This past year, we have witnessed what some are calling a “Cambrian Explosion” in zero-knowledge proof systems. New proof systems based on a variety of cryptographic assumptions are popping up every week. And while zero-knowledge systems are known for their privacy-preserving characteristics, they have proven particularly useful for scaling blockchains through off-chain computations. We're joined by Eli Ben Sasson, Co-founder and Cheif Scientist in the East at Starkware. His company is developing a full proof-stack, which leverages STARKs. Pioneered by Eli, STARKs are zero-knowledge cryptographic proofs, which are succinct, transparent, and post-quantum secure. StarkWare has demonstrated how zkSTARKs may be leveraged to provide off-chain scalability by generating proofs of computational integrity which may be verified on-chain. Topics covered in this episode: Eli's trajectory and transition from academia to the startup worldThe origin story of Starkware and the founding teamThe current explosion of zero-knowledge proof researchAn overview of zero-knowledge proof systems and how they workWhat are STARKs and what are their propertiesHow STARKs are different from SNARKs and BulletproofsWhat are zk-Rollups and how they are used by StarkWare to achieve scalabilityThe StarkDEX experiment and scalability benefits it had demonstratedThe issue of data availability with layer-2 scaling solutionsStarkWare's business model and the solutions they are building for customersEpisode links: StarkWareStarkWare resourcesStarkWare blogStarkWare TwitterStarkWare Sessions conference videosEpicenter Podcast SFBW Week MeetupDeFi Hackathon sponsored by CosmosSF Blockchain Week 2019 (use the code EPICENTER for 20% off tickets)Macro.WTFSponsors: Vaultoro: Trade gold to Bitcoin instantly and securely starting at just 1mg - http://vaultoro.comB9Lab: Level up and become a Solidity smart contract auditor – 5% off the with the code EPICENTER - https://solidified.b9lab.com/epicenterThis episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/310

As we take some time to record new interviews, we’re releasing content from DappCon which took place in Berlin in August. This week, you’ll hear a panel moderated by Sunny all about blockchain governance. The panelists where Ameen Soleimani of MolochDAO, Stephanie Hurder of Prysm Group, Jorge Izquierdo of Aragon One, and Sebastian Gajek of ditCraf. Topics covered in this episode: Hard Governance vs. Soft GovernanceWhat types of governance we should apply to different systemsDifferent approaches to governance formalizationHow we should govern things like trademarksRepresenting all stakeholders in a governance systemBuilding in exit mechanisms in DAOsConservatism over Liberlism in governance mechanismsHow to account for different value systemsEpisode links: DappConAmeen Soleimani on TwitterStephanie Hurder on TwitterJorge Izquierdo on TwitterSebastian Gajek on TwitterCommunity manager job postingEpicenter Meetup at SF Blockchain WeekThis episode is hosted by Sunny Aggarwal. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/308