Let me take you back to the very beginning. I’ve been involved in decentralized systems for a long time—all the way back to the era when BitTorrent first became a thing. At that time, I was intrigued by the idea of decentralized file sharing and started tinkering with the BitTorrent protocol, which felt like a whole new world of peer-to-peer networks.
In those days, I was chatting on Usenet. Think of it as a network of forums that used email protocols to let people discuss all sorts of niche topics. It was in one of these Usenet groups, all about peer-to-peer systems, that someone handed me a very early version of the Bitcoin node, this was even before the first public release. I tested it out of curiosity, mined a few blocks, and ended up with about 300 bitcoins back when they were worth absolutely nothing. Eventually, I lost those keys and coins, but it was my first brush with blockchain technology.
A few years later, in 2013, I joined the NXT (Next) project, which was a Layer 1 blockchain built on proof of stake rather than proof of work. NXT was more than just a cryptocurrency: it was a whole application platform. It had a marketplace, colored coins, a naming system, and so much more, opening my eyes to what blockchains could really do beyond just sending coins around.
Over time, I worked on numerous blockchain projects during the big ICO boom, helping others implement their ideas by forking and customizing the NXT code. This hands-on experience taught me the ins and outs of Layer 1 blockchain implementation and the possibilities for building something new.
From Inspiration to Implementation: The Birth of ZooBC
So, after spending years working on all these different blockchain projects and seeing the limitations of existing protocols, I started thinking about a new approach. I wanted to design a Layer 1 protocol that could move blockchain technology one step ahead: something more innovative, something that didn’t have to revolve solely around cryptocurrency.
That’s how the concept of Proof of Participation was born. I envisioned a protocol that could operate independently of a native currency, addressing some of the issues I’d seen in other blockchains. Once the idea had matured in my mind, I invited two friends to join me on a trip to Thailand. We booked a hotel and spent about ten days brainstorming, sketching out ideas, and writing code snippets to see if this new logic could actually be implemented.
That was the start of ZooBC. It’s been quite an adventure. We even wrote a book about it, which can be downloaded here. In the next post, I’ll share the ups and downs of bringing this Layer 1 blockchain to life: what worked, what didn’t, and what I have learned along the way.
