Yannik Schrade
I am a 25 year old founder building the future of encrypted computing and privacy with Arcium by leveraging cutting edge cryptography and distributed systems.
My goal is to encrypt all data and enable a more powerful internet.
- Angel Investing
- Speaking
- Advising
- Media & Press
Note: the best way to get in contact with me is via .com.
Cryptographic Work
Cerberus MPC Protocol
I am the co-author and inventor of the Cerberus MPC (secure Multi-Party Computation) protocol which is the first practical, general purpose dishonest majority MPC protocol under security with identifiable abort. This novel security setup allows the protocol to be instantiated in trustless decentralized applications as security with identifiable abort ensures cheater identification. Cerberus in a cornerstone of the broader Arcium Protocol to power encrypted computing. The Cerberus MPC paper is planned to be published in Q4 2025 after final cryptographic peer-review.
MPC Scaling Law
In August 2025, I formalized a bandwidth-growth heuristic for secure Multi-Party Computation (MPC) protocols inspired by Nielsen's Law of Internet Bandwidth. This heuristic helps explain the hardware-based scalability of MPC protocols and classifies them into two categories: (1) latency-constrained and (2) bandwidth-constrained protocols. I have not yet published a full cryptographic paper about this "MPC Scaling Law" - it should additionally incorporate Moore's Law for local operations and contextualize scalability against lattice-based protocols. In the meantime, here is the concise version:
MPC Scaling Law. $$ T(t, n, m) \approx S(n) + L_{\text{prop}} + \frac{m\,C(n)}{b_0\,B^t} + E(n) $$ where \[ \lim_{n\to\infty} S(n) = \lim_{n\to\infty} E(n) = 0. \] Thus, asymptotically, \[ T(t, n, m) \to L_{\text{prop}} + \frac{m\,C(n)}{b_0\,B^t}. \]
Interpretation. As internet bandwidth grows by \( B \approx 1.5 \) (Nielsen: +50%) per year (\(t \in \mathbb{Z}_{\ge 0}\) from baseline year \(t := 0\) with initial bandwidth \(b_0\)), bandwidth-constrained \(n\)-party pairwise MPC (e.g., Cerberus, BDOZ, etc.) rounds become ≈33% faster each year until capped by the one-way propagation delay \(L_{\text{prop}}\). Beyond that point, total capacity scales with bandwidth as \(B^{1/p}\) (where \(C(n) \propto n^p\)). In particular, pairwise designs can add ≈50% more parties (\(n_{t+1} = \lfloor 1.5\,n_t \rfloor\)) or run ≈50% more parallel executions (\(m_{t+1} = \lfloor 1.5\,m_t \rfloor\)) per year without slowing rounds, with residual synchronization \(S(n)\) and error-correction \(E(n)\) costs asymptotically eliminated through protocol and network optimization.
w25519
I am the author of w25519, an open source cryptographic library for the Short-Weierstrass representation Curve25519 isomorphism for curve operations and Diffie-Hellman key exchange. The use of Short-Weiterstrass as representation allows for very efficient ECDH in R1CS for Zero-Knowledge-Proofs using Pippenger's Algorithm for ECM paired with plaintext divisions under certain conditions.
Angel Investing
I am actively angel investing in innovative startups and companies I believe will deliver value to humanity.You can reach out to me via my X.com direct messages.
Writing
I enjoy writing about privacy, tech, distributed systems, philosophy and finance.Occasionally I write political commentary about the importance of privacy and encryption.
Nowadays I mostly write on my Twitter.
Political Commentary
- The EU's Silent Assault on Human Dignity- (German) With its declaration of war on privacy, the new coalition is making a historic mistake
Recent Articles
- Introducing the Development of Confidential SPL Token- In the face of AI-powered surveillance
- Arcium in 1000 words
- Beyond Apple's Promises: The Real Story on AI Privacy and Security
Recent Podcasts and Livestreams:
: Why encrypted supercomputing is key to ethical AI and humanity's future (feat. Arcium): Yannik Schrade of Arcium on MPC and Privacy 2.0
: Yannik Schrade: Arcium, Private Computing, Privacy 2.0 and Network Launch
: The Encrypted Supercomputer with Yannik from Arcium
: Solana Validated Podcast with Austin Federa
: Epicenter Podcast with Sebastien Couture and Felix Lutsch
: DeFi Decoded Podcast with Alex Tapscott and Andrew Young
: Decentralized Confidential Computing and Encryption Paradigms
: Epicenter Podcast, Ep. 564
: Twitter Spaces with Anatoly Yakovenko and Mert Mumtaz
: Twitter Spaces with Mario Nawfal
: Building a Parallelized Confidential Computing Network
: Building a Parallelized Confidential Computing Network
: Validated Postcast with Austin Federa
: The Future of Blockchain Privacy Tools
: Lightspeed Podcast with Garrett Harper
Recent Articles featuring me:
: Encrypt everything, embrace privacy to grow your revenue: World's Fastest Supercomputer Conducting 'Virtual Manhattan Project' to Test Nukes
: Solana-based confidential computing startup acquires Web2 competitor
: In the face of AI-powered surveillance, we need decentralized confidential computing
: The fight for privacy: Using decentralized AI to overcome Orwellian surveillance
: Supercharging the Blockchain: Arcium's Parallel Execution Model
: Q&A with Yannik Schrade, CEO of Arcium
: The CrowdStrike butterfly effect
: Apple's AI Push Puts Privacy, Security in the Spotlight
: Millions of Apple Apps Exposed to Potential Security Threat
: Samsung Reportedly Hires Ex-Apple Exec Murat Akbacak for AI Center
Recent Videos:
: Encrypt Or Die - Solana Accelerate: Arcium Keynote at Breakpoint 2024
: Let's Make Solana Cyperpunk with Austin Federa
: Fintech.TV interview at the NYSE (Market Movers: The Opening Hour)
: Fintech.TV interview from Bangkok (Market Movers: The Opening Hour)
: Yannik Schrade: On-Chain Privacy with Arcium's Confidential Computing
: On-Chain Privacy with Arcium's Confidential Computing
: Making DePIN Real with Yannik Schrade of Arcium
: Decentralized Confidential Computing and Encryption Paradigms
: Why AI needs DePIN? Aethir, OriginTrail, Arcium, Filecoin Foundation
: TUM Blockchain Conference 2024
: Filecoin Dev Summit (EthCC Brussels 2024)
: Arcium: Parallelized Confidential Computing Network (Epicenter Poscast, Ep. 564)
: Workshop: MPC vs FHE by Yannik Schrade from Arcium (FHE Summit 2024)
: Decentralized Confidential Computing Deepdive at ETH CC
: Arcium | Multichain Day | EthCC 2024
: Powering On Chain AI | Multichain Day | EthCC 2024
: Arcium DeCClassified EP3
: Validated | The Future of Blockchain Privacy Tools
: AIxDePIN: Is The Hype Real? (Consensus 2024)
: How Digital Money and Zero Knowledge Proofs Are Setting a New Standard for Privacy
: Why Solana Needs Privacy For Mass Adoption
My YouTube video playlist
About Yannik Schrade
Yannik Schrade is a German computer scientist, entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of Arcium.Yannik Schrade is building the "encrypted supercomputer" with Arcium using secure Multi-Party Computation and distributed systems to enable confidential and secure applications and AI.
Yannik has studied Computer Science and Mathematics at the Technical University of Munich and Law at the Heidelberg University.
Before founding Arcium, Yannik developed shiftscreen which has been one of the most sold apps on the Apple App Store. After developing shiftscreen, Yannik dropped out of Law School to study Computer Science and Mathematics at the Technical University of Munich. Yannik later dropped out of the Technical University of Munich after founding Arcium. Yannik is a frequently featured speaker at conferences and events on the topic of privacy, blockchain technology and confidential computing.
My Book Recommendations
I often get asked for book recommendations to get started with cryptography, MPC and distributed systems. So here are some of my recommendations.My #1 cryptographic book recommendation for beginners is my friend David Wong's "Real-World Cryptography". It's the best book to learn cryptographic basics in my opinion.
Cryptography and distributed systems books:
- Real-World Cryptography by David Wong - The most practical book about cryptography I've found.
- Introduction to Modern Cryptography by Jonathan Katz - The first book I read about cryptography.
- A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography by Dan Boneh and Victor Shoup - A great in depth walthrough of cryptography.
Scientific and philosophical books:
- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - This book changed how I think about probability and uncertainty.
- Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche - A profound exploration of morality.
- Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche - Nietzsche's masterpiece on the pursuit of greatness.
Fictional books:
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - A thought-provoking exploration of artificial intelligence.
- Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - A cyberpunk novel that delves into the implications of digital consciousness.
What motivates me
I believe privacy is the most important freedom right of the 21st century and beyond.As the world continues to shift deeper into the digital realm, strong and unbreakable privacy and encryption become essential.
Yet the importance of privacy goes beyond being a core human right - our systems and architectures must be resilient and secure.
Privacy should however never be built as a limitation to innovation (otherwise it won't find adoption).
I see the ultimate convergence of computing and privacy in encrypted computing - the ability to process data without ever seeing it.
To me, this is the foundational prerequisite for the advancement and flourishing of humanity and intelligence.
With my work on Arcium, I aim to build a better, more private, secure, and powerful internet.
I want to enable a world where systems can operate without requiring trust.
A world where people can interact without exposing anything.
An internet that not only protects our privacy but also empowers stronger collaboration through encryption and secure computation.
I want to accelerate human progress, flourishing, and the evolution of intelligence.
Outside of my work on Arcium, I am also involved in wildlife management and conservation.
(The picture above shows me releasing a young hawk after rescuing it and helping it recover.)