CasperLabs Is Building a PoS Blockchain With Help from Ethereum's Vlad Zamfir

A new startup called CasperLabs has launched with the aim of building a new blockchain based on a version of proof-of-stake, the experimental consensus protocol most associated with ethereum.

Ethereum Foundation researcher Vlad Zamfir will serve as lead consensus protocol architect of the company, confirming earlier reports of his association with the startup.

Going forward, CasperLabs plans to sponsor much of Zamfir's research on PoS so as to deploy a "Fully decentralized, sharded and scalable next-generation blockchain."

Zamfir will not be coding the blockchain itself, and will be helping strictly as a researcher.

Within PoS, there are even competing designs for how to implement the idea, but the one designed by Zamfir in the early days of ethereum is called Casper Correct by Construction.

Zamfir also spoke during the event today in New York commemorating the launch of the startup, alongside CEO of CasperLabs Medha Parlikar and lead developer Michael Birch.

Casper CBC was developed in parallel with Casper the Friendly Finality Gadget - which was created by founder of ethereum Vitalik Buterin and researcher Virgil Griffith.

While both Casper CBC and FFG were discussed within the context of the roadmap for the ethereum blockchain, the broader community deemed Casper CBC a less production-ready version of PoS back in 2017 that could stand to wait until Casper FFG is fully implemented on ethereum.

Now, as development for Casper FFG continues on the ethereum blockchain, Zamfir will also be extending his research on Casper CBC, providing key analysis and review on various aspects of the CBC model including economics modalities, key parameters for configuration and more.

Zamfir said in today's press release: "I'm excited that CasperLabs has taken an interest in implementing a scalable blockchain protocol from the CBC Casper family of protocols, and hope that their efforts are both independently successful and put pressure on other projects - like ethereum - to adopt the technology."