Crypto projects like Zcash, Ethereum and Filecoin were early adopters and developers of zero-knowledge proof technologies, introducing key innovations such as zk-Rollups and privacy protocols that have since influenced broader technology adoption

Quotes that support claims

Newer ZK variants like Plonk and Marlin are also being used for data storage, like in projects including Filecoin.

Ethereum and other blockchains use zk-Rollups — like StarkNet and zkSync — to batch transactions off-chain, reducing costs and congestion.

Projects like Zcash contributed serious innovations to the tech, which is now being implemented in and out of crypto for anything from scalability to privacy.