Week in Mina News #12
Aug 18, 2024 - Stay Updated with the Latest from Mina: Protocol Updates, Developer News, and Community Highlights
🖼️ Ecosystem News
ZK Hack Montréal Winners
@o1Labs congratulates the ZK Hack Montréal winners, including @SATHYAKRIS20241, @prolificsaurav, and @armsves, for their work with o1js. Ten other winners also completed the “Hello World Challenge” using o1js for the first time.
Using ZK Technology to Combat AI-Driven Bots
Mina co-founder Evan Shapiro contributed to a paper, led by OpenAI Product Manager Steven Adler, on using privacy-preserving tools to distinguish real users from bots. The paper emphasizes the growing importance of zk (zero-knowledge) technology in addressing this challenge as AI becomes more sophisticated. Read the details here.
The Mina Mindset: A New Way of Building in Web3
Salah Nait-Mouloud, Mina Foundation Head of Engineering and Product, delves into how zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) are revolutionizing blockchain technology. By improving security, privacy, and scalability, ZKPs are redefining traditional views on blockchain limitations. You can read the full post here.
New Video | Why Building on Mina is Different
Mina Protocol has published a video showcasing what sets building on Mina apart from other blockchains like Ethereum. The video focuses on Mina's unique capabilities, such as off-chain computation, optional privacy, and the power to verify the entire blockchain with just one proof. You can watch the full video here.
Pallad 101 Video Series Launched
Pallad Wallet CEO @schoolboytom has released the first video in the "Pallad 101" series, offering a step-by-step guide on wallet installation, creation, and restoration. This tutorial is designed to help users get started with Pallad quickly and easily.
First video here.
Growth Programs
Navigators Grants Program Update
The Mina Navigators Program has increased Starter Track grant amounts from 5,000 to 15,000 and Growth Track grant amounts from 30,000 to up to 100,000, providing enhanced support for Mina Protocol builders.
Newly funded projects:
DRM Mina (game marketplace)
Paima Engine Templates (game development tools)
Choz (quiz platform)
BlockBerry (security API)
Additionally, ZkNoid and ZK Regex have successfully delivered their grant scopes.
⭐ Ecosystem Highlights
Zeko Ecosystem
Zeko Sequencers and Mainnet Preparation
Las Safin, CTO of Zeko Labs, explains how Zeko sequencers confirm transactions using state transition proofs as the team prepares for Mainnet. This development enhances the capabilities of zk developers, pushing forward the next evolution of blockchain technology.
The record is here.
Zeko Pop Quiz
Zeko is hosting a Zealy quest where participants can learn more about Zeko and take part in a simple pop quiz. A total of $250 USDC will be awarded, with five random participants each winning $50. The quiz runs from August 16 to August 25.
Details here.
Protokit
No Protokit & Ecosystem updates were provided this week.
📌 Mina Community Bulletin Board
This section features posts from the community and projects. You can submit yours here.
X Posts
Blog Posts
Building our first Mina zkApp game: Chapter 2
https://zknoid.medium.com/building-our-first-mina-zkapp-game-chapter-2-e656464a7f50
🎟️ Events
Upcoming Events
ETHOnline Hackathon Kicks Off
ETHGlobal's ETHOnline hackathon begins on August 23, offering $20,000 in prizes for Mina zkApps. Developers can choose between two Mina tracks: the best Mina application using Protokit or zkGaming on Mina, supported by zkNoid. Projects are due by September 8.
Evan Shapiro - KBW2024
Evan Shapiro, co-founder of Mina Protocol, will discuss how Mina Protocol enables reusable proofs for verifiable, accessible, and private data, contributing to a more trustworthy digital world. Don't miss this insightful session at Korea Blockchain Week 2024.
Evan Shapiro – WebX 2024
Evan Shapiro, Founder of Mina Protocol, will speak at WebX 2024 on August 28-29 at The Prince Park Tower. He will discuss the future of a user-owned digital world and Mina Protocol’s role in it. More details here.
Last Week’s Events
ETHShenzhen Dev Workshop
The Mina Foundation hosted a developer workshop at ETHShenzhen, led by APAC DevRels @coldStar1993 and @Lilac_n_Halo. The session highlighted the enthusiasm of the Chinese Mina(zk) community. Mina also had a booth at ETHShenzhen, offering tailored zero-knowledge T-shirts to attendees.
💼 Open Jobs
No new job listings from the community this week. If you have any job updates or offers, please share them here.
👓 Statistics and Metrics
Key Metrics from Last Week:
Total Amount Transferred (daily average): 8,4M MINA
Unique Snark Workers (daily average): 6
Snarks Included (daily average): 8,356
Transactions (daily average): 7,691
CryptoMiso Commit Stats: Mina secured 2nd place over the past 12 months with 4281 commits and +100 contributors. More details here.
This newsletter helps the Mina community stay updated on the latest protocol changes, developer news, ecosystem developments, community activities, and key metrics. If you have news to share in this newsletter, please reach out to us here.
Better together! - Astromina Team