Since the start of 2024, ECC’s top priority has been delivering the best experience for ZEC users. That means building an intuitive interface for Zcash and letting the UX requirements inform protocol development, always in service of real users.
Thanks to our small team’s hard work, we’ve made major progress in driving Zcash adoption, most notably through the launch of the Zashi mobile wallet.
Zashi is growing rapidly, and the momentum around shielded ZEC has never been higher. To keep building on this growth, we’re making several important organizational changes to remove internal friction and position ECC for continued success in 2026 and beyond.
Engineering
First, we’ve brought our core protocol and mobile engineering teams together under @andrea_kob’s leadership. The mobile engineering team behind Zashi has shipped incredibly well under her direction, and we’re excited to bring that same focus and velocity to all of our engineering efforts. Her exceptional organizational skills, structured approach, and proven experience working with both teams to deliver results every time, make Andrea the ideal person to lead this transition.
This key move allows for tighter planning, faster iteration, and more consistent execution across the board. Primarily, it reinforces the natural feedback loop between Zashi and the protocol, where user insights can directly inform protocol priorities.
Key objectives include:
- Aligning Zashi’s user experience with protocol development, so user insights shape every layer of our work.
- Unifying planning and processes across teams for greater clarity and efficiency.
- Coordinating around shared goals to maximize impact.
Marketing
Next, we’ve consolidated all marketing and communications under Peacemonger’s leadership. As Zashi becomes the primary gateway to Zcash for new and returning users, we need a unified voice and a focused strategy to reach, educate, and support the growing audience.
Peacemonger has been balancing a wide range of responsibilities across product and marketing at ECC. She has been instrumental in helping Zcash find product-market fit, grounding our strategy in deep user research, and shaping and refining Zashi’s UX. She’s been the drumbeat of the people we are building for and has brought the science to life. Now, she will lead the next phase of ECC’s work with that same vision and execution to drive Zcash and Zashi adoption at scale.
Key objectives include:
- Building out a lean world-class marketing team
- Strengthening Zashi, Zcash, and ECC brand identities
- Driving messaging and campaigns that grow usage and awareness of shielded ZEC
Product
Since Josh Swihart took the helm at ECC two years ago, Zashi has evolved from a barebones prototype into the most trusted and robust interface for Zcash, reigniting the adoption of shielded ZEC and directing protocol development. This transformation reflects a product vision rooted in real-world use cases, intuitive UX, and an unwavering commitment to privacy. As ECC continues to scale, his vision and focused leadership will remain central to our product strategy.
With changes across Engineering and Marketing, the Product function is also entering a transition to support continued growth. For now, Josh, who has been hands-on with product development from the start, will continue to guide Zashi in close coordination with cross-functional teams.
Key objectives include:
- Delivering a world-class user experience for ZEC that drives growth
- Shipping an unstoppable cross-platform UX with rich capabilities for storing and using shielded ZEC
- Deepening alignment between product, engineering, marketing, and user insight
Finance, Partnerships, & Support
We’re also expanding Tony Margarit’s role to lead ECC’s operational growth. Since joining us, Tony has been instrumental in building out our financial infrastructure, overseeing treasury management, accounting, and the financial modeling & forecasting that guide our strategy. He’s worked closely with external counsel to help us navigate complex regulatory and legal matters, while also overseeing core HR functions that have strengthened our internal foundation.
Now, Tony will apply that same operational excellence to ECC’s outward-facing work. As Zashi adoption grows, we must scale our support infrastructure and build the right partnerships to serve a growing user base. Tony’s experience and leadership will ensure we do both with care, clarity, and a focus on long-term success.
Key objectives include:
- Aligning partnerships with our adoption goals
- Building the operational infrastructure needed to support a growing Zashi user base
- Eliminating cross-functional bottlenecks to accelerate our execution
Protocol Research & Security
Finally, we’re formalizing a dedicated focus on long-term protocol research and security under the leadership of Daira‑Emma Hopwood. As the principal author of the Zcash Protocol Specification, which is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous and comprehensive specifications in crypto, Daira‑Emma has shaped the very foundation of Zcash with extraordinary precision, foresight, and cryptographic brilliance. The spec’s clarity, completeness, and depth reflect a level of mastery few in the industry can match.
With a rare ability to intuit and reason through cryptographic systems at every layer, Daira‑Emma remains unmatched in grasp of the protocol and the math that powers it. This next chapter will leverage that expertise to ensure Zcash continues to lead not only in privacy, but in secure, adaptable, and user-aligned protocol design. This focus guarantees continuity in the areas where Zcash needs it most: research, specification, and protection of critical systems.
Key objectives include:
- Deep research into protocol design, specifications, and formalization
- Cross-functional collaboration with the Zcash Foundation, Project Tachyon, Shielded Labs, and others
- Guiding protocol evolution with a user-first mindset, ensuring it aligns with real-world needs
- Leading ECC’s security initiatives as both Zashi and Zcash scale
Why Now?
Shielded ZEC usage is rising. Zashi is gaining traction. Resources are pouring into the ecosystem. We’re seeing real momentum, real users, and real opportunity.
Zcash’s explosive growth over the past couple of months signals something important: the crypto landscape is changing, and the work we’ve done over the last two years has positioned ECC to lead. To meet this moment, we must continue to evolve. We’re seeing the proof that our strategy is working. Now we’re doubling down.
Thank you for all you’ve done to get us here, and for what we’re about to accomplish together.
Onward.
