Zcash dev lab raises $25M seed funding from top crypto backers

Zcash Lab completes 25 million dollar round

Zcash Open Development Lab, also called ZODL, has raised over 25 million United States dollars in seed funding. The funding round gives the new organisation a multi-year budget for Zcash development work. ZODL was created to continue technical work on Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency. The raise is one of the largest early-stage rounds reported for a single protocol development lab in the Zcash ecosystem.

Former Electric Coin company team forms Zodl

ZODL was formed by the former engineering and product team of Electric Coin Company, also known as ECC. This group resigned from ECC in early 2026 after governance issues with the Bootstrap board, which oversees funding for Zcash development. The same engineers and product staff now work together inside the new lab. Their move keeps long-term Zcash protocol experience inside a single independent organisation.

Leadership continues under Josh Swihart

Josh Swihart, former chief executive officer of ECC, now leads ZODL. Reports describe him as the main public face of the new organisation. His leadership links the earlier ECC period of Zcash development with the new independent structure at ZODL. This continuity reduces disruption for users and partners that rely on ongoing protocol and wallet improvements.