Victor Ji | Co-Founder of Manta Network — Building Real-World Use Cases With Zero-Knowledge

In this episode of BeaconLayer Podcast, Kenzi Morikawa, Sachi Miyasaki, and Diksha Wells sit down with Victor Ji, Co-Founder of Manta Network, to break down what zero-knowledge proofs actually enable — and how Manta is trying to make ZK development feel as seamless as building any other modern app.Victor explains ZK in plain terms, why developer experience is the make-or-break factor for ZK adoption, and how Manta’s mission centers on shipping a secure, interoperable future powered by privacy-preserving computation. He also walks through key milestones and turning points in Manta’s journey, plus the founder qualities he believes matter most when building through uncertainty.Before co-founding Manta in 2020, Victor worked as a research assistant at Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, where he focused on international security, diplomacy, and technology policy — a background that shapes how he thinks about privacy, trust, and the long-term stakes of infrastructure.Expect an in-depth conversation on Manta’s origin story, real-world ZK applications, and the practical decisions that turn cutting-edge crypto research into something builders can actually use.