Modulo-P is a zero-knowledge (ZK) proof project that was one of the winners in its category in the Cardano EMURGO BUILD 2023 Hackathon.
Hosted to bring more DeFi, NFT, and zero-knowledge solutions to the growing Cardano blockchain ecosystem, EMURGO and the judges of the Cardano EMURGO BUILD 2023 Hackathon received more than 100 submissions to win funding grants and other prizes.
To focus on each of the winning hackathon projects, we have put together this Q&A with Modulo-P for you to learn more about their projects, the value of their solutions to the Cardano ecosystem, and how they plan to use the prizes to enhance their project.
What was the idea behind Modulo-P?
Modulo-P: As a team, we think that the Zero-Knowledge field is a very promising and exciting area; even before forming the team, each of us was already participating in that track individually. This shared inclination towards cryptography, led us to connect in the Hackathon’s discord server. So the decision to go for the Zero-Knowledge track was natural and straightforward. Having had some previous exposure to the mathematics of elliptic curves, later our fellow Antonio had the idea to implement the Mastermind game as a proof of concept, which to the rest of the team seemed great since the game suits very well as a use case of Zero-Knowledge proofs. Is an illustrative and didactic way to showcase this technology. Soon we realized that Hydra would be an important component, having the aid of this powerful tool to deal with the ZK-Snark verification algorithms, which are very resource-intensive to the network. Therefore, the decision to use Hydra was due to a technical obstacle, and the idea of implementing the Mastermind game lies in turning something complex like ZK cryptography into something simple and didactic.
How did your team build Modulo-P during the two-month Cardano hackathon?
Modulo-P: We met thanks to the hackathon, so in many ways, we started from zero. We met several times a week (remotely since we live in three different countries) and started by reviewing the math behind ZK-Snarks and the available open-source tools. The second step of the project was to find a good proof of concept to implement, there we debated a lot about what was feasible to do considering the time we had. Our first conclusion of this process was to start taking baby steps, starting from simplicity to more complex solutions. So we ideated simpler proofs of concepts, and in case we couldn’t accomplish the end goal, at least we could send something. From there we studied how to implement the algorithms, and the dApp logic and talked about the potential of this technology. However, very soon, as one of our fellows recognized, we hit a wall with the constraints of resources. That followed to the decision to use Hydra, which was a very important turning point in the project, and indeed exciting because it is such a powerful tool. Finally, until now we keep iterating and doing testing on the project, which has also been an interesting phase; particularly, because it sets more profound questions about how Cardano and Plutus scripts work at a low level.
How did the Cardano EMURGO BUILD 2023 Hackathon help Modulo-P?
Modulo-P: Taking our experience as an example, we think the hackathon was a good instance of gathering different people worldwide. We didn’t meet before the event and are now starting a team. We know that we aren’t the exception because saw in the partners channel the discord many messages of people looking for a team. So events like this are appreciated because they catalyze more cooperation in the Cardano ecosystem. The main challenge was a technical one and regards doing a solution that faced the constraints of the networks in terms of resources, this took us to a more in-depth thinking about how the compilation pipeline works.
How does Modulo-P benefit the Cardano ecosystem?
Modulo-P: Our project brings existing open-source tools, widely used in other ecosystems in the context of zero-knowledge proofs, to Cardano. Our project opens a door for exploring new exciting use cases for Hydra, which will allow us and other people to continue to bring the know-how available elsewhere to Cardano. The latest advancements in ecosystem development are beginning to make the use of Zero Knowledge systems possible in Cardano. This project is a step forward to enhance the fit to market of the Cardano ecosystem towards ZK proofs.
Read more: Q&A with zkFold (Cardano EMURGO BUILD 2023 Hackathon)
How does Modulo-P plan to use the awards to support the Cardano ecosystem?
Modulo-P: On one hand, we are going to improve our current solution. We have a catalyst proposal to make it possible to have ZK-Snarks in Cardano and make the integration with Hydra available to other Cardano developers. And, on the other hand, aside from the creation of this framework and tooling, we want to explore more concrete use cases of this technology that will provide solutions to end users and not just at the developer’s end. In that sense, we have presented the idea of seeking synergies with other Cardano projects, so making alliances and establishing collaboration is a very important next step for our crew. Lastly, we are also deeply committed to sharing our learning and generating knowledge in the field of zero-knowledge proofs, this is key to nurturing a new generation of programmers equipped with skills in this cutting-edge technology, and to creating shared learning in this community.
Where can people learn more about Modulo-P?
Modulo-P: You can find most of the info about us on our website, Twitter, and LinkedIn page listed below which we also use to share news and other relevant things.
- Website: https://modulo-p.io
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/modp_
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modulo-p/
The Cardano blockchain ecosystem is one of the largest decentralized blockchain networks in the industry and has been growing year-over-year with new applications for DeFi, NFTs, and more. As a global blockchain technology company and a founding entity of Cardano, EMURGO supports the adoption of the Cardano ecosystem for Web3 products & services.
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