future Vision)
- Home base for us.
9. Exxxotica Minneapolis, MN – June 26-28 (Future Vision)
- If the booth goes well in Chicago, IL consider higher sponsorship/seminar package for MN.
10. Exxxotica Edison, NJ – October (Future Vision)
11. Exxxotica Miami, FL – Dec (Future Vision)
We deeply appreciate the community grant committee’s support of our work and contributions.