Privacy
Zero-knowledge proofs, confidential computation and data sovereignty by default.
The first privacy blockchain hub in Africa
Africa's Privacy Blockchain& AI Innovation Hub
Zoerd trains, funds and equips the engineers building privacy-preserving systems on the continent. Through residencies, a developer academy and applied research, we turn raw African talent into the cryptographers, AI engineers and protocol builders the next decade will require.
- 3
- Residency tracks
- 12+
- Programmes a year
- 100%
- Open research
- 1st
- Privacy hub in Africa
Technology focus
Eight disciplines. One mission.
Every Zoerd programme, grant and residency is anchored in the technologies that will decide how the next billion people transact, compute and stay private online.
Blockchain
Protocol engineering, smart contract security and decentralised infrastructure.
Artificial Intelligence
Applied ML, model safety and privacy-preserving machine learning.
Innovation
Prototype labs turning African problems into shipped technology.
Research
Open, peer-reviewed work on cryptography and emerging systems.
Community
A continent-wide network of builders, mentors and institutions.
Developer Education
Structured curricula from first commit to production protocol.
Infrastructure
Equipped labs, devices and bandwidth so talent is never the bottleneck.
About Zoerd
A hub built for the engineers Africa hasn't met yet.
Zoerd is a Privacy Blockchain & AI Innovation Hub operating from a dedicated residency campus. We run in-person cohorts, fund research, and give students, developers and researchers the equipment, mentorship and network they need to work at the frontier.
The hub is deliberately physical. Residents live and build on site with hardware, connectivity and daily mentorship — the conditions that produce protocol engineers, not tutorial graduates.
Mission
Equip African engineers with the privacy, blockchain and AI skills required to build sovereign digital infrastructure for the continent.
Vision
A continent where privacy-preserving technology is designed in Africa, owned in Africa and exported to the world.
Purpose
Close the distance between world-class research and the young builders who have the ambition but not the access.
Values
Rigour over hype. Open knowledge. Privacy as a right. Mentorship as a duty. Africa first, never Africa only.
Residency lab, cohort in session
What we do
The work, end to end
From a first line of code to a deployed protocol, Zoerd covers every stage of the builder journey.
Technology Residency
Full-time, in-person cohorts where residents ship privacy infrastructure alongside mentors.
Developer Academy
A structured path from fundamentals to production Solidity, Rust and zero-knowledge circuits.
Privacy Research
Open work on ZK proofs, confidential transactions and data protection policy for African contexts.
Blockchain Innovation
Protocol design, smart contract auditing and public-good infrastructure grants.
Artificial Intelligence
Applied AI labs covering model training, evaluation and privacy-preserving machine learning.
Community
Chapters, study groups and mentor circles that keep builders connected between cohorts.
Technology Events
Hackathons, summits and workshops that bring industry, academia and government together.
Talent Development
Placement support, portfolio review and introductions to global protocol teams.
Programmes
A pipeline, not a workshop
Each programme feeds the next. Learners become residents, residents become researchers, researchers become mentors.
- 01
Technology Residency
12 weeks · On-site
Selected residents relocate to the hub to build privacy-first products full time, with daily mentorship, hardware and a shipping deadline.
- 02
Developer Academy
16 weeks · Hybrid
Fundamentals through advanced protocol engineering: TypeScript, Rust, Solidity, cryptography and secure system design.
- 03
AI Education
8 weeks · Cohort
Applied machine learning, model evaluation, and privacy-preserving techniques such as federated learning and differential privacy.
- 04
Blockchain Programmes
10 weeks · Cohort
Smart contract development, auditing methodology, tokenomics and deploying to production networks.
- 05
Privacy Workshops
2–5 days · Intensive
Short intensives for institutions and student bodies on zero-knowledge proofs, data protection and secure architecture.
- 06
Community Events
Monthly
Meetups, hackathons and demo nights that connect residents with industry, investors and government stakeholders.
- 07
Research Fellowship
6 months
Funded research on cryptography, decentralised identity and AI governance, published openly for the ecosystem.
Why privacy blockchain
The case is not theoretical
Privacy is becoming the deciding property of digital systems. Africa should be writing that specification, not inheriting it.
Why privacy matters
Financial records, health data and identity are being digitised faster than they are being protected. Privacy technology decides who holds that power.
Why blockchain matters
Verifiable, permissionless settlement lets institutions cooperate without a single point of trust — critical where trust infrastructure is still being built.
Why Africa needs this
The continent has the youngest population on earth and the least representation in protocol design. Both facts must change together.
The opportunity ahead
Zero-knowledge, confidential compute and AI governance are open frontiers. Africa can enter as an author, not a consumer.
Our ecosystem
One continuous loop
Zoerd is designed as a system. Each layer compounds the one before it, and the output feeds back into the community that produced it.
Privacy
Cryptographic foundation
Blockchain
Verifiable settlement
AI
Applied intelligence
Education
Academy & curricula
Research
Open publication
Residency
Build in residence
Innovation
Products shipped
Talent
Career-ready engineers
Community
Continental network
Global Opportunities
Africa on the frontier
Partners
Built with institutions, not around them
Zoerd works alongside universities, public bodies, foundations and industry to keep programmes accredited, funded and connected to real demand.
Zoerd partners with universities, government agencies, technology companies, research institutions, NGOs, blockchain foundations and investors.
Events
What's happening at the hub
The calendar is the fastest way in. Every event is open to students, developers and partner organisations.
Hackathon
Privacy Build Weekend
48 hours to design and ship a zero-knowledge application, judged by protocol engineers.
Quarterly Zoerd Hub
Residency
Residency Cohort Intake
Applications open for the next full-time residency cycle. Housing, hardware and mentorship included.
Rolling On-site
Workshop
Applied AI Workshop Series
Hands-on sessions on model training, evaluation and privacy-preserving machine learning.
Monthly Hybrid
Meetup
Blockchain Builders Meetup
Open evenings for developers, students and founders working on decentralised systems.
Monthly Zoerd Hub
Community
Open Community Session
Office hours with mentors, project reviews and guidance for first-time contributors.
Bi-weekly Online
Community
Four ways to stand inside the work
Zoerd is carried by people who show up. Pick the role that fits the time and expertise you have.
Join the Community
Get access to study groups, project channels and every open session at the hub.
Join nowBecome a Volunteer
Help run events, curriculum operations and outreach across campuses.
VolunteerBecome a Mentor
Guide residents through code review, architecture and career decisions.
Mentor with usBecome a Partner
Sponsor a cohort, host a hackathon or co-fund research with your institution.
Start a partnership