Polygon Co-Founder Launches Independent Zero-Knowledge Project Zisk

Launching Zisk from Polygon zkEVM

Jordi Baylina, who led the development team behind Polygon zkEVM – a layer-2 scaling network that uses zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology – has transferred his team, source code, and intellectual property to Zisk, an independent company registered in Switzerland under the name SilentSig GmbH, which he owns.

The split was completed on June 13, 2025, after a year of incubation in Polygon Labs since May 2024. Zisk aims to develop zkVM – a technology that enables transaction and data verification without revealing sensitive information, with the goal of optimizing speed and performance.

Meanwhile, the Polygon Foundation, under the leadership of Sandeep Nailwal – who recently took over as CEO – announced plans to stop developing zkEVM, which was considered to have fallen short of expectations after Polygon acquired Hermez for $250 million in 2021.

Instead, Polygon is focusing on Polygon PoS and AggLayer, a multi-chain networking protocol that aims to enhance interoperability. Baylina remains an advisor at Polygon, but his primary focus is now on Zisk, with a team that includes seven core developers from zkEVM.

Polygon and the zero-knowledge trend

Polygon has long been a pioneer in scaling Ethereum, with a $1 billion investment in ZKP technology and acquisitions such as Hermez and Mir. Polygon zkEVM, which was first launched as a fully Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible layer-2 solution, was expected to revolutionize blockchain scalability. However, zkEVM struggled to gain traction and accumulated losses of over $1 million per year, leading to the decision to halt development.

The blockchain industry is currently witnessing an explosion of zero-knowledge technology, with projects like zkSync, Scroll, and StarkNet competing to lead the way in solving Ethereum’s gas fees and transaction throughput problems. The cryptocurrency market is expected to reach a $3.5 trillion market cap by 2025, with $50 billion in institutional inflows into Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in Q1, demonstrating the growing demand for efficient scaling solutions. The birth of Zisk comes against this backdrop, as ZKP technology is seen as the key to bringing blockchain into the Web3 era for the masses.

Conclude

Jordi Baylina’s launch of Zisk was a turning point, turning the failure of zkEVM into an opportunity for a potentially viable independent zkVM project. While Polygon repositioned its strategy with Polygon PoS and AggLayer, Zisk offered hope to the ZKP community with its commitment to open source and high performance. However, both face significant challenges in terms of reputation, funding, and competition.

In the context of the 2025 crypto market boom, this event is not only a story of Polygon but also a testament to the maturity of blockchain technology. Can Zisk lead the ZKP trend, or will Polygon dominate with AggLayer? Stay tuned for the latest updates!

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Compiled and analyzed by HCCVenture

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