Zeed | Devpost

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what we do
compact compilation
compact test cases
ui-dashboard

Inspiration

While working with a startup navigating the chaotic reality of early-stage fundraising angel investors, convertible notes, NDAs, and term sheets with people we had just met. Every pitch meant handing over our cap table, financials, and existing investor terms to strangers who, more often than not, would pass. The data was gone the moment it left our hands.

What it does

ZEED: Zero-knowledge Equity Deals ZEED lets founders close SAFEs, convertible notes, and seed rounds with any investor, angel, or syndicate issuing zero-knowledge proofs of founder control and accreditation status without exposing a single share count, revenue figure, or cap table entry. Investors verify what they need. Nothing else travels. Prove only what matters. Close the round. Protect the trade.

How we built it

ZEED is built on Next.js 14, tRPC, PostgreSQL, and Midnight Network's Compact smart contract language. We chose tRPC specifically to scale the platform safely. Firebase Authentication handles identity, with tokens verified server-side on every request via the Firebase Admin SDK. The Midnight layer consists of two Compact contracts: a. founder majority proof b. an accredited investor proof They together compile to six ZK circuits.

Challenges we ran into

Two challenges defined the build. The first was structuring the Midnight contracts correctly. Understanding when and how to use disclose(), the primitive that moves a value from private witness context to the public ledger etc. The second challenge was building a cohesive dashboard for two users with almost no overlapping needs. Founders and investors operate on the same underlying data objects but from entirely different perspectives. The solution was a role-based routing architecture with tRPC middleware enforcing membership at the procedure level, making authorization structural rather than conditional

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Both Midnight contracts compile cleanly on language version 0.16–0.21, with tests passing across various set accreditation cases. The full-stack application is running end-to-end with Firebase authentication, a deployed PostgreSQL schema, and all tRPC routers.

What we learned

Building a clean and working MVP is key. Clarity of idea first then working on the idea. Define the use cases properly. It's also about understanding and how to work with team. Overall, awesome experience.

What's next for Zeed

Stage 2 extends the platform into pre-IPO contract automation engagement letters, underwriting agreements, and lock-up management, with ZK proofs for institutional investor accreditation. Stage 3 introduces a discovery marketplace where founders and investors find each other, with proofs enabling investors to verify revenue thresholds and growth metrics without founders ever disclosing the actual figures.