We’re excited to announce the launch of the Secret Builders Program, an initiative which aims to incubate early stage projects within the Secret Network ecosystem, providing dedicated support in areas like contract development, marketing, and financial planning. Running in monthly cohorts, participants will come away from the program with a solid foundation for their Web3 application, after which longer term guidance will also be available.
For the first cohort, we’ve partnered with Etherlink to support projects looking to build on a familiar EVM-compatible blockchain, while also taking advantage of the possibilities that decentralized confidential computing (DeCC) unlocks. Registration is open now, and the cohort will run throughout the month of September.
What is the Secret Builders Program?
The Secret Builders Program is a new effort to kickstart projects in the Secret ecosystem, giving teams the knowledge, tools, and connections they need to succeed. The aim is to give them personalized support beyond the technology to help build sustainable businesses.
In addition to resources available from the Secret Network Foundation, we’ve also partnered with various organizations specializing in areas like marketing, code development, security audits, tokenomics, legal structuring, community management, and fundraising readiness. After assessing the requirements of a project, we’ll provide tailored support to ensure all of their needs are met.
Why DeCC?
DeCC (Decentralized Confidential Computing) is a category of technology enabling blockchain applications to store and compute encrypted data, without having to reveal that data to the entire world. This unlocks powerful new use-cases for Web3, as most blockchain applications today are functionally limited by their requirement of all data being publicly viewable. This is in stark contrast to traditional “Web2” development, where encrypted databases and end-to-end encrypted data transfers are utilized in nearly every application.
Incorporating DeCC can enable features like private voting for DAOs, secure random number generation for games, encrypted data in NFTs, sealed-bid auctions for NFTs and other assets, confidential limit orders for DeFi applications, and encrypted storage for various applications.
By participating in the Secret Builders Program, you’ll learn how to utilize DeCC in your Web3 application, and create something with a powerful real-world use-case.
Partnering with Etherlink
Etherlink is a non-custodial, EVM-compatible Layer 2 blockchain powered by Tezos Smart Rollups. It’s permissionless, inherits Tezos Layer 1 security, and features a decentralized governance model, fraud proofs, and censorship resistance. It’s fast, fair and (nearly) free with extremely low transaction costs, and features MEV protection by design. In contrast to Ethereum’s smart contract-based rollups, Etherlink distinguishes itself by its integration into Tezos layer 1 as an “enshrined” rollup. This unique integration not only fortifies its security by eliminating common smart contract risks, but also grants it the status of a first-class citizen on the Tezos mainnet, offering enhanced underlying infrastructure. It ensures complete decentralization, eliminating the necessity for administrative keys or centralized bridges, thus mitigating potential censorship risks. Moreover, Etherlink’s upgradability is facilitated through Tezos’ established on-chain governance system, enabling community-driven development and progression.
For this first cohort of the Secret Builders Program, we’re partnering with Etherlink to help discover potential projects from within the Tezos ecosystem. We’re looking for projects that want to deploy on an EVM-compatible blockchain, while also taking advantage of Secret’s decentralized confidential computing capabilities. If that sounds like you, we encourage you to register for the program today. The program will begin on September 1st, and run throughout the month.
Looking Forward
After the Etherlink cohort ends, the program will continue to run in monthly cohorts for the foreseeable future. We’ll be partnering with different networks each time, and potentially other organizations as well. Although cross-chain development is the current focus, we may also feature cohorts focusing on native Secret dApp development in the future.
We’re excited to begin this new ecosystem development initiative, and hope to see many successful projects come out of it. If you’re a Web3 developer with an idea for a dApp, and are looking for a way to get started, we welcome you to join us!
Join in on the discussion on the Secret Network community channels:
