Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss are deepening their commitment to the privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash, appointing its founder, Zooko Wilcox, as an advisor to their new company, Cypherpunk. The move signals a more active role for the twins in the Zcash ecosystem.

A New Zcash Treasury

In November, the brothers launched Cypherpunk, a company dedicated to holding Zcash (ZEC). The venture was established after Winklevoss Capital led a $58.88 million private placement in Leap Therapeutics, which was then rebranded. Shortly after its formation, the Nasdaq-listed company acquired 203,775 ZEC, which represents about 1.25% of the cryptocurrency’s total supply.

The acquisition is just the beginning of a larger strategy. Tyler Winklevoss stated at the time that the plan is to continue accumulating ZEC rapidly until Cypherpunk holds at least 5% of the total supply. Wilcox, who founded the Electric Coin Company and helped launch Zcash in 2016, joins the effort as a key advisor. Although he stepped down as CEO in 2023, he remains a pivotal figure in the Zcash community.

A Long-Term Commitment

Cypherpunk’s Chief Investment Officer, Will McEvoy, explained that Wilcox’s deep understanding of privacy-preserving technology is essential to their mission. He added that the company is assembling a world-class team of cryptographers and technologists to advance Zcash and the broader privacy ecosystem, suggesting Cypherpunk plans to be an active participant rather than a passive investor.

The twins’ involvement with Zcash isn’t new. Their investment firm, Winklevoss Capital, was an early backer, participating in the Electric Coin Company’s seed funding round back in 2018. By listing Zcash on its portfolio in March 2019, the firm became one of the first institutional investors to formally endorse the project.