# Shielded Labs: An Independent, Non-US Organization **URL:** \ **Category:** Governance\ **Created:** [January 30, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/shielded-labs-an-independent-non-us-organization/43855 "2023-01-30T19:20:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 115
**Author:** ![aquietinvestor](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/zcash/user_avatar/forum.zcashcommunity.com/aquietinvestor/32/34528_2.png) [@aquietinvestor](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/u/aquietinvestor)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 4:26pm UTC](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/shielded-labs-an-independent-non-us-organization/43855/115 "2026-01-20T16:26:56Z")
Shielded Labs is happy to announce that we have received a generous donation of 3,221 ZEC (approximately $1.2 million) from Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. This contribution will directly support Shielded Labs’ core initiatives, including the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM), Crosslink, and Dynamic Fees, which focus on strengthening the long-term security, sustainability, and scalability of the Zcash network. Tyler and Cameron are long-time, deeply committed supporters of Zcash and its mission to build unstoppable private money. Through Gemini, they have consistently demonstrated leadership in supporting Zcash directly. Gemini was the first major exchange to support shielded Zcash withdrawals, which now includes support for Orchard, Zcash’s most advanced privacy protocol. More recently, they reinforced their commitment to Zcash with the launch of the Cypherpunk DAT, reflecting their continued belief in cypherpunk values and self-sovereign private money. In Tyler’s words, “A healthy Zcash ecosystem depends on multiple independent organizations contributing at the protocol level. Shielded Labs plays an important role in that effort, and we’re glad to support their work.” Cameron echoed that view, saying, “We’ve supported Zcash for many years because we believe strong privacy is an essential property of sound money. Shielded Labs is doing important work at the protocol level, and we’re happy to support their efforts.” Shielded Labs is a Swiss-based Zcash support organization funded by donations from Zcash holders and supporters. We operate independently of the Dev Fund and block rewards, with donations supporting long-term protocol development. This donation is Tyler and Cameron’s second contribution to Shielded Labs. Their first donation, made in 2023, supported the formation of a dedicated team focused on Crosslink. We are grateful for this strong vote of confidence in Shielded Labs and in the broader Zcash ecosystem. Their contribution meaningfully accelerates our ability to execute on critical protocol-level work and to collaborate openly with other contributors to advance Zcash’s mission. We sincerely appreciate Tyler and Cameron’s continued support of Zcash and its ongoing development. --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.zcashcommunity.com/t/shielded-labs-an-independent-non-us-organization/43855)._