Zcash Founder Zooko Wilcox Joins ZEC Treasury Firm as Privacy Coin Surges

Core Insights - Cypherpunk Technologies Inc. has appointed Zooko Wilcox, founder of Zcash, as a strategic advisor to guide the development of self-sovereign digital systems focused on privacy and freedom [1][4] - Following this announcement, Cypherpunk's stock price surged nearly 40%, closing at approximately $1.62, while the company has seen a significant increase of over 250% in stock value over the month [5] Company Developments - Cypherpunk began its investment in Zcash in November, aligning with other crypto treasury firms such as Strategy and BitMine Immersion Technologies [2] - The company has raised $58.88 million in a private placement led by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, co-founders of the Gemini crypto exchange [3] Market Performance - Zcash has experienced a dramatic price increase, rising from about $50 in early September to a peak above $700 in November, before falling to nearly $300 in early December and then rebounding to around $430 [4][5] - Despite recent fluctuations, Zcash remains significantly below its all-time high of $3,191 reached in 2016 [5] Strategic Vision - Wilcox emphasized that Cypherpunk's commitment to Zcash signifies that user-controlled privacy is essential for a stable society, framing the investment as a commitment to economic freedom [4] - Cypherpunk aims to build a team of experts in cryptography and technology to advance Zcash and the broader privacy ecosystem [6]