Boundless (ZKC): Universal Protocol for Verifiable Compute and Zero-Knowledge Proofs

Boundless is a protocol designed to provide verifiable compute on any blockchain, enabling users and developers to access secure, transparent, and provable computations across decentralized networks. Developed by RISC Zero and founded in 2022 by Shiv Shankar and Jeremy Bruestle, this platform has raised approximately $52-54 million led by Blockchain Capital and Bain Capital Crypto to bring ZK technology to every chain. Boundless (ZKC) will soon be available on Bitget!

What is Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless is a protocol for accessing verifiable compute on any chain and rewarding nodes for contributing useful work. The platform allows organizations and developers to upgrade their rollups to ZK (Zero-Knowledge) technology within hours, enhancing finality and security for blockchain transactions and applications.

Boundless addresses core challenges in blockchain infrastructure including lack of transparency in centralized order-book exchanges, slow adoption of ZK rollups due to complex engineering requirements, and limited onchain verifiable compute. The platform introduces a system where anyone can verify onchain activity, reserves, or exit states, fostering greater user control and transparency.

Core Innovation: Boundless operates as a universal protocol designed to bring verifiable compute and ZK-proof capabilities to any blockchain ecosystem, supporting Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and more. The platform uses a generalized zkVM (Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine) model with zk-STARK proof systems and permissionless prover networks competing through Proof of Verifiable Work (PoVW).

Who Created Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless was founded in 2022 by the RISC Zero team, which pioneered the RISC-V general-purpose zero-knowledge virtual machine. The project is led by experienced blockchain and cryptography specialists from major technology companies.

Shiv Shankar (CEO):

● Former engineering, protocol, and scaling lead at Microsoft, Lyft, Coinbase, and Avalanche

● Expert in ZK proof systems and blockchain infrastructure

● Appointed CEO of Boundless in May 2025 to lead the universal ZK protocol vision

Jeremy Bruestle (Co-founder CEO of RISC Zero):

● Veteran developer behind the world's first general-purpose zkVM

● Led engineering teams at Intel and other major technology firms

● Co-founded RISC Zero to advance zero-knowledge proof technology

Key Team Members:

● Réka Medvecz (Core contributor with experience in scaling onchain communities and protocol design)

● Joe Restivo (COO, former SVP Operations at RISC Zero with fintech and web3 experience)

● Brett Carter (VP of Product, led product launches in zero-knowledge domains)

● Phil Kelly (VP of Ecosystems, specializes in developer relations and scaling adoption)

Team Background:

The Boundless team includes engineers, cryptographers, and product experts from Amazon, Meta, Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, Mina Foundation, Uber, and Ripple, with technical advisors including Professor Dan Boneh of Stanford University.

What VCs Back Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless has raised approximately $52-54 million over multiple rounds from crypto investors.

Funding Rounds:

● Seed Round: $12 million (August 2022, led by Bain Capital Crypto)

● Series A: $40 million (July 2023, led by Blockchain Capital)

● Total Raised: Approximately $52-54 million combining these rounds with additional strategic backing

Major Venture Capital Backers:

● Blockchain Capital (Series A lead investor)

● Bain Capital Crypto (seed round lead investor)

● Delphi Ventures (Series A)

● Galaxy Digital (Series A)

● Fenbushi Capital (Series A)

● IOSG Ventures (Series A)

● RockawayX (Series A)

● Maven 11 (Series A)

● Cota Capital (seed round)

● Geometry (seed round)

● D1 Ventures (seed round)

● Algaé Ventures

● IOBC

● Tribute Labs' Zero Dao

● Figment Capital

● a100x

● Alchemy

Strategic Partnerships:

Boundless has established partnerships with Union Protocol for trustless ZK interoperability, Wormhole for cross-chain security, Stellar Development Foundation for mainnet integration, and Fabric Cryptography for VPU infrastructure acceleration.

How Boundless (ZKC) Works

Boundless operates as a decentralized marketplace and infrastructure for generating, aggregating, and verifying zero-knowledge proofs on any blockchain, abstracting complex ZK engineering through developer tools.

Proof Lifecycle

The platform processes proof requests through a workflow where developers submit computation requests to the Boundless market. Provers (node operators) bid for jobs in an open, permissionless marketplace using reverse Dutch auctions for cost efficiency. Assigned provers execute computations in the zkVM, producing zero-knowledge proofs with output data.

zkVM Architecture

Boundless uses a generalized zkVM model supporting zk-STARK proof systems with recursive aggregation for minimizing onchain verification costs. The prover network operates through permissionless, decentralized Proof of Verifiable Work, allowing computation to occur off-chain while returning succinct zk proofs for verification on any chain.

Steel zk-coprocessor

Steel enables direct querying of EVM state inside the zkVM, allowing Solidity methods to be called within proofs and empowering direct offchain computation for Ethereum apps with minimal gas costs and near-instant finality.

Developer Tools

The platform provides Boundless Rust SDK for high-level APIs, boundless-cli for command-line operations, Foundry templates and tutorials for onboarding, and smart contract libraries for native verification across various blockchains.

You can access the platform at beboundless.xyz and explore documentation at docs.beboundless.xyz.

Boundless Token (ZKC) and Economics

The ZKC token serves as the central utility and incentive asset of the Boundless protocol, enabling staking, governance, market access, and securing proof operations throughout the verifiable compute ecosystem.

Token Details

● Token Name: Boundless (ZKC)

● Token Symbol: ZKC

● Genesis Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 ZKC (1 billion)

● Max Supply: Infinite (with annual inflation starting at 7% and tapering to 3%)

● Circulating Supply: 200,937,056 ZKC (approximately 20.09% of genesis supply)

● Contract Addresses:

○ Ethereum: 0x000006c2A22ff4A44ff1f5d0F2ed65F781F55555

○ BNB Smart Chain: 0x15247e6E23D3923a853cCf15940A20CCdf16e94a

Token Distribution

● Ecosystem Growth: 49% (app funding, protocol integration, strategic growth fund)

● Core Team Early Contributors: 23.5% (includes RISC Zero incubator, future hires)

● Investors: 21.5% (strategic VC partners and supporters)

● Community Token Sale Airdrop: 6% (early contributors, provers, airdrop programs)

Token Utilities

● Staking Security: Provers must stake ZKC as collateral to participate in the proof-generation market, with slashing for misbehavior or fraud

● Proof of Verifiable Work: Provers earn ZKC emissions for completing proof jobs, with incentives dynamically allocated based on market demand

● Governance: ZKC holders can stake tokens to propose and vote on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and market rules

● Fee Payments: Applications and rollups use ZKC for transacting within the marketplace and accessing protocol features

● Cross-chain Bridges: ZKC powers bridging services and proof markets for multichain applications

Why Boundless?

Traditional blockchain infrastructure faces limitations where every node must re-execute every transaction, creating scalability bottlenecks. Boundless addresses these challenges with verifiable compute solutions:

Experienced Leadership: Founded by RISC Zero team led by Shiv Shankar with experience at Microsoft, Lyft, Coinbase, and Avalanche, combined with Jeremy Bruestle's expertise in zkVM development and Intel engineering background.

Investor Backing: $52-54 million raised from Blockchain Capital, Bain Capital Crypto, Delphi Ventures, Galaxy Digital, and other crypto investors in the universal ZK infrastructure space.

Universal Protocol: Chain-agnostic design supports Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and other major blockchains through modular zkVM architecture and permissionless prover networks.

Technical Innovation: Protocol enables rapid rollup upgrades to ZK technology within hours instead of months, using Steel zk-coprocessor for EVM state queries and hybrid rollup solutions.

Decentralized Marketplace: Permissionless Proof of Verifiable Work system creates competitive pricing through reverse Dutch auctions while ensuring security through staking mechanisms.

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with Union Protocol for ZK interoperability, Wormhole for cross-chain security, Ethereum Foundation, EigenLayer, and major cross-chain projects including Layer N, AltLayer, Fuel, and Fiamma.

The platform separates execution from consensus, enabling blockchain computational capacity beyond traditional block and gas limits while maintaining security through cryptographic proofs.

 

Boundless (ZKC) Goes Live on Bitget

We are thrilled to announce that Boundless (ZKC) will be listed in the Innovation Zone. Check out the details below:

Trading Available: 15 September 2025, 14:00 (UTC)

Withdrawal Available: 16 September 2025, 15:00 (UTC)

Trade ZKC/USDT on Bitget!

 

Boundless (ZKC) Goes Live on Bitget Launchpool — lock BGB and ZKC to share 755,000 ZKC!

Bitget Launchpool will be listing Boundless (ZKC). Eligible users can lock BGB and ZKC to share 755,000 ZKC.

Locking period: 16 September 2025, 06:00 – 18 September 2025, 06:00 (UTC)

Locking pool 1- BGB: Lock BGB to share 671,700 ZKC

Locking pool 2- ZKC: Lock ZKC to share 83,300 ZKC

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.

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