Hello Cross Chain Pioneers and Aztec Builders!
The response to our recent Cross Chain Bridges RFP was incredible, showcasing the immense talent and enthusiasm within the community for building a private, interoperable future for Ethereum. We were truly inspired by the innovative proposals and the shared vision for unifying Ethereum, privately.
To continue this momentum and support even more teams in bringing their visions to life, we’re thrilled to launch the Aztec Cross Chain Catalysts Program! This initiative is designed to activate and fund promising teams to deploy privacy-enhanced cross-chain applications on our upcoming Aztec testnet.
Our Goal: More Privacy, More Interoperability, More Innovation
Building on the success of our Cross Chain Bridges RFP, which selected three innovative teams—Wormhole (connecting Arbitrum with Aztec), Train Protocol (connecting Unichain with Aztec), and Substance Labs (connecting Base with Aztec)—we now want to expand the ecosystem with applications that leverage these foundational bridges. With Aztec ignition on the horizon, we want to see a flourishing ecosystem of applications that leverage Aztec’s unique private and public execution environment. The Cross Chain Catalysts Program aims to:
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Activate a broader range of builders: Provide a dedicated path for teams who showed strong potential in the Cross Chain Bridges RFP, as well as welcome new developers passionate about private cross-chain solutions.
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Expand the ecosystem: Generate a diverse set of 5-10+ small-scale, privacy-enhanced cross-chain applications and deployments.
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Foster innovation: Encourage experimentation and practical application of Aztec’s cutting-edge privacy technology.
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Build on foundations: Support projects that can complement or build upon the larger bridge implementations being funded through the initial RFP.
This is your chance to get hands-on with Aztec, contribute to a foundational piece of Web3 infrastructure, and receive funding for your work.
Who is This Program For?
We invite proposals from:
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Teams who submitted proposals to the Cross Chain Bridges RFP but were not selected for the initial cohort. We recognize the effort you’ve already invested and want to provide another avenue for your ideas.
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New developers and teams excited by the challenge of building private cross chain applications on Aztec.
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Builders interested in creating solutions that integrate with or enhance the capabilities of the primary bridges being developed.
What We’re Looking For: Privacy-Enhanced Cross Chain Applications
We are seeking builders to create innovative applications on top of one of the three bridges that are being deployed: Wormhole connecting Arbitrum with Aztec, Train Protocol connecting Unichain with Aztec, and Substance Labs connecting Base with Aztec. Your project should aim to build and deploy a functional application on the Aztec testnet that demonstrates the power of Aztec’s privacy features in a cross-chain context.
Consider use cases such as:
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Private DeFi Interactions: Execute deposits or other interactions with DeFi protocols on public L2s, originating from and returning to Aztec with privacy.
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ZK Proofs of Credentials: Utilize Aztec to privately manage and prove credentials (e.g., passports, KYC status) for use in regulated applications or for gated access on other L2s.
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Private Cross Chain Payments & Transfers: Enable users to send and receive assets across different L2s with enhanced privacy through Aztec.
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Cross Chain Identity & Access Management: Develop systems where identity or access rights are managed privately on Aztec but recognized across multiple chains.
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Private Multi-Sig Control: Implement private multi-signature wallets on Aztec to control assets or actions on other L2s.
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Simple Cross Chain Messaging/Swaps: Tools that allow for basic, privacy-preserving interactions between Aztec and another L2.
We encourage you to leverage Aztec’s unique features, including its private and public state, seamless composability, and native account abstraction. For a deeper understanding of bridging with Aztec, please refer to the Additional Context for the Cross Chain RFGP.
Funding & Program Structure
Unlike the Cross Chain Bridges RFP, this program is designed to support more teams - We are looking to fund 5-10 teams! We have allocated a total budget of US$30,000 - US$50,000 for the Cross Chain Catalysts Program. Funding will be distributed through two tiers:
- Deployment Grants: US$2,000 - US$5,000 per team
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For more comprehensive applications with a clear path to a functional testnet deployment.
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Expected to deliver a well-defined user experience and potentially explore more complex integrations.
- Quick Build Micro-Grants: US$500 - US$1,000 per team
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For simpler, focused implementations or tools that demonstrate a specific private cross-chain mechanic.
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Ideal for individual developers or small teams looking to experiment and contribute a specific piece to the ecosystem.
This program serves as an introductory opportunity to get your foot in the door with the Aztec ecosystem. Successful participants will be well-positioned for future collaboration and potential additional funding opportunities.
Payment Structure (for Deployment grant tier):
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25% upon proposal acceptance.
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25% upon reaching a key mutually agreed-upon development milestone.
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50% upon successful deployment of the functional application/tool on the Aztec testnet and submission of a brief final report/demo.
How to Apply
- Create a New Post on This Forum:
- Clearly state which grant tier you are applying for in your title (e.g., “Cross Chain Catalysts Proposal (Deployment Grant): [Your Project Name]” or “Cross Chain Catalysts Proposal (Micro-Grant): [Your Project Name]”).
- Tag your post with cross-chain-catalysts and either deployment-grant or micro-grant.
- Follow a Simplified Submission Format:
- Given the smaller grant amounts, proposals should be more concise and focused than our Cross Chain Bridges RFP. Include these key sections:
- Title: Team/product name
- Contact Details
- Summary: Brief description of your cross-chain app and which bridge you’ll use (Wormhole, Train Protocol, or Substance Labs)
- Timeline: Start and end dates oriented towards testnet deployment
- About You: Your team’s relevant background and experience
- Technical Approach: Core idea, user flow, and key technical considerations
- Grant Amount Requested: Within the defined tiers
- Budget Rationale: Brief justification for the requested amount
- Deployment Grants can include more detail, while Micro-Grant proposals should focus on the core concept and execution plan.
- Link Your Proposal:
- Once your proposal post is created, please post the link as a comment underneath this announcement.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, June 23, 2025
Why Build with Aztec?
Aztec is pioneering a new paradigm for blockchain interactions, where privacy and scalability are not afterthoughts but core primitives. By building on Aztec, you’ll be working with:
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Noir: Our powerful Rust-based DSL for writing zero-knowledge circuits.
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A Unique Architecture: Seamlessly compose private and public functions within your applications.
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Native Account Abstraction: Design sophisticated and user-friendly experiences.
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Flexible Fee Handling: Explore options like Fee Payment Contracts (FPCs) and app-sponsored transactions to enhance UX. Learn more about FPCs here.
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Direct Access to Bridge Teams: We’ll connect you with the best bridging teams in the world - Wormhole, Train Protocol, and Substance Labs - to support your development process.
Let’s Catalyze the Cross Chain Future, Privately!
We believe that the future of Ethereum is an interconnected web of L2s, with privacy as a fundamental layer. The Cross Chain Catalysts Program is another step towards realizing this vision. We are incredibly excited to see what you will build and to support you on this journey.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them in this thread or reach out to the Aztec team.
Together, let’s continue to unify Ethereum—privately.
The Aztec Team
Disclaimer
The published request for proposal and ideas herein are explicitly published as discussion points to invite community feedback in the community forums. Robust design and developer discussion is the best way for the community to collectively secure and govern the network as well as ensure cross-chain interoperability. Any ultimate governance and cross-chain designs will be a result of the analysis and feedback of the community.The information set out herein is for discussion purposes only and does not represent any binding indication or commitment by Aztec Labs and/or affiliates and their employees//consultants to take any action whatsoever, including relating to the structure and/or any potential operation of the Aztec protocol or the protocol roadmap. In particular: (i) nothing in this post (and any response to this post) is intended to create any contractual or other form of legal, investment, financial, tax or advisory relationship between Aztec Labs or third parties who engage with such posts (including, without limitation, by submitting comments, a proposal and/or responding to posts including any medium such as X, Discord, etc), (ii) by engaging with any post, the relevant persons are consenting to Aztec Labs’ use and publication of such engagement and related information on an open-source basis (and agree that Aztec Labs will not treat such engagement and related information as confidential), and (iii) Aztec Labs is not under any duty to consider any or all engagements, and that consideration of such engagements and any decision to award grants or other rewards for any such engagement is entirely at Aztec Labs’ sole discretion. Please do not rely on any information on this forum for any purpose - the development, release, and timing of any products, features or functionality remains subject to change and is currently entirely hypothetical. Nothing on this forum post should be treated as an offer to sell any security or any other asset by Aztec Labs or its affiliates, and you should not rely on any forum posts or content for advice of any kind, including legal, investment, financial, tax or other professional advice.