Kakarot: An Innovative Zk-EVM Project

Kakarot zkEVM is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) implementation written in the Cairo language. Cairo is a Turing-complete language associated with CairoVM, which utilizes polynomials and the ZK-STARK proof system to achieve verifiable computation.

As a feature of zkEVM, Kakarot is capable of generating provable transactions and blocks. Built on top of CairoVM, every transaction executed on Kakarot is provable. This allows developers to deploy EVM applications on Kakarot while enabling users to interact with these applications using familiar tools.

In addition, Kakarot plans to provide interoperability with the Starknet protocol, bringing better composability to protocols in different fields such as DeFi and GameFi.

Development Roadmap

The Kakarot project was launched in October 2022, aiming to create a zkEVM with less than 10,000 lines of code. This goal was achieved in just six months, and a testnet is planned to be released by the end of summer 2023.

The roadmap for Kakarot zkEVM is divided into three phases:

1. Implement EVM functionality on Starknet, allowing developers to directly deploy Solidity contracts.

2. Integrate with Madara, enable L3 zkEVMs for higher scalability.

3. Implement type 1 zkEVM with Madara, capable of proving L1 blocks.

Team Background

The Kakarot core team was born out of a hackathon in Lisbon. Currently, with the support of the Starknet Foundation and Onlydust, there are more than 40 contributors.

Co-founder Elias Tazartes serves as CEO, specializing in blockchain engineering and full-stack development. Co-founder Clément Walter serves as CTO and is a versatile scientist and engineer.

Investment Situation

Kakarot has completed its pre-seed funding round, with the specific amount undisclosed. Investors include Starkware and LambDa. Angel investors include Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, Ledger co-founder Nicolas Bacca, and ZAMA CEO Rand Hindi.

Project Prospects

Kakarot, as the EVM implementation on Starknet, is expected to become an important bridge connecting the Starknet and Ethereum ecosystems. It can lower the development threshold, making it easier for Ethereum ecosystem projects to build on Starknet.

However, the development of Kakarot is also highly dependent on the prosperity of the Starknet ecosystem. Compared to other zkEVM projects, the Kakarot team is smaller, and its funding and visibility still need to be improved.

Overall, Kakarot is a promising innovative project that is worth keeping an eye on for its future development. With the testnet set to be released soon, we will be able to gain further insights into the project's actual performance.