Zashi’s developers are set to unveil a new startup called ‘cashZ’.

Ex-ECC Team Unveils New Zcash Startup ‘cashZ’ Following Governance Dispute

The Zcash protocol remains fully operational despite recent tensions between the former Electric Coin Company (ECC) team and Bootstrap, the nonprofit overseeing Zcash development.

Josh Swihart, former ECC lead, announced a new Zcash-focused startup and plans for a wallet built on the Zashi codebase, tentatively named “cashZ.” In a post on X, Swihart framed the move as a startup pivot to “scale Zcash to billions of users,” noting that “startups can scale, but nonprofits can’t,” and positioning the new entity as a faster path to deliver consumer products outside nonprofit governance constraints.

The announcement follows Thursday’s dispute with Bootstrap over control and restructuring of Zashi. ECC described the team as “constructively discharged,” while Bootstrap cited legal and fiduciary limits. Swihart emphasized that the Zcash protocol itself remains unaffected, with the same engineers continuing development under the new corporate structure.

ZEC experienced sharp volatility after the split, with broader privacy coins also impacted. The new wallet initiative is now being watched as a potential signal for whether the shake-up will accelerate product launches or further fragment the ecosystem.