.png)
Today we introduce the Aztec Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support the growth and development of open-source programmable privacy. The launch of the Aztec Foundation marks a significant milestone for the Aztec Network, bringing us closer to the launch of a fully decentralized, privacy-preserving network.
As steward of the Aztec Network, the Foundation will conduct fundamental research in freedom-enhancing cryptography. It will also provide support to builders developing innovative applications that protect user privacy, enable compliance, and maintain Noir, the universal language for zero-knowledge proofs.
The Foundation will empower the open-source community to put programmable privacy technology into the hands of builders and deliver on the promise to solve one of the biggest barriers to mass blockchain adoption – privacy.
The Foundation will contribute across protocol operations, technology, and commercial, ensuring the community is involved in key decisions. Its goal is to provide support in bootstrapping a healthy and active ecosystem for emerging projects, helping them become self-sustaining while supporting public good projects that drive adoption.
The Foundation will provide ancillary support to the protocol ecosystem through grants to teams and individuals building end-user-facing applications. The Foundation will also fund cryptography research and other special projects to support Aztec’s greater aim of empowering developers to build privacy-first applications.
The Aztec Foundation is co-founded by Zac Williamson, who will serve as President and Chairman of the Board, and Arnaud Schenk who will lead the Foundation as Executive Director and serve on the board. We’re honored to welcome Arnaud back to the ecosystem. Arnaud is an original co-founder of Aztec with deep expertise in early-stage startup ecosystems who will now help lead day-to-day operations and commercial efforts at the Foundation. Herbert Sterchi, an early board member of Ethereum Switzerland GmbH, will also join as a board member.
For more information about the Aztec Foundation, visit the website and follow @aztecFND on X. To continue following updates on Noir and Aztec, follow Noir and Aztec on X.
