CryptoZombies Celebrates Retroactive Public Goods Funding from Optimism Foundation

2023-05-05

Since its inception over four years ago, CryptoZombies has been committed to educating developers on all things technical about blockchains. Our interactive school has taught over 400k registered users how to write smart contracts by creating their own crypto-collectibles game. Our platform was the first tutorial on the internet for NFTs, and we continue to be relevant today as new web3 developers enter the industry.

We at CryptoZombies are overjoyed to announce that we have received a grant from the Optimism Foundation through retroactive public goods funding (RetroPGF), which is a mechanism for distributing funds to support public goods in the Optimism ecosystem.

What is Optimism?

So, what is Optimism? Optimism is one of the most popular implementations of Optimistic Rollup, designed to enable faster and cheaper transactions on the Ethereum network. Optimism is built on top of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and allows developers to build decentralized applications that are faster and more cost effective than traditional on-chain applications.

The Optimism solution is based on the concept of optimistic execution, where transactions are assumed to be valid by default, and only in cases of fraud or error are they rolled back. This approach enables faster transaction processing by reducing the number of on-chain operations required. In Optimism, the majority of transaction processing is done off-chain, and validators periodically submit checkpoint proofs to the Ethereum mainnet for final validation.

One of the key benefits of Optimism is its ability to reduce the costs associated with executing smart contracts on the Ethereum network. By reducing the number of on-chain operations required, Optimism significantly lowers gas fees for users, making it more accessible to a wider range of people. Additionally, because Optimism is built on top of the Ethereum network, it benefits from the same security and decentralization features that have made Ethereum one of the most trusted and widely used blockchain networks in the world.

What is RetroPGF?

The RetroPGF is an innovative approach to funding public goods, as it distributes funds based on the impact that has already been created by builders in the ecosystem. These public goods include things like open-source software, infrastructure, tooling, education, and utilities. The key feature of RetroPGF is that it distributes funds retroactively, based on past contributions. This means that builders who have already made significant contributions to the ecosystem can receive funding for their work, rather than having to compete for funding through traditional grant programs. The RetroPGF is designed to reward builders for the impact they have already made, rather than just their potential to make an impact in the future.

The Journey Ahead

With this grant, we will be able to expand our curriculum to include more content, reach a wider audience and help more developers get started with blockchain development. Additionally, we will be able to improve our existing courses and make them even more accessible and engaging for learners.

We are incredibly grateful to the Optimism Foundation for recognizing the value of our work and supporting us through RetroPGF. This grant will not only benefit us, but also the entire Optimism ecosystem, as we help developers build on this fast, stable, and scalable L2 blockchain. By supercharging the tooling, education, infrastructure, utilities, and open-source software that makes Optimism one of the best crypto ecosystems to build on, RetroPGF is helping to drive the growth of the Optimism ecosystem.

We look forward to continuing our work of educating developers and contributing to the growth of the web3 ecosystem. With the support of the Optimism Foundation, we are confident that we will be able to achieve even greater things in the years to come. Thank you, Optimism Foundation, for this fantastic opportunity!