Zcash Jumps 23% on $25M Fund and Foundry Support

Institutional Capital Fuels Zcash's 23% Price Gain

Zcash (ZEC) surged more than 23% on March 16, with its price climbing to $280.65 and its market capitalization exceeding $4.65 billion. The rally was backed by significant trading activity, as daily volume increased 56% to $581.76 million. This price action directly followed a major vote of confidence from venture capital firms. Zcash Open Development Lab (ZODL), a new entity supporting the protocol, announced it had secured over $25 million in a seed funding round.

The financing was led by prominent investors such as Paradigm, a16z Crypto, Coinbase Ventures, and Winklevoss Capital. The capital is designated for protocol upgrades, security audits, and improvements to the user-friendly Zodl wallet. The influx of institutional interest also appeared in derivatives markets, where open interest for Zcash futures increased by 9%, indicating traders were positioning for further upside.

Foundry's New Mining Pool Targets Institutional Adoption

Underpinning the rally is a critical infrastructure development poised to attract institutional players to the Zcash network. Foundry Digital, one of the world's largest Bitcoin mining pool operators, announced it will launch a U.S.-based Zcash mining pool in April 2026. This initiative is designed specifically for public companies and institutional miners who require compliant, regulated infrastructure, which has been a missing piece in the Zcash ecosystem.

Zcash has matured into an institutional-grade asset, but the mining infrastructure supporting it hasn’t kept pace.

— Mike Colyer, Foundry CEO.

Foundry's new pool aims to fill this gap by offering a platform with rigorous know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) checks, transparent reporting, and U.S.-based operations. This move provides a regulated on-ramp for large-scale miners seeking exposure to Zcash, potentially increasing the network's hashrate and security.

Privacy Narrative Strengthens as On-Chain Metrics Grow

The developments around Zcash unfold as privacy-focused cryptocurrencies gain traction. Growing concerns over financial surveillance and new crypto tax reporting rules in the European Union have renewed investor demand for anonymity-preserving assets. Zcash has been a standout performer in this sector, gaining over 670% in the last 12 months, far outpacing peers like Monero (XMR).

On-chain data validates this growing usage. The number of ZEC tokens held in private "shielded" addresses has grown to 5.15 million, and the network's Zodl wallet has facilitated over $600 million in private swaps since 2024. With integrations like THORSwap adding liquidity and Foundry providing an institutional-grade mining solution, the fundamental and technical picture for Zcash appears to be strengthening.