Polygon’s zero-knowledge EVM network is entering its sunset phase, and with it comes a significant team transition.
Polygon co-founder Jordi Baylina and the developers behind the zkEVM initiative have officially launched Zisk, a newly independent venture focused on building low-latency, open-source zkVM (zero-knowledge virtual machine) technology.
The announcement follows Baylina’s post on X, where he confirmed that Zisk will specialize in proving infrastructure that enables transaction and data validation without exposing sensitive onchain information. Zisk’s zkVM approach aims to enhance both privacy and performance for next-gen blockchain applications.
According to the project’s website, Zisk was incubated inside Polygon Labs starting in May 2024 before becoming a standalone entity on June 13, 2025.
Polygon Restructures Under New CEO
The spinout comes shortly after a major leadership shift at Polygon Foundation. Co-founder Sandeep Nailwal recently assumed the role of CEO and unveiled a strategic realignment. Under this new vision, Polygon will deprecate the zkEVM chain and redirect focus to its flagship Polygon PoS chain and Agglayer, the protocol’s cross-chain aggregator framework.
While zkEVM saw limited traction compared to other parts of the Polygon ecosystem, the underlying zero-knowledge work—now continued by Zisk—remains pivotal in the broader scalability roadmap.
Zisk Carries Forward the ZK Torch
With a mission to deliver faster, open zk-proving systems, Zisk aims to support scalable, privacy-preserving blockchain infrastructure beyond the original scope of Polygon’s zkEVM chain. Its independence signals a commitment to advancing zkVMs as a core building block for future decentralized systems.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
Source: https://coindoo.com/polygons-zkevm-team-spins-out-as-zisk-amid-strategic-pivot/