NuCypher is a decentralized threshold cryptography network offering interfaces and runtimes for secrets management and dynamic access control. It provides cryptographic infrastructure for privacy preserving applications and it exists as a smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain. They are currently in testnet but once launched you will be able to use NuCypher to carry out proxy re-encryption. Proxy re-encryption is a cryptographic method that allows you to delegate re-encryption of data to a third party and in this case validators in the NuCypher network. With this method you issue a re-encryption key that is assigned to a specific public key and a third party has the ability to re-encrypt data for that third party to decrypt. In this case the NuCypher network acts as the third party service. It is useful for when you want to share data, with the ability to revoke access at a later stage.  They also have an interesting token distribution mechanism called the WorkLock. This is similar to a Lockdrop but with work required from the participants. MacLane Wilkison, Co-founder and CEO of NuCypher talks about how and why the protocl was created, the challenges faced with it, and the problems it solves. Topics covered in this episode: - MacLane’s background and how he got into the blockchain space - Challenges with working with corporate entities and getting people to understand privacy preserving technologies - The zeroDB protocol and how that led to NuCypher - What was MacLane’s goal with starting NuCypher - What proxy re-encryption is and why it’s desirable over manual systems - What are threshold signatures - Attributability on the protocol - Some use cases of using FHE on NuCypher and why they have chosen this for the protocol - MacLane’s thoughts on trusted hardware - The infrastructure of NuCypher and why it is on Ethereum - Results from the testnet - WorkLock - their token distribution mechanism and how it compares to Lockdrop - How you can set up a node on NuCypher - Current gas costs and the impact of this - The NuCypher business model and how they make money - Where to learn more about NuCypher Episode links:  - [NuCypher Website](nucypher.com) - [NuCypher Discord](https://discord.com/invite/7rmXa3S) - [NuCypher blog](https://blog.nucypher.com/) - [WorkLock](https://blog.nucypher.com/the-worklock/) - [NuCypher Twitter](https://twitter.com/NuCypher) - [MacLane's Twitter](https://twitter.com/MacLaneWilkison) Show notes and listening options: [epicenter.tv/357](https://epicenter.tv/357)

Celo has a clear mission - to build a financial system that creates the conditions for prosperity, for everyone. The Celo Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the growth and development of the open-source, decentralized Celo Platform. Its aim is to build a flexible network of applications built on a blockchain to facilitate payments and remittances to people’s phone numbers. Guided by the Celo community tenets, the Foundation contributes to education, technical research, environmental health, community engagement, and ecosystem outreach. These activities support and encourage an inclusive financial system that solves real-world problems such as lack of access to sound currency, or friction for cash-transfer programs aimed to alleviate poverty. They are aiming to create a new platform to connect people globally and bring financial stability to those who need it most. Rene Reinsberg and Marek Olszewski, founders of Celo, talk about how they are using blockchain technology to achieve this. Topics covered in this episode: Rene and Marek’s backgrounds and how they got into blockchainThe history of Celo and its missionSome of the friction points with the project and how they have overcome themWhat Celo are doing differently than other networksHow Celo are dealing with privacy issuesWhy they chose to build on the EVMThe go-to-market strategy that Celo has chosenHow cUSD works and how they deal with the scalability issue on the systemAs the reserve holds Bitcoin, how does the transfer of cUSD work?cUSD vs MakerThe issuance protocol for transferring assetsHost debriefEpisode links: Celo websiteThe Celo blogcLabs announces acquisition of SummaRethinking Remittances with Blockchain Technology and CeloCelo DollarsPlumo Channel on DiscordValoraCelo on TwitterRene on TwitterMarek on TwitterThis episode is hosted by Brian Fabian Crain & Meher Roy. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/355