With Horizen 2.0’s testnet launch date nearing, it’s time to start thinking about what unique and potentially viral use cases we should target to anchor the ecosystem.
The best ideas would both showcase what’s special about Horizen 2.0 with something that people absolutely love and obsess over.
One example from the recent ApeChain launch that Horizen Labs worked on was Top Trader. It’s a crazy fun “skills-based wagering” game with massive leverage that went viral. ApeChain is about gaming and “aping” into an outlandishly fun game like that just resonated extremely well.
Horizen 2.0 (soon we’ll just be calling it “Horizen” once we upgrade) is all about ZK and smart contracting. Here’s a sample vision statement I use to clarify what we’re doing:
“At Horizen, we believe privacy and security are essential to building a trusted, interconnected world. By empowering builders with flexible privacy and proof-driven trust through cutting edge zero knowledge technology, Horizen is where secure and innovative decentralized applications thrive.”
So what kinds of things should we focus on right now to attract into Horizen 2.0 for our launch? Of course we’ll have all the usual stuff an EVM will have, including everything you see on EON today, so this isn’t an exercise in the usual suspects. I want to know the potentially insanely viral stuff that you’ll only find on Horizen 2.0.
Here’s a quick list to start the conversation:
1. Privacy-First Social Trading Platform
Why: Social trading is incredibly engaging, and adding privacy gives Horizen a differentiator by allowing users to follow top traders without fully revealing their positions or strategies.
Example: Users can follow and mimic the trades of “Top Traders” anonymously. Each trade can be verified on-chain without revealing sensitive information about the user’s total holdings. This aligns well with Horizen’s privacy and security ethos.
2. ZK-Enhanced Prediction Markets
Why: Prediction markets are popular, especially when users can engage in bets without exposing their identities.
Example: A Horizen-exclusive prediction market where users make anonymous bets on sports, events, or even crypto prices. ZK proofs can validate bets and payouts while keeping identities private, making it a secure and trust-enhancing use case.
3. Gamified Financial Literacy Platform with Trading Simulation
Why: “Top Trader” resonates because it combines trading with competition and learning, appealing to both new and experienced users.
Example: A gamified trading simulation app where users can test strategies with real market data but in a sandboxed environment. ZK proofs could verify the authenticity of trades without involving real assets, creating a secure, educational space. This could be especially attractive as a Horizen-exclusive tool, appealing to novice traders wanting to learn privately.
4. NFT Marketplace with Privacy-Preserved Bidding
Why: An NFT marketplace can draw a range of users, and a privacy-enhanced twist could add intrigue and exclusivity.
Example: A Horizen-based NFT marketplace where users bid anonymously, with ZK proofs ensuring fair bidding without exposing identities or bid amounts. Limited-edition NFTs tied to Horizen’s mission could create exclusivity and drive both engagement and brand loyalty.
5. Social Competition Platform with Privacy-Enhanced Leaderboards
Why: A competition-driven app fits well as an anchor and can engage users across various categories.
Example: A social competition app where users can compete in trading, gaming, or other skills with anonymized, ZK-verified leaderboards. This way, “Top Traders” and other high-performers are highlighted without revealing their full identities or strategies, building intrigue while maintaining trust.
I think we should definitely make prediction markets one of our first use cases on Horizen 2.0. The functionality isn’t overly complex, and there’s a huge, untapped market here. Just recently, during the US elections, platforms like Polymarket saw billions in trading volume clearly showing massive demand.
I believe privacy is already a significant differentiator for us, and this aligns with our long-term vision.
I’m looking forward to the prediction markets, they could make the horizen network healthy
For example, a prediction market for governance outcomes could lead to more governance participation, as people would be more likely to participate in governance after placing a bet on the prediction market.
Horizen’s focus on privacy and security aligns perfectly with the needs of a prediction market where user data protection and transaction integrity are crucial. The zk-enhanced approach would ensure users can make predictions and engage with the market while maintaining privacy and reducing the risk of data exposure. Plus, proof-driven trust would offer transparent, tamper-proof verification, making the market more reliable and appealing to users looking for a secure and trustworthy platform. I feel it a good idea… Seeing the social trading platform idea just made me remember a project (Zignaly) i was contributing to back in late 2021 that offers the same solution but doesnt have any privacy features…
When we first launched ZenCash, we thought it would be interesting to explore private messaging protocols. In the end, we realized that posting messages on a blockchain isn’t the right approach. Our head of eng at the time thought that it would be interesting to use the decentralized node network as relay nodes for messages, which might be one approach. I’m just not sure how much value it provides compared to great apps like Signal.
Censorship-resistant social media is super interesting and important. What are the best examples we should use for inspiration today? And what could we do with Horizen that’d make for a better version?
After seeing Polymarket absolutely crush it during this last U.S. Presidential election, I’m totally on board with this. We should think through how ZK can make a version of Polymarket even better.
It would be great to have a platform where creators can upload artwork or videos without censorship, turn their posts into NFTs for copyright certification, and allow buyers to make payments privately. Similar to platforms like OnlyFans or Pixiv, such a platform would enable creators to earn revenue from their content.
I believe that prediction markets and the gambling sector will become major focal points. When looking at successful platforms, it’s clear why people are drawn to using them. For example, Ethereum shows its strength in lending protocols through its massive TVL. On the other hand, Solana stands out with its extremely fast speed and low fees, which enable frequent swap transactions. This characteristic leads to the creation of meme coins and drives continuous purchases, creating a positive feedback loop that promotes the emergence of new tokens.
For zk platforms, focusing on privacy could be a significant advantage in prediction markets and gambling. In the early stages of rebranding, emphasizing this privacy advantage could help attract users. Prediction markets and gambling might resonate more intuitively with users than other, less relatable zk use cases. Once an initial user base is established, other zk use cases may emerge, driven by the community and its needs.
Agreed. While Horizen 2.0 will ultimatley have everything an EVM ecosystem can have, early focus on anchor use cases that can go viral and make a name for the platform is really important. The best anchor use case(s) will use ZK in a way that highlights our unique positioning and just doesn’t replicate what could be done in on any other EVM.
is it possible to create an application for ios or android that would use ZKVerify and track all incoming calls, giving verification that the call is not spam or fraud? I would really like to have such an app on my iPhone.
That’s a pretty cool idea. It’s worth a quick exploration on how anti-spam for calls works today and if we can partner with someone already in that space.
I’m not sure about the social trading platform, but I know that convos have started with a variety of orgs that have done diff types of dApps elsewhere.
This thread can help focus who we should be reaching out to.
if I’m understanding what you’re referring to, I would say the only one I really think that has any mindshare/relevancy at the moment (at least from what I’ve seen is The Arena building their own L1 on Avax and quite adopted and used alternative to X with robust features)