Uma Roy is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Succinct, a company focused on developing infrastructure for zero-knowledge (ZK) technology. She has a background in artificial intelligence research and software engineering, with previous roles at Google Brain and as a founding engineer at Gantry. ^{[1] [2]}

Education

Roy earned a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). During her academic career, she also contributed to research on the topic of generalized quantum groups. ^{[1] [8]}

Career

Before her work in the blockchain industry, Uma Roy held several internship positions at technology and finance firms, including D. E. Shaw Research, where she worked on computational biology and drug discovery, and at Citadel LLC. She later joined Google Brain as an AI Resident, where her work focused on Natural Language Processing (NLP) and cross-lingual learning. Following her time at Google, she was a founding engineer at Gantry. ^[1]

Roy co-founded Succinct, headquartered in San Francisco, alongside John Guibas, and serves as its CEO. The company's stated mission is to make zero-knowledge technology accessible to all developers. Under her leadership, Succinct has developed several key pieces of infrastructure for the ZK space. One of its core products is SP1, an open-source, performant RISC-V Zero-Knowledge Virtual Machine (zkVM). Roy has positioned SP1 as a critical component for the future of Ethereum, particularly in relation to proposals to transition the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) to a RISC-V architecture.

In December 2024, Succinct introduced a whitepaper for the Succinct Network, a decentralized proving network designed to allow anyone to contribute to proving software using the SP1 zkVM. Roy stated, "The Succinct Network will take SP1 from a great piece of open-source software to a movement, where anyone can join to help prove the world’s software." A significant technical milestone was announced in May 2025 with the launch of SP1 Hypercube, which enabled what Roy termed "Real-Time Ethereum Proving." She described this achievement as "ZK’s man on the moon moment." By mid-2025, Succinct's network had attracted users from several notable projects in the crypto ecosystem, including Worldcoin, Across Protocol, Katana, and Hibachi. ^{[2] [8] [1] [9] [10] [11]}

Views and Philosophy

Roy is a vocal advocate for the transformative potential of zero-knowledge proofs and has shared her perspectives on its application across different blockchain ecosystems and its role in improving user experience.

On Zero-Knowledge Technology

Roy's work is founded on the belief that zero-knowledge technology is a key component for scaling cryptocurrency projects and enhancing their privacy. She has emphasized the importance of making ZK accessible to a broader range of developers to foster innovation. The development of real-time proving capabilities, achieved through Succinct's SP1 Hypercube, was presented by Roy as a landmark event for the entire ZK field, suggesting it was a technical feat that many considered a distant possibility just a year prior. ^{[3] [2]}

On Ethereum

Roy is a proponent of Ethereum's long-term roadmap and its modular architecture. She has expressed support for proposals to eventually replace the EVM with a RISC-V based architecture, viewing zkVMs like Succinct's SP1 as the "clear endgame solution" for such a transition. She has contrasted Ethereum's ecosystem with others, describing Ethereum as having an "abundance mindset" that encourages developer creativity. In her view, this mindset allows builders to create "unstoppable applications with whatever customizations you want," fostering a more flexible and innovative environment. ^[2]

On Bitcoin

In addition to her work related to Ethereum, Roy has spoken about the potential for ZK technology to enhance the Bitcoin network. At a February 2025 event during ETHDenver titled "The Golden Age of Bitcoin," she discussed how ZK computation could revolutionize transaction processing on Bitcoin. She argued that leveraging ZK proofs could lead to significant improvements in the network's scalability, computational efficiency, speed, and security. Her participation in discussions around Bitcoin Virtual Machine (BitVM) technology and Bitcoin programmability indicates an interest in expanding the capabilities of the Bitcoin ecosystem. ^[4]

On User Experience and Intents

A central theme in Roy's philosophy is the improvement of user experience (UX) in Web3, which she believes is critical for mass adoption. She advocates for a shift from transaction-based interactions to intent-based architectures. Roy defines an intent as being "less declarative and more stating an end outcome," contrasting it with a transaction, which is a specific, on-chain documented action. For example, a user's intent might be to "exchange your USDC for as much ETH as possible," without the user needing to specify the exact decentralized exchanges or transaction paths to achieve that goal.

Roy identifies DEX aggregators as an early example of intent-specific applications and predicts that "early adoption of intent-based architectures will happen from these aggregator-style apps." She believes that while technologies like account abstraction are beneficial, they do not fully solve the UX challenges that intents can address. This focus on UX is also tied to security, particularly in the context of cross-chain interoperability. Acknowledging the frequent security breaches in the space by stating, “Bridges get hacked all the time,” Roy positions Succinct's use of zk-SNARKs as a way to make bridging more secure. She has argued that the future of interoperability cannot sustain its current complexity and security risks if the industry is to support a large number of users and rollups. As of August 2023, she was also exploring the concept of shared sequencing as another potential method to improve the user experience of interoperability. ^[5]

Public Appearances

Roy has appeared on podcasts and at industry events to discuss her work and views on the blockchain industry.

• Beacon Podcast (September 17, 2024): Roy was a guest on the Beacon Podcast, where she discussed her personal journey into the Web3 industry, the motivations behind founding Succinct Labs, and the role of ZKPs in scaling crypto projects. ^[3]
• ETHDenver (February 25, 2025): She was a speaker at "The Golden Age of Bitcoin" event, where she discussed the application of ZK technology to the Bitcoin network. ^[4]
• Variant Founder Fellowship (August 2023): Roy presented to the Variant Founder Fellowship cohort, where she detailed her perspective on the importance of intents, interoperability, and user experience in Web3. ^[5]

Interviews

Gelato Podcast #01

On June 25, 2025, Uma Roy appeared on the Gelato YouTube channel in a discussion with Gelato founder Luis. The conversation focused on the development and adoption of zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs in blockchain, with particular attention to Ethereum scaling, rollups, and applications built on verifiable computation.

Roy outlined the work of Succinct on its zero-knowledge virtual machine (ZKVM), known as SP1, and a decentralized prover network designed to support efficient proof generation and verification. She compared earlier generations of ZKVMs with Succinct’s compiler-based approach, which compiles existing client software into ZK proofs, avoiding the need for custom circuit design and simplifying the process of keeping pace with protocol upgrades.

The interview addressed the differences between optimistic rollups and ZK rollups. According to Roy, optimistic rollups involve longer withdrawal times and rely on fraud proofs, while ZK rollups use validity proofs that can reduce withdrawal delays and improve efficiency. She also described OP Succinct, a hybrid model that integrates optimistic rollup infrastructure with ZK proofs in order to shorten withdrawal windows.

Roy discussed the concept of native rollups, which would verify ZK proofs within Ethereum’s consensus layer through precompiles, transferring some of the proving responsibilities to Ethereum validators and potentially reducing system complexity.

Beyond scaling, the discussion explored other applications of ZK technology. These included verifiable applications (vApps), such as exchanges or identity systems, which could be developed in languages like Rust and verified through zKVMs, as well as ZK KYC, a model for identity verification that allows users to prove attributes without disclosing underlying personal data. Roy also noted the role of ZK proofs in strengthening canonical Ethereum bridges to improve asset security across Layer 2 solutions and to enable more reliable interoperability between chains.

In his view, 2025 represents a period in which zero-knowledge technology is beginning to reach wider implementation, with improvements in proof generation speed, cost reduction, and practical use cases in scaling, interoperability, and privacy. ^[12]

House of ZK #02

In episode #68 of the House of ZK podcast, Uma Roy, co-founder of Succinct, discussed developments in zero-knowledge (ZK) technologies, with a focus on real-time proving and decentralized prover networks.

According to Roy, generating proofs within the time span of an Ethereum block (approximately 12 seconds) enables increased throughput on the network without compromising verifiability. She described Succinct’s prover network as a decentralized marketplace in which participants compete in low-latency auctions to produce proofs efficiently.

Roy noted that although there are approximately 30 zkVM projects in development, only two or three are expected to remain in widespread use due to requirements for formal verification, security, and community adoption. She also presented the Hypercube proof system, which uses multilinear polynomials and aims to improve performance compared with traditional Stark-based systems.

The interview included observations on hardware acceleration. Currently, GPUs are the primary hardware for proof generation, while FPGAs and ASICs are anticipated to play an increasing role in the future. Beyond Ethereum, Roy mentioned potential applications in Bitcoin rollups, verifiable exchanges, blockchain bridges, and ZK-based accounting oracles.

Roy addressed developer experience, noting that Succinct’s approach allows verifiable applications to be written in Rust. She also highlighted decentralization as a factor in reducing concentration risks and discussed the use of open-source software as a mechanism for collaborative development.

She further described ZK technology as a framework for verifiable software across multiple sectors, including digital identity, KYC, insurance, and credit scoring, beyond its role in blockchain scalability. ^[13]