NovaNet

NovaNet is a peer-to-peer decentralized network focused on zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), positioning itself as the first incentive layer for this cryptographic technology. The company was co-founded by Wyatt Benno and Houman Shadab. They aim to expand the use of ZKPs beyond typical blockchain scaling applications into broader fields like verifiable AI, Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN), and gaming. In June 2024, NovaNet announced a $3 million seed funding round led by Finality Capital Partners, with participation from Arrington Capital, the Avalanche Foundation, and Builder Capital, to accelerate its development.

The core of NovaNet's business is to provide an infrastructure for verifiable computation and privacy-preserving applications at scale. The platform operates on a model of prover cooperation rather than competition, using game-theoretic principles to incentivize network participants. This approach is designed to democratize access to ZKP technology, allowing anyone from researchers to gamers to participate and earn rewards. The business serves developers and companies that require verifiable computation or wish to embed privacy-preserving features into their applications, such as those in the web3 and consumer app space. The network is not a new blockchain (L1) or a traditional scaling solution (L2); instead, it functions as a modular ZKP layer whose smart contracts reside on existing chains like Ethereum, but allows verifiers to operate across multiple chains, including Solana and Avalanche.

NovaNet's service is built upon a technology known as non-uniform incremental verifiable computation (NIVC), derived from the SuperNova proving scheme. This foundation enables the creation of memory-efficient proofs, making it possible for the system to run on a wide array of devices, from high-end servers to resource-constrained IoT devices and mobile phones. A key feature is its use of WebAssembly (WASM) as the initial target for its zkVM, which provides exceptional portability and allows developers using any of the 30+ languages that compile to WASM to integrate their applications with minimal changes. This enables ZKPs to run locally on a user's device, which is crucial for ensuring true data privacy. By leveraging proof-carrying data and parallelization, the network aims to achieve faster proving speeds and scalability for a diverse set of use cases.

Keywords: zero-knowledge proofs, ZKP, decentralized prover network, verifiable computation, privacy-preserving applications, Web3 infrastructure, DePIN, verifiable AI, peer-to-peer network, SuperNova, incremental verifiable computation, NIVC, WebAssembly, zkVM, blockchain development, cryptographic proofs, modular ZKP layer, local verifiable computation, Wyatt Benno, Houman Shadab, Finality Capital Partners, decentralized computing, data privacy