Boundless is a protocol designed to provide verifiable compute on any blockchain, enabling users and developers to access secure, transparent, and provable computations across decentralized networks. Developed by RISC Zero and founded in 2022 by Shiv Shankar and Jeremy Bruestle, this platform has raised approximately $52-54 million led by Blockchain Capital and Bain Capital Crypto to bring ZK technology to every chain. Boundless (ZKC) will soon be available on Bitget!

What is Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless is a protocol for accessing verifiable compute on any chain and rewarding nodes for contributing useful work. The platform allows organizations and developers to upgrade their rollups to ZK (Zero-Knowledge) technology within hours, enhancing finality and security for blockchain transactions and applications.

Introduction image 0

Boundless addresses core challenges in blockchain infrastructure including lack of transparency in centralized order-book exchanges, slow adoption of ZK rollups due to complex engineering requirements, and limited onchain verifiable compute. The platform introduces a system where anyone can verify onchain activity, reserves, or exit states, fostering greater user control and transparency.

Core Innovation: Boundless operates as a universal protocol designed to bring verifiable compute and ZK-proof capabilities to any blockchain ecosystem, supporting Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and more. The platform uses a generalized zkVM (Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine) model with zk-STARK proof systems and permissionless prover networks competing through Proof of Verifiable Work (PoVW).

Who Created Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless was founded in 2022 by the RISC Zero team, which pioneered the RISC-V general-purpose zero-knowledge virtual machine. The project is led by experienced blockchain and cryptography specialists from major technology companies.

Shiv Shankar (CEO):

● Former engineering, protocol, and scaling lead at Microsoft, Lyft, Coinbase, and Avalanche

● Expert in ZK proof systems and blockchain infrastructure

● Appointed CEO of Boundless in May 2025 to lead the universal ZK protocol vision

Jeremy Bruestle (Co-founder & CEO of RISC Zero):

● Veteran developer behind the world's first general-purpose zkVM

● Led engineering teams at Intel and other major technology firms

● Co-founded RISC Zero to advance zero-knowledge proof technology

Key Team Members:

● Réka Medvecz (Core contributor with experience in scaling onchain communities and protocol design)

● Joe Restivo (COO, former SVP Operations at RISC Zero with fintech and web3 experience)

● Brett Carter (VP of Product, led product launches in zero-knowledge domains)

● Phil Kelly (VP of Ecosystems, specializes in developer relations and scaling adoption)

Team Background:

The Boundless team includes engineers, cryptographers, and product experts from Amazon, Meta, Coinbase, Google, Microsoft, Mina Foundation, Uber, and Ripple, with technical advisors including Professor Dan Boneh of Stanford University.

What VCs Back Boundless (ZKC)?

Boundless has raised approximately $52-54 million over multiple rounds from crypto investors.

Introduction image 1

Funding Rounds:

● Seed Round: $12 million (August 2022, led by Bain Capital Crypto)

● Series A: $40 million (July 2023, led by Blockchain Capital)

● Total Raised: Approximately $52-54 million combining these rounds with additional strategic backing

Major Venture Capital Backers:

● Blockchain Capital (Series A lead investor)

● Bain Capital Crypto (seed round lead investor)

● Delphi Ventures (Series A)

● Galaxy Digital (Series A)

● Fenbushi Capital (Series A)

● IOSG Ventures (Series A)

● RockawayX (Series A)

● Maven 11 (Series A)

● Cota Capital (seed round)

● Geometry (seed round)

● D1 Ventures (seed round)

● Algaé Ventures

● IOBC

● Tribute Labs' Zero Dao

● Figment Capital

● a100x

● Alchemy

Strategic Partnerships:

Boundless has established partnerships with Union Protocol for trustless ZK interoperability, Wormhole for cross-chain security, Stellar Development Foundation for mainnet integration, and Fabric Cryptography for VPU infrastructure acceleration.

How Boundless (ZKC) Works

Boundless operates as a decentralized marketplace and infrastructure for generating, aggregating, and verifying zero-knowledge proofs on any blockchain, abstracting complex ZK engineering through developer tools.

Proof Lifecycle

The platform processes proof requests through a workflow where developers submit computation requests to the Boundless market. Provers (node operators) bid for jobs in an open, permissionless marketplace using reverse Dutch auctions for cost efficiency. Assigned provers execute computations in the zkVM, producing zero-knowledge proofs with output data.

zkVM Architecture

Boundless uses a generalized zkVM model supporting zk-STARK proof systems with recursive aggregation for minimizing onchain verification costs. The prover network operates through permissionless, decentralized Proof of Verifiable Work, allowing computation to occur off-chain while returning succinct zk proofs for verification on any chain.

Steel zk-coprocessor

Steel enables direct querying of EVM state inside the zkVM, allowing Solidity methods to be called within proofs and empowering direct offchain computation for Ethereum apps with minimal gas costs and near-instant finality.

Developer Tools

The platform provides Boundless Rust SDK for high-level APIs, boundless-cli for command-line operations, Foundry templates and tutorials for onboarding, and smart contract libraries for native verification across various blockchains.

You can access the platform at beboundless.xyz and explore documentation at docs.beboundless.xyz.

Boundless Token (ZKC) and Economics

The ZKC token serves as the central utility and incentive asset of the Boundless protocol, enabling staking, governance, market access, and securing proof operations throughout the verifiable compute ecosystem.

Token Details

● Token Name: Boundless (ZKC)

● Token Symbol: ZKC

● Genesis Total Supply: 1,000,000,000 ZKC (1 billion)

● Max Supply: Infinite (with annual inflation starting at 7% and tapering to 3%)

● Circulating Supply: 200,937,056 ZKC (approximately 20.09% of genesis supply)

● Contract Addresses:

○ Ethereum: 0x000006c2A22ff4A44ff1f5d0F2ed65F781F55555

○ BNB Smart Chain: 0x15247e6E23D3923a853cCf15940A20CCdf16e94a

Token Distribution

Introduction image 2

● Ecosystem Growth: 49% (app funding, protocol integration, strategic growth fund)

● Core Team & Early Contributors: 23.5% (includes RISC Zero incubator, future hires)

● Investors: 21.5% (strategic VC partners and supporters)

● Community Token Sale & Airdrop: 6% (early contributors, provers, airdrop programs)

Token Utilities

● Staking & Security: Provers must stake ZKC as collateral to participate in the proof-generation market, with slashing for misbehavior or fraud

● Proof of Verifiable Work: Provers earn ZKC emissions for completing proof jobs, with incentives dynamically allocated based on market demand

● Governance: ZKC holders can stake tokens to propose and vote on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and market rules

● Fee Payments: Applications and rollups use ZKC for transacting within the marketplace and accessing protocol features

● Cross-chain Bridges: ZKC powers bridging services and proof markets for multichain applications

Why Boundless?

Traditional blockchain infrastructure faces limitations where every node must re-execute every transaction, creating scalability bottlenecks. Boundless addresses these challenges with verifiable compute solutions:

Experienced Leadership: Founded by RISC Zero team led by Shiv Shankar with experience at Microsoft, Lyft, Coinbase, and Avalanche, combined with Jeremy Bruestle's expertise in zkVM development and Intel engineering background.

Investor Backing: $52-54 million raised from Blockchain Capital, Bain Capital Crypto, Delphi Ventures, Galaxy Digital, and other crypto investors in the universal ZK infrastructure space.

Universal Protocol: Chain-agnostic design supports Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and other major blockchains through modular zkVM architecture and permissionless prover networks.

Technical Innovation: Protocol enables rapid rollup upgrades to ZK technology within hours instead of months, using Steel zk-coprocessor for EVM state queries and hybrid rollup solutions.

Decentralized Marketplace: Permissionless Proof of Verifiable Work system creates competitive pricing through reverse Dutch auctions while ensuring security through staking mechanisms.

Strategic Partnerships: Collaborations with Union Protocol for ZK interoperability, Wormhole for cross-chain security, Ethereum Foundation, EigenLayer, and major cross-chain projects including Layer N, AltLayer, Fuel, and Fiamma.

The platform separates execution from consensus, enabling blockchain computational capacity beyond traditional block and gas limits while maintaining security through cryptographic proofs.

Boundless (ZKC) Goes Live on Bitget

We are thrilled to announce that Boundless (ZKC) will be listed in the Innovation Zone. Check out the details below:

Trading Available: 15 September 2025, 14:00 (UTC)

Withdrawal Available: 16 September 2025, 15:00 (UTC)

Trade ZKC/USDT on Bitget!

Boundless (ZKC) Goes Live on Bitget Launchpool — lock BGB and ZKC to share 755,000 ZKC!

Bitget Launchpool will be listing Boundless (ZKC). Eligible users can lock BGB and ZKC to share 755,000 ZKC.

Locking period: 16 September 2025, 06:00 – 18 September 2025, 06:00 (UTC)

Locking pool 1- BGB: Lock BGB to share 671,700 ZKC

Locking pool 2- ZKC: Lock ZKC to share 83,300 ZKC

Lock Now

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are for informational purposes only. This article does not constitute an endorsement of any of the products and services discussed or investment, financial, or trading advice. Qualified professionals should be consulted prior to making financial decisions.

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Tags:

Distributed Computing

Zero Knowledge Proofs

Scaling

Ethereum Ecosystem

Contracts:

0x1524...f16e94a(BNB Smart Chain (BEP20))

Current price:

$0.3260Boundless price today

All-time high:$2.13

All-time low:$0.3117

ZKC supply and tokenomics

Circulating supply:200,937,060 ZKC

Total supply:1,000,000,000 ZKC

Max supply:0 ZKC

Market cap:$65.50M

Fully diluted market cap:$325.99M

Links

Website:https://boundless.network/

Whitepaper:https://read.boundless.network/

X:https://twitter.com/boundless_xyz

GitHub:https://github.com/boundless-xyz

Buy Boundless for $1Buy ZKC now

What is the development prospect and future value of ZKC?

The market value of ZKC currently stands at $65.50M, and its market ranking is #505. The value of ZKC is not widely recognized by the market. When the bull market comes, the market value of ZKC may have great growth potential.

As a new type of currency with innovative technology and unique use cases, ZKC has broad market potential and significant room for development. The distinctiveness and appeal of ZKC may attract the interest of specific groups, thereby driving up its market value.

What will the price of ZKC be in 2026?

Based on ZKC's historical price performance prediction model, the price of ZKC is projected to reach $0.3989 in 2026.

What will the price of ZKC be in 2031?

In 2031, the ZKC price is expected to change by +8.00%. By the end of 2031, the ZKC price is projected to reach $0.6244, with a cumulative ROI of +90.75%.

Reminder: Just like all cryptocurrency investments, investors must closely monitor the market performance of ZKC and be aware of the associated risks. The world of cryptocurrencies is full of uncertainties, so thorough research and preparation are essential.

ZKC price ZKC price prediction ZKC news

Is ZKC worth investing or holding? How to buy ZKC from a crypto exchange?

If you want to buy ZKC, the following information may be helpful for your investment decisions:

In the last 7 days, the price of ZKC has fallen by -34.72%, leading to negative returns for most ZKC investors. The market is currently pessimistic about the price trend of ZKC.

It is important to note that the current price of ZKC has retreated by -84.73% from its all-time high. This coin is currently considered high-risk, and while its price may rebound in the future, there is significant uncertainty.

Additionally, it's important to understand that each coin has its own optimal times for buying and selling. The optimal time to invest is dynamic: when a coin is undervalued, it's wise to adopt a buying strategy; when it becomes overvalued, you should decisively sell the coin.

To decide whether ZKC is worth investing in, you need to consider various market factors such as the overall trend of the cryptocurrency market, the project's fundamentals, its current market valuation, and whether the current price is suitable for buying. If the project's fundamentals suddenly change or the price becomes excessively high, you should adjust your investment strategy and trading operations accordingly.

Your investment decisions should be based on your own risk tolerance, financial status, market analysis and research, especially the timing of your investments. Correct timing can ensure more reliable returns. Keep in mind that investing in ZKC or any cryptocurrency comes with certain risks and uncertainties.

Regardless of your outlook on the development prospects and future trends of ZKC, if you want to buy or sell ZKC, you can consider Bitget for your trading needs. The best place to buy ZKC is an exchange that offers hassle-free and secure transactions, combined with a user-friendly interface and high liquidity. Every day, millions of users choose Bitget as their trusted platform for crypto purchases.

Investing in Boundless has never been easier. Simply sign up on Bitget, complete the identity verification process, and make payments using bank transfers, debit cards, or credit cards, all while ensuring security through crypto wallets. This is a widely adopted method to buy Boundless. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to buy Boundless on Bitget.

Buy ZKC now Coin buying guide

How to get Boundless through other methods？

Using cash to buy Boundless is not the only way to obtain Boundless. If you have the time to spare, you can get Boundless for free.

Learn how to earn Boundless for free through the Learn2Earn promotion.

Earn free Boundless by inviting friends to join Bitget's Assist2Earn promotion.

Receive free Boundless airdrops by joining ongoing challenges and promotions.

All crypto airdrops and rewards can be converted to Boundless through Bitget Convert, Bitget Swap, or spot trading.

What is Boundless used for and how to use Boundless?

The use case of Boundless may expand as the crypto market and the project itself develop. Currently, you can use ZKC to achieve the following goals:

Arbitrage by trading ZKC: Since ZKC is a frequently traded cryptocurrency, the price of ZKC is always fluctuating. Earn more ZKC by buying low and selling high on the exchange. Bitget spot market provides a variety of ZKC trading pairs to fully meet your needs.

Earn by staking ZKC: You can also generate income through financial management methods such as staking ZKC or lending ZKC. Bitget Earn offers a variety of financial products designed to help you earn more income from your ZKC.

Send or pay ZKC: If you want to give ZKC to your friends, a charity, or a fundraiser, or you want to pay someone with ZKC, you can quickly and easily send ZKC to the recipient through their payment address.

You can also go to the official website of the Boundless project to learn more about the use cases of ZKC. For example, find out if the project supports the use of within its community or ecology, or if the project allows you to purchase physical or virtual products in .

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