ZK Proofs in Practice | Uma Roy, Co-founder of Succinct

Gelato co-founder Luis Schliesske sits down with Uma Roy, co-founder of Succinct, for a deep dive into how zero-knowledge proofs are moving from research to real-world adoption in 2025.

Uma explains how Succinct is building SP1, a type-0 zkVM that makes it possible to write ordinary code and generate proofs at scale. They discuss the limitations of optimistic rollups, the transition from early ZK-EVMs to modern zkVMs, and why trustless bridging and real-time proving are critical for Ethereum’s future.

The conversation also explores how ZK unlocks new categories of verifiable applications (vApps) — from high-performance exchanges to identity systems — and why proof systems may be just as transformative outside of blockchains, with use cases in KYC, credit, and content authenticity.

Episode Highlights

• Why early ZK-EVMs failed to scale, and how type-0 zkVMs changed the game

• The hidden costs of optimistic rollups and how ZK fixes them

• How real-time proving enables trustless, instant bridging between rollups

• The potential of native rollups and Ethereum L1 scaling with ZK

• Building verifiable applications (vApps) for trading, identity, and beyond

• Why ZK proofs may redefine both DeFi infrastructure and Web2 trust models

Resources & Links

👉 Follow Uma Roy on X: @pumatheuma
👉 Follow Succinct on X: @SuccinctLabs
🌐 Learn more about Succinct: succinct.xyz