Vadim Krekotin, the founding partner of a crypto-focused investing company Cryptomeria Capital, presented a detailed analysis of ZK roll-ups during the ETHBarcelona conference. As an experienced investor in blockchain companies, Krekotin offered insights into the evolving landscape of zero-knowledge technology and its comparison to optimistic roll-ups.
The presentation delved into the history of zero-knowledge technology, tracing its origins from 1989 to its integration into the bitcoin whitepaper in 2008. Krekotin emphasized the distinctions between optimistic roll-ups and zero-knowledge roll-ups, highlighting factors such as trust, waiting periods, transaction fees, speed, and EVM compatibility.
While optimistic roll-ups rely on trust and game theory, leading to longer waiting periods for users, zero-knowledge roll-ups require confidential proof and may incur additional costs. Krekotin pointed out that zero-knowledge roll-ups demand more significant computational calculations for generating proofs yet offer faster transaction speeds than optimistic roll-ups.
The presentation featured insights from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who opined that optimistic roll-ups provide a better short-term solution, whereas zero-knowledge roll-ups hold long-term promise. Krekotin also stressed the broader potential applications of zero-knowledge technology beyond the blockchain and cryptocurrency domains.
Krekotin highlighted prominent projects and companies working on zero-knowledge roll-ups, including ZK-Sync, Polygon, Scroll, and SNARKWare. The presentation focused on the architecture and functionality of ZK-Sync and StarNets ecosystems, showcasing ZK-Sync’s larger ecosystem, higher transaction throughput, and extensive fundraising efforts.
Krekotin emphasized the growing interest of major players like Visa and JP Morgan in crypto and highlighted the potential for zero-knowledge technology to extend its reach into finance, healthcare, supply chain management, and insurance industries.
In response to a question about decentralizing sequencers and establishing trustlessness, Krekotin deferred to technical experts but suggested exploring sequencer projects as potential investment opportunities.