Hi all! Here is our first monthly report for the Zcash Network School (Grant 266, May-July 2026). Full details below, and as always, happy to answer any questions.
Zcash Network School - Monthly Report #1 (May 2026)
Summary
May was the foundation month of Zcash Network School. Our office is decorated and fully operational, a content intern was selected and hired, all planned events were delivered with strong attendance, and we activated 36 wallets with onboarding incentives distributed to each new user.
Beyond the planned scope, we participated in two additional Network School events (NS Fair and NS Showcase) and received an invitation to participate in Q Day: Preparing Crypto for the Quantum Era, a relevant local event in June.
The team is in place, the infrastructure works, and June is about acceleration.
Deliverables Tracker - Milestone 1
| Deliverable (Milestone 1) | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Zcash Office operational | ✅ Complete | Decorated, inside NS Library. High foot traffic. |
| Content intern recruited | ✅ Complete | Adam - Operations. |
| 2 educational events | ✅ Exceeded | 2 delivered + 2 extra (NS Fair, NS Showcase). 69 registered, 45 attended. |
| 4 weekly office hours | ✅ Complete | 4/4 delivered. 43 registered, 33 attended. Avg 8/session. |
| Campaign materials produced | ✅ Complete | Poster, website. |
| Wallet activations (target: 100) | 🔄 On Track | 36 wallets activated in Month 1 (36%). Each verified via NS Discord. Zodl wallet + proof of personhood. Incentives ($5/user) distributed to all 36. |
| POS & Merchant adoption (target: 4) | 🔄 On Track | 1 ongoing CypherPay integration, 2 wallet-based confirmed live, 6 in onboarding. 9 total pipeline vs 4 target. |
| User interviews (target: 10+) | 🔄 On Track | 3-tier framework complete (newcomers, crypto-aware, merchants). 3 test interviews conducted. |
Office
The Zcash office at Network School is set up and decorated. It serves as the physical anchor for office hours, casual onboarding conversations, and interviews. Located inside the NS Library where major events take place, it benefits from high foot traffic and natural visibility.
Events
Target: 2/month - Delivered: 2 + 2 extra
| Event | Date | Venue | Registered | Attended |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy is Normal | May 15 (Fri), 4pm | NS Library | 26 | 17 |
| ZKP 101 | May 21 (Thu), 3pm | NS Library | 43 | 28 |
| Totals | 69 | 45 |
Attendance tracked via NS event platform. Supporting evidence (screenshots, event photos) available upon request.
Privacy is Normal was built from scratch for this program and delivered by Andre. Reception was overwhelmingly positive. The talk frames privacy as a necessary design principle, a safety measure, and, of course, normal. It walks the audience through practical tools and closes with a focus on financial privacy through Zcash.
Zero Knowledge Proofs 101 was delivered by James and drew the highest registration of any Zcash event at NS. 43 sign-ups for a technical topic indicates genuine demand for deeper cryptography content in this community.
Average attendance of 23 per event falls within the 20-60 range outlined in our proposal. The 65% show-up rate (registered vs attended) is typical for free community events.
Extra events (beyond original scope):
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NS Fair: Zcash booth at the Network School community fair, introducing the project to a broader audience and inviting attendees to upcoming events.
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NS Showcase: Participated in the NS Showcase, increasing visibility across the wider NS community.
Office Hours
Target: 4/month - Delivered: 4
| Session | Registered | Attended |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 11 | 7 |
| Week 2 | 15 | 12 |
| Week 3 | 12 | 10 |
| Week 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Totals | 43 | 33 |
All four office hours were delivered as planned. Average attendance of 8 per session is within the 5-25 range outlined in the proposal. Week 2 had the strongest turnout, coinciding with peak interest from the fresh cohort. Week 4 dipped as some residents departed and others had already been onboarded in previous sessions.
Onboarding & Wallets
| Metric | May | Cumulative | 3-Month Target | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallet activations | 36 | 36 | 100 | 36% |
36 verified wallet activations in the first month. Each activation is tied to a unique person verified through the official NS Discord (closed community). Method: Zodl wallet download + proof of personhood.
With the onboarding flow now established and events ramping up, we project acceleration in June as the process becomes more streamlined and word-of-mouth among residents takes effect.
POS & Merchant Adoption
3-Month Target: 4 businesses - Month 1 pipeline: 9
| Stage | Count | Details |
|---|---|---|
| CypherPay integration) | 1 | Merchant onboarded integrating CypherPay on website |
| Confirmed (wallet-based) | 2 | Local merchants confirmed capable of accepting payments directly through wallets |
| In progress | 6 | In onboarding process |
Reception to accepting ZEC as payment was overwhelmingly positive and above expectations. We are on track to exceed the 4-merchant target by end of Phase 1.
User Interviews
3-Month Target: 10+ interviews
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Interview framework: Complete. Questions designed across three tiers (newcomers, crypto-aware, and merchants) using behavior-first methodology.
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Test interviews: 3 conducted in May to validate the question set.
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June plan: 7 interviews scheduled.
The three-tier framework ensures we capture distinct perspectives: residents encountering Zcash for the first time, participants with existing crypto experience, and business owners evaluating payment integration. Anonymized insights will be shared as this track ramps up. With 7 interviews planned for June, we are on track to exceed the 10-interview target by end of Phase 1.
Community Integration
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Represented Zcash at the NS Fair and NS Showcase, two high-visibility Network School events beyond the original scope.
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Received invitation for Q Day in June (quantum computing event) - a natural opportunity to highlight Zcash’s quantum-readiness roadmap.
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Regular announcements in NS communication channels driving awareness of office hours and events.
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Active participation in NS campus life builds organic trust and visibility beyond scheduled events.
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Several NS residents engaged with the Zcash Community Forum during the intern recruitment process, and interviewees explored the forum as part of their research. Early signs of organic community crossover that we plan to nurture in June.
Team
| Member | Role |
|---|---|
| Andre | Project Lead - Education strategy, program design, event delivery, reporting |
| James | Zcash infrastructure and technology - office hours, ZK lectures |
| Adam | Content Intern - Operations, onboarding and interview support |
Special thanks to Zcashme interns Souvik and Keiara for their support in decorating the office and onboarding new users.
Spending
| Category | May | Budget (3-month) |
|---|---|---|
| Team (compensation) | $3,400.00 | $10,200.00 |
| Office | $400.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Supplies & materials | $413.75 | $1,400.00 |
| Incentives to users | $180.00 | $800.00 |
| Total | $4,393.75 | $13,600.00 |
Observations
May was a busy month at Network School, with higher-than-expected competition for event slots and venues, including simultaneous events in prime time. Despite this, both talks delivered above-average attendance relative to other NS events and stayed within proposal guidelines.
We experimented with different days and times to find optimal scheduling, and secured improved calendar slots for June.
Looking Ahead: June
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Deliver 2 planned educational events (Privacy is Normal + ZKP 101)
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Deliver 4 weekly office hours sessions
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Accelerate wallet activations toward the 100 target (64 remaining)
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Convert pipeline merchants into confirmed POS integrations; offer incentives to merchants accepting ZEC
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Execute 7 user interviews and begin synthesizing insights for publication
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Participate in Q Day event (quantum + privacy narrative)
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Participate in NS Fair and NS Showcase if recurring in June
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Begin promoting Zcash Community Forum, ZecHub, and coinholder votes among onboarded residents
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Continue refining event scheduling based on May data