Winklevoss Twins Double Down on Zcash — Hire ZEC Founder Zooko Wilcox as Advisor

ccn.comPublished on 2025-12-10Last updated on 2025-12-10

Abstract

The Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, have deepened their involvement with the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash (ZEC) by hiring its founder, Zooko Wilcox, as an advisor to their recently launched treasury company, Cypherpunk. Backed by a $50 million investment from Winklevoss Capital, Cypherpunk was established in November and has already acquired 203,775 ZEC, representing about 1.25% of the total supply. The company aims to accumulate at least 5% of all ZEC. Wilcox, who founded Zcash in 2016, brings deep technical and philosophical insight to the project. This move signals Cypherpunk's intent to be an active participant in the Zcash ecosystem, building a team of experts to advance privacy technology. The Winklevoss twins have a long history with Zcash, having invested in its seed round in 2018 and listed it as a portfolio asset as early as 2019.

Key Takeaways
  • Cypherpunk is a ZEC treasury company launched by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss in November,
  • The company has hired Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox as an advisor.
  • The Winklevoss twins have been involved with Zcash for years.

After launching a Zcash treasury company in November, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have doubled down on the privacy-focused cryptocurrency.

Funded with $50 million from the Winklevoss’ investment company, Cypherpunk announced on Tuesday, Dec. 9, that it has hired ZEC founder Zooko Wilcox as an advisor.

New Trending Crypto Wallet Offers
Sponsored
Disclosure
We sometimes use affiliate links in our content, when clicking on those we might receive a commission at no extra cost to you. By using this website you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.

Tangem

promotions
Trusted & Secure
Coins
111
  • Aave
  • Uniswap
  • GMX
  • Pendle
  • Ondo
  • Ankr
  • Fantom
  • Synthetix
  • Curve DAO Token
  • Compound
  • Maker
  • THORChain
  • Stacks
  • Arweave
  • Sui
  • Immutable
  • Optimism
  • Arbitrum
  • VeChain
  • The Sandbox
  • Decentraland
  • Axie Infinity
  • Render
  • The Graph
  • Chiliz
  • Helium
  • PAX Gold
  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Tether
  • USD Coin
  • Solana
  • Ripple
  • Dogecoin
  • Cardano
  • Toncoin
  • Shiba Inu
  • Avalanche
  • TRON
  • Chainlink
  • Polygon Matic
  • Polkadot
  • Wrapped Bitcoin
  • Litecoin
  • Dai
  • NEAR Protocol
  • Bitcoin Cash
  • Monero
  • Stellar
  • Cosmos
  • Filecoin
  • Ethereum Classic
  • Aptos
  • Cronos
  • Binance USD
  • Neo
  • APEcoin
  • Gala
  • Theta Network
  • Wrapped Ethereum
  • OKB
  • Pepe
  • Mantle
  • First Digital USD
  • Kaspa
  • Bittensor
  • Celestia
  • XDC Network
  • Artificial Superintelligence Alliance
  • Jupiter
  • Quant
  • Worldcoin
  • PayPal USD
  • Bonk
  • Rocket Pool ETH
  • Flare
  • Tether Gold
  • Sei
  • JITO
  • JasmyCoin
  • PancakeSwap
  • Core
  • Ethereum Name Service
  • SushiSwap
  • 1inch Network
  • Tezos
  • Algorand
  • Flow
  • Trust Wallet Token
  • KuCoin Token
  • MultiversX
  • GateToken
  • Zcash
  • IOTA
  • Basic Attention Token
  • Enjin Coin
  • Frax
  • Ethena
  • Ethena USDe
  • Ethena Staked USDe
  • Kusama
  • Celo
  • STEPN
  • Gemini Dollar
  • UNUS SED LEO
  • Internet Computer
  • EOS
  • BitTorrent
  • Mina
  • Dash
  • Zilliqa
  • Casper
  • TrueUSD
  • Floki Inu
  • IoTex
  • Build'N'Build
No result
Claim Offer

BitBox

promotions
Trusted, Secure & Crypto Friendly
Coins
Claim Offer

Blockstream

promotions
Trusted, Secure & Crypto Friendly
Coins
Claim Offer

Winklevoss Twins Establish $58 Million Zcash Treasury

Following the established digital asset treasury (DAT) playbook, in November, Winklevoss Capital led a $58.88 million private placement in Leap Therapeutics, which subsequently rebranded as Cypherpunk.

Almost immediately, the Nasdaq-listed company acquired 203,775 ZEC, representing around 1.25% of the cryptocurrency’s entire supply.

“We plan to continue accumulating ZEC rapidly so that Cypherpunk owns at least 5% of the total ZEC supply,” Tyler Winklevoss stated at the time.

Zcash Founder Joins Cypherpunk

As founder of the Electric Coin Company, Wilcox helped launch Zcash in 2016. Although he stepped down as CEO in 2023, he remains a highly influential figure within the ZEC community.

“As the founder of Zcash, Zooko intimately understands both the technical foundations and the philosophy behind privacy-preserving technology,” Cypherpunk Chief Investment Officer Will McEvoy said in a statement .

Cypherpunk’s latest hire suggests the company doesn’t plan to watch from the sidelines, but will be an active participant in the Zcash ecosystem.

“We’re assembling a world-class bench of cypherpunks, cryptographers, technologists, and thinkers committed to advancing Zcash and the global privacy ecosystem,” McEvoy expanded.

Supporting ZEC Growth

The recent DAT play isn’t the first time the Winklevoss twins have thrown their support behind Zcash. On the contrary, they have been quietly financing the project for years.

According to Tracxn , Winklevoss Capital participated in Electric Coin Company’s seed funding round in 2018.

Meanwhile, the company first listed Zcash on its portfolio page as early as March 2019, making it one of the very first institutional investors to endorse what was still considered an experimental privacy coin at the time.

Top Picks for Zcash
  • Best Exchanges for Zcash Looking to Trade Zcash? Check Out These Exchanges
  • Top Crypto Wallets Keep Your Zcash in These Top Wallets
  • Gamble Crypto Safely Here See Our Picks for the Best Crypto Gambling Sites

Trending Cryptos

Related Reads

Bank of Russia: 12 Largest Banks to Connect Digital Ruble from September 1, 2026

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) announced that all 12 of the country's systemically important banks will be ready to offer clients digital ruble accounts and transactions starting September 1, 2026. According to Alla Bakina, director of the CBR's national payment system department, these banks cover over 80% of the domestic payment market. The digital ruble is described as a new form of the existing currency, functioning as a cashless payment method but held directly in a user's wallet on the CBR platform. Nine other banks designated as significant payment market participants are also expected to provide access, with most aiming to complete integration by autumn 2026. Starting from the September launch date, major retail chains with annual revenue exceeding 120 million rubles will be required to accept digital ruble payments, though adoption for citizens remains voluntary. The rollout follows a delayed pilot phase, with mass implementation postponed from 2025. The CBR's model currently offers basic account functionality without interest accrual, unlike China's digital yuan, which began paying interest in early 2026. The announcement positions Russia among dozens of countries testing Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), though the digital ruble's potential role in cross-border settlements, particularly within BRICS, remains an open question for its future international relevance.

cryptonews.ruJust now

Bank of Russia: 12 Largest Banks to Connect Digital Ruble from September 1, 2026

cryptonews.ruJust now

MSX US Stock Daily Observation: Baidu 2026 Q2 Earnings: AI Revenue Accounts for Half of Core Business for Two Consecutive Quarters, 283% GPU Cloud Growth Boosts Business Transformation

**MSX Daily US Stock Observation: Baidu 2026 Q2 Earnings Report** Baidu's Q2 2026 earnings present a clear picture of a company in transition. Total revenue declined slightly to RMB 313.25 billion, missing market expectations. This was driven by a continued double-digit contraction (-19%) in its core online marketing (advertising) business. The key highlight is the structural shift within the company's operations. AI-related revenue reached RMB 125 billion, accounting for approximately half of Baidu's core business income for the second consecutive quarter. Within AI, growth is heavily skewed towards infrastructure: AI cloud infrastructure revenue grew 50% year-over-year to RMB 73 billion, with GPU cloud revenue surging 283%. In contrast, AI application and AI-native marketing services revenue grew only 3% and remained flat, respectively, indicating slower commercialization on the application side. Profitability metrics were mixed. While adjusted operating profit and EBITDA exceeded expectations, demonstrating cost control, adjusted earnings per ADS of RMB 7.22 fell short by about 26%. This gap is largely attributed to depreciation and amortization costs linked to significant AI infrastructure investments, which continue to pressure bottom-line profit realization. The company holds a substantial cash position of RMB 2831 billion, providing runway for continued investment. The critical challenge ahead is translating the explosive growth in AI infrastructure (like GPU cloud) into stronger monetization from AI applications to bridge the gap between operational profit and per-share earnings.

Odaily星球日报5m ago

MSX US Stock Daily Observation: Baidu 2026 Q2 Earnings: AI Revenue Accounts for Half of Core Business for Two Consecutive Quarters, 283% GPU Cloud Growth Boosts Business Transformation

Odaily星球日报5m ago

Bitwise CIO: Three Major Cognitive Errors Common Among Crypto Investors Today

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan highlights three key misconceptions he believes many crypto investors currently hold, presenting them as opportunities for those who see beyond them. First, investors significantly underestimate the total addressable market for crypto applications. While many view platforms like Uniswap only as tools for trading crypto assets (a ~$2 trillion market), their true potential lies in tokenizing and trading *all* asset classes—such as stocks and bonds—which represent markets hundreds of trillions of dollars in size. Second, there's a persistent overestimation of traditional financial institutions' ability to dominate crypto-native sectors. Examples like PayPal's stable币 (with ~1% market share vs. Tether/Circle's 88%) and Fidelity's custody business (trailing Coinbase) show that crypto-native firms often win due to faster iteration, focused expertise, and established user trust within the crypto ecosystem. Third, investors linearly extrapolate future on-chain transaction volumes from today's data, severely underestimating potential growth. The shift to 24/7 trading for tokenized assets could multiply trading hours by 5x. When combined with AI agents that may execute trades far more frequently than humans, transaction volumes could grow by 10x to 100x, massively boosting revenue for underlying blockchains and applications. Hougan concludes that the gap between the rapid pace of industry change and slower mainstream perception updates creates significant investment opportunities.

marsbit8m ago

Bitwise CIO: Three Major Cognitive Errors Common Among Crypto Investors Today

marsbit8m ago

Trading

Spot

Hot Articles

How to Buy ZEC

Welcome to HTX.com! We've made purchasing Zcash (ZEC) simple and convenient. Follow our step-by-step guide to embark on your crypto journey.Step 1: Create Your HTX AccountUse your email or phone number to sign up for a free account on HTX. Experience a hassle-free registration journey and unlock all features.Get My AccountStep 2: Go to Buy Crypto and Choose Your Payment MethodCredit/Debit Card: Use your Visa or Mastercard to buy Zcash (ZEC) instantly.Balance: Use funds from your HTX account balance to trade seamlessly.Third Parties: We've added popular payment methods such as Google Pay and Apple Pay to enhance convenience.P2P: Trade directly with other users on HTX.Over-the-Counter (OTC): We offer tailor-made services and competitive exchange rates for traders.Step 3: Store Your Zcash (ZEC)After purchasing your Zcash (ZEC), store it in your HTX account. Alternatively, you can send it elsewhere via blockchain transfer or use it to trade other cryptocurrencies.Step 4: Trade Zcash (ZEC)Easily trade Zcash (ZEC) on HTX's spot market. Simply access your account, select your trading pair, execute your trades, and monitor in real-time. We offer a user-friendly experience for both beginners and seasoned traders.

4.3k Total ViewsPublished 2024.03.29Updated 2026.06.02

How to Buy ZEC

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of ZEC (ZEC) are presented below.

活动图片