# Starkware > STARK Proof Pioneers Starkware is a blockchain infrastructure company that builds STARK-based scaling solutions for Ethereum. It serves developers and applications needing high throughput, security, and privacy. Starkware is a blockchain infrastructure company that develops cryptographic scaling technology for blockchains. It builds STARK-based validity proofs that allow computations to be verified without re-executing them, addressing the scalability and privacy limitations of permissionless blockchains. Its work is aimed at developers and applications that need high transaction throughput while retaining the security guarantees of an underlying base chain. The company's approach centers on generating succinct, transparent proofs that can be verified on-chain, which reduces the computational burden placed on the base blockchain. This method supports a range of use cases, including asset trading, decentralized exchanges, and other high-frequency applications, without requiring trust in a centralized operator. Starkware also maintains Cairo, a programming language purpose-built for writing provable programs that can be verified cryptographically. Starkware's product portfolio includes StarkEx, a validity rollup scaling engine used by applications such as trading platforms and marketplaces, alongside proving systems, node software, and Bitcoin and privacy tooling that extend its scaling and confidentiality technology. It is used by developers building scalable decentralized applications and by platforms requiring high-throughput, low-cost transaction processing across use cases such as trading, payments, and non-fungible token minting. - Type: Company - Sector: Infrastructure - Status: Active - Founded: 2018-01-01 - Profile: https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware ## Products - [Papyrus](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): Papyrus is a Starknet full-node implementation written in Rust. It allows users to run their own infrastructure for interacting with the Starknet network while maintaining decentralization. (Node Software, Inactive/Support Ended) - [Stone Prover](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): Stone Prover is the STARK-proof generation system that powers StarkWare's products. The system generates cryptographic proofs that verify computational integrity while maintaining high performance. (Developer Tooling, Live) - [Stwo Prover](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): Stwo Prover is a next-generation STARK prover that implements the Circle STARK protocol. It processes blockchain transactions with efficiency and lower costs. (Developer Tooling, Live) - [StarkEx](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): StarkEx is a Layer 2 scaling engine that provides high throughput and low gas costs for applications such as NFT minting, trading, spot trading, and derivatives. (Cross-chain Infrastructure, Live, Main Product) - [Ztarknet](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): Ztarknet is a Starknet-style Layer 2 that settles to Zcash L1 using Circle STARK proofs verified through a Transparent Zcash Extension (TZE). The sequencer runs Madara and executes Cairo programs, with state transitions proved by Stwo and anchored to Zcash consensus via a single built-in TZE verifier rule. This design enables general-purpose smart contracts and confidential DeFi to inherit Zcash's base-layer privacy without a multisig bridge. (L2, Open Beta) - [STRK20](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): STRK20 is a privacy framework that brings shielded balances and private transfers to ERC-20 assets on Starknet. It operates at the protocol level and is accessed from the user's wallet, letting holders shield a balance, transact privately, and unshield in one action. The framework shares a viewing key with an independent auditor to enable scoped, compliant disclosure when legally required. (Developer Tooling, Live) - [strkBTC Bridge](https://thegrid.id/profiles/starkware): strkbtc.io is a bridge that moves native BTC into Starknet, minting strkBTC backed one-to-one by Bitcoin locked on the Bitcoin network. Built by StarkWare and powered by Atomiq, it lets Bitcoin holders bring BTC onto Starknet to access DeFi and optional privacy. The bridge runs a federated model operated by the strkBTC Federation, with a roadmap toward a trust-minimized architecture. (Bridge, Live) ## Links - [Main](https://starkware.co) - [Blog](https://starkware.co/blog) - [Media Kit/branding](https://starkware.co/media-kit) - [Terms of Service](https://starkware.co/website-terms-of-use) - [Privacy policy](https://starkware.co/privacy-policy) - [GitHub](https://github.com/starkware-libs) - [Twitter / X](https://x.com/StarkWareLtd) - [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/company/starkware) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDWguR8mE2oDBsjhQkgbvg) - [Luma](https://luma.com/user/StarkWare) - [Medium](https://medium.com/starkware) - [GitHub](https://github.com/Ztarknet/ztarknet) - [GitHub](https://github.com/keep-starknet-strange) ## Relationships - [Starknet](https://thegrid.id/profiles/Starknet): Subsidiary ## Legal This data is provided under two licensing models. Model 1 - open data. 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