Nil Foundation
=nil; Foundation is a zero-knowledge cryptography R&D organization building =nil;, an Ethereum Layer 2 network powered by zkSharding for horizontal scaling and unified state. It targets Ethereum developers building high-throughput dApps and supports them via open-source tooling (zkLLVM, Proof Market, Placeholder, Crypto3).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersGrand Cayman, Cayman Islands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Nil Foundation does
=nil; Foundation (legal entity: nil LLC, registered in the Cayman Islands) is a zero-knowledge cryptography research and development organization founded in 2018. Its core product is =nil;, an Ethereum Layer 2 network powered by zkSharding — an architecture that combines horizontal scaling through sharded execution with zero-knowledge proof security, aiming to deliver unified global state without the fragmentation seen across the rollup-centric L2 landscape. Supporting infrastructure products include Proof Market (a marketplace for on-demand ZK proof generation), zkLLVM (a circuit compiler that transforms C++ and Rust code into ZK circuits), the Placeholder proof system (a modular PLONK-based SNARK with IVC and configurable gates), and Crypto3 (a cryptography suite). Additional products include =nil; zkEVM1 (a Type-1 zkEVM compiled via zkLLVM) and nil.js (a TypeScript client library).
The company targets Ethereum developers building high-throughput decentralized applications — DEXs, autonomous economic agents, on-chain gaming, and compute marketplaces — as well as end users of those applications. Its go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: it operates an open-source distribution model (GitHub repositories for all core tooling), maintains testnet access and an in-browser sandbox, and invests heavily in technical content and conference presence (Devcon, ETH Belgrade, L2Con, hackathons). Its stated revenue model centers on transaction fees from the =nil; L2 once mainnet launches, with potential future monetization through enterprise tooling or specialized proof generation services via Proof Market. As of the input data, no public pricing exists, revenue is undisclosed, and the mainnet (targeted Q4 2025) has not yet launched, placing the company in a pre-revenue state funded by a $22 million Series A led by Polychain Capital in January 2023 at a $220 million valuation, with additional grants from the Ethereum Foundation and Solana Foundation.
Nil Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Nil Foundation
- Legal name
- nil LLC
- Website
- https://nil.foundation
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- =nil; Foundation is a zero-knowledge cryptography R&D organization building =nil;, an Ethereum Layer 2 network powered by zkSharding for horizontal scaling and unified state. It targets Ethereum developers building high-throughput dApps and supports them via open-source tooling (zkLLVM, Proof Market, Placeholder, Crypto3).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Nil Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Blockchain Layer 2 Infrastructure / Zero-Knowledge Scaling
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Layer 1 Base Protocols & Consensus (execution, consensus, security, clients) (FSAPAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Smart Contract Developer Platforms & Tooling (SDKs, APIs, frameworks, indexing) (FSAPAAAH), Smart Contract Frameworks & SDKs (developer kits, templates, standards) (FSAPABAB)
Keywords
Where Nil Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Grand Cayman
- HQ country
- Cayman Islands
Offices1 record
Markets served
Nil Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Protocol/ Infrastructure Services: As an L2 infrastructure provider, revenue may be generated through transaction fees on the =nil; network. The protocol enables lower transaction costs through horizontal scaling, potentially capturing value from cost savings vs L1 Ethereum.
- Developer Tools and Toolchain: zkLLVM and related development tools are provided as open-source infrastructure. Potential future monetization through premium tooling, enterprise support, or specialized proof generation services via Proof Market.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Network transaction fees |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Nil Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Nil Foundation develops and operates the =nil; Ethereum Layer 2 network, which uses a proprietary zkSharding architecture to combine horizontal scaling through parallel transaction execution across multiple shards with zero-knowledge proof security, delivering unified global state without fragmentation and lower transaction fees than Ethereum L1. It complements this with an open-source developer toolchain (zkLLVM circuit compiler, Placeholder proof system, Crypto3 cryptography suite) and the Proof Market protocol for on-demand ZK proof generation.
Product overview
=nil; Foundation (established 2018) is a blockchain cryptography R&D organization building zero-knowledge technology products. Their portfolio centers on =nil;, an Ethereum L2 powered by zkSharding for horizontal scaling, supported by four core infrastructure products: Proof Market (zero-knowledge proof marketplace), zkLLVM (circuit compiler from C++/Rust), and Placeholder & Crypto3 (proof system and cryptography suite). Additional products include =nil; zkEVM1 (Type-1 zkEVM via zkLLVM), nil.js (TypeScript client library), and a three-tier testnet-to-mainnet roadmap (Devnet July 2024, Testnet v1 October 2024, Mainnet Alpha Q4 2025).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- =nil;: An Ethereum L2 network powered by zkSharding, designed for horizontal scaling with parallel transaction execution across shards.
- Proof Market
- zkLLVM
- Placeholder
Products and services
- =nil; Ethereum Layer 2 Network An Ethereum Layer 2 scaling network powered by zkSharding architecture that combines horizontal scaling through parallel execution across shards with zero-knowledge proof security, providing unified global state, lower transaction fees than Ethereum L1, sub-second finality, native cross-shard communication, and full Ethereum compatibility via Type-1 zkEVM. Targeted at Ethereum dApp developers building DeFi, gaming, on-chain autonomous worlds, decentralized compute marketplaces, and other high-throughput applications.
- Proof Market A marketplace protocol for ordering and generating zero-knowledge proofs on demand for Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchains, enabling trustless computation outsourcing and distributed prover networks. For protocol engineers, bridge builders, and infrastructure teams that need verifiable ZK proof generation without running their own prover hardware.
- zkLLVM Circuit Compiler An LLVM-based circuit compiler that transforms C++ and Rust source code directly into arithmetic circuits for zero-knowledge proof systems, including extensions for ONNX to support zkML pipelines. Enables mainstream developers to build zk-applications without learning custom zkDSL languages.
- Placeholder & Crypto3 Cryptography Suite A modular zero-knowledge proof system (Placeholder) based on PLONK-style arithmetization with IVC and custom gates, designed for in-EVM verification, paired with the Crypto3 cryptography suite. Built for zk-Rollups, zk-Bridges, and zero-knowledge applications requiring flexible, configurable proof systems.
- =nil; zkEVM1 A Type-1 zkEVM compiled through zkLLVM using evmone, providing full Ethereum smart contract compatibility while leveraging automatic circuit compilation for enhanced security and auditability compared to manually defined circuits.
- nil.js TypeScript Client Library A TypeScript client library for =nil; that enables developers to script any network behavior, including token minting, transfers, smart contract calls, and result fetching. Compatible with HardHat and usable for building third-party tooling such as wallets.
- =nil; Testnet v1 The first open testnet of the =nil; Ethereum L2 network, launched October 2024, available to all developers globally for testing contract deployment, interaction, and ecosystem development. Includes protocol upgrades, DevEx improvements, enshrined tokens, HardHat support, nil.js TypeScript client, archive node implementation, and separate RPC nodes.
- =nil; Devnet (V0) The first proof of concept for zkSharding launched July 2024, available to select developers for testing contract deployment, contract interaction, state retrieval, and sync/async contract calls within the sharded architecture.
Companies that use Nil Foundation
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Nil Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
Nil Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and minor.
- StarkWarestrategicStrategic partner and integration collaboration. Both projects work on ZK scaling solutions for Ethereum.
- Mina ProtocolstrategicPartner project integrating with =nil; Foundation technology. Mina Protocol bridges to Ethereum via =nil; Proof Market.
- Ethereum FoundationstrategicReceived grant from Ethereum Foundation for zkSharding development. Collaborated on Placeholder proof system design.
- Solana FoundationminorReceived grant from Solana Foundation. Worked on Solana-Ethereum bridge based on light-client state proof verification.
- TACEOstrategicR&D cryptography company extending zkLLVM with ONNX frontend for zkML applications. Building pipeline to compile ML models (GPT-2, BERT) to circuits for Ethereum.
- HasuminorStrategy advisor and partner.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Nil Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Nil Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceNil Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Nil Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Nil Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Nil Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Nil Foundation
What does Nil Foundation do?
Nil Foundation develops and operates the =nil; Ethereum Layer 2 network, which uses a proprietary zkSharding architecture to combine horizontal scaling through parallel transaction execution across multiple shards with zero-knowledge proof security, delivering unified global state without fragmentation and lower transaction fees than Ethereum L1. It complements this with an open-source developer toolchain (zkLLVM circuit compiler, Placeholder proof system, Crypto3 cryptography suite) and the Proof Market protocol for on-demand ZK proof generation.
Is Nil Foundation a public or private company?
Nil Foundation is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Nil Foundation founded?
Nil Foundation was founded in 2018. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Nil Foundation based?
Nil Foundation is headquartered in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
How does Nil Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Protocol/ Infrastructure Services are the primary driver. The others are developer Tools and Toolchain.
Does Nil Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Nil Foundation.
What industry is Nil Foundation in?
Nil Foundation's product category is Blockchain Layer 2 Infrastructure / Zero-Knowledge Scaling. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPAAAA, Layer 1 Base Protocols & Consensus (execution, consensus, security, clients), with a secondary code of FSAPAAAH, Smart Contract Developer Platforms & Tooling (SDKs, APIs, frameworks, indexing). Its NAICS code is 518210 and its SIC code is 6200.