ZODL (Zcash Open Development Lab)
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Mission Statement
ZODL envisions a world without mass financial surveillance, where law-abiding people can transact freely and privately. The organization believes there is no sovereignty without privacy, and that financial privacy should be the default and market access a human right.
Background & History
ZODL (Zcash Open Development Lab) was founded in early 2026 by Josh Swihart, the former CEO of the Electric Coin Company (ECC). In January 2026, the entire ECC engineering and product team resigned following a governance dispute with Bootstrap, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit board that oversees ECC. The core team that had originally designed, implemented, and maintained Zcash's most critical systems transitioned to ZODL to continue their work independently.
The Zashi wallet, previously developed and maintained under ECC, was rebranded to Zodl under the new organization. Users did not need to take any action, as the app rebranded automatically with the next update.
Funding
In March 2026, ZODL raised over $25 million in seed funding from a group of prominent investors, including:
- Paradigm
- a16z crypto
- Winklevoss Capital
- Coinbase Ventures
- Cypherpunk Technologies ($5M investment)
- Chapter One
- David Friedberg
- Balaji Srinivasan
- Additional angel investors from the crypto and technology sectors
The capital is being used to expand development of both the Zcash protocol and the Zodl wallet.
Leadership
- Josh Swihart - CEO & Founder (former CEO of the Electric Coin Company)
The broader team is composed of the original Zcash protocol creators and developers who previously built and maintained Zcash at ECC. This includes deep expertise in cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, and protocol engineering.
Products
Zodl is a self-custodial mobile wallet designed for private Zcash transactions. It combines deep protocol-level knowledge with user-friendly design, hiding complexity while maintaining security.
Platforms:
Key Features:
- Shielded by Default: All transactions use Zcash's shielded pools, hiding sender, receiver, and transaction amounts using zero-knowledge cryptography
- One-Tap Shielding: Convert transparent ZEC to private funds with a single tap
- CrossPay: Send shielded ZEC while recipients receive their preferred assets (BTC, stablecoins, etc.)
- Private Swaps: Built-in swaps powered by NEAR Intents, avoiding centralized exchanges
- Keystone Integration: Hardware wallet support for cold storage of shielded ZEC via air-gapped transaction signing
- Flexa Payments: Spend ZEC at major retailers including GameStop, Chipotle, Sheetz, and Barnes & Noble
- Coinbase Integration: Buy ZEC directly within the wallet without separate exchange registration
- Encrypted Messaging: Zcash-level privacy for shielded memos alongside or independent of transactions
- Unified Addresses: Simplified address management across Transparent, Sapling, and Orchard pools
- Tor Support: Enhanced network-level privacy for transaction broadcasting
Privacy Commitments:
- No tracking of wallet activity, transaction history, or user behavior
- Only anonymized crash reports are collected, with no ability to tie data to specific users
Since its original launch as Zashi in 2024, the wallet has driven significant growth in the Zcash ecosystem:
- Grew the Orchard shielded pool from approximately 1M ZEC to 4M ZEC during 2025 (over 400% increase)
- Processed more than $600 million in ZEC swaps since October 2025
Role in the Zcash Ecosystem
ZODL serves a dual role in the Zcash ecosystem:
- Protocol Development: The team continues advancing core Zcash protocol software and tools, working alongside other ecosystem teams such as the Zcash Foundation and Zingo Labs
- User-Facing Products: Building and maintaining the primary consumer wallet for Zcash, focused on making private digital payments accessible to mainstream users
- Shielded Pool Growth: ZODL's wallet innovations have been described as "the single biggest factor responsible for putting Zcash back on the map"
- Open Source: All work is open-source, allowing anyone to inspect protocol code, audit the wallet, and verify implementations
Philosophy: Guardian of the Sovereign
ZODL's guiding philosophy is centered on the concept of "Guardian of the Sovereign" -- the belief that individuals should maintain full control over their financial privacy and sovereignty. The organization deliberately prioritizes user sovereignty over platform control, building tools that empower individuals rather than intermediaries.
Resources
See Also
