helios
Private Tickets, Paid Securely, Identity Hidden
Created on 4th December 2025
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helios
Private Tickets, Paid Securely, Identity Hidden
The problem helios solves
**The Problem Helios Solves
**
Traditional digital ticketing and payment systems come with major privacy and security trade-offs:
Payment visibility: Most digital payments are fully traceable, exposing who paid, how much, and when.
Personal data exposure: Event organizers or third parties can access attendee names, addresses, and contact info.
Risk of fraud or scalping: Tickets tied to personal data or centralized systems can be copied, resold, or misused.
These problems make it hard to host truly private or exclusive events, and they make attendees wary of sharing their information.
**How Helios Helps
**
Helios leverages privacy-preserving technologies to make ticketing safer, private, and more flexible:
Anonymous payment verification: Users can prove they paid for a ticket without revealing their identity, payment amount, or transaction details.
Secure, private entry: Tickets are minted as anonymous NFTs, allowing event access without exposing personal info.
Cross-chain and decentralized: Works across multiple blockchain networks, making it flexible for DAOs, VIP events, and online gatherings.
Prevents scalping and fraud: Tickets are cryptographically bound to proof of payment, reducing unauthorized resales.
Simplifies verification: Event organizers don’t need to manage personal data—they can simply verify zero-knowledge proofs.
Use Cases
Concerts & festivals → Protect fan privacy and prevent ticket bots.
Conferences & professional events → Keep attendee data confidential.
DAO meetings & private clubs → Restrict access to verified members only.
Exclusive online events → Ensure attendees are authenticated without revealing identities.
Challenges I ran into
Challenges I Ran Into
While building Helios, I encountered several technical and design hurdles:
- Generating Zero-Knowledge Payment Proofs
Problem: Creating zkProofs to confirm payment without revealing the amount or sender was complex. Existing Zcash and Mina libraries lacked straightforward examples for this workflow.
Solution: I studied Zcash shielded transactions and Mina zkID protocols, then built a custom zkPaymentProof generator. Iterative testing with small, simulated payments ensured correctness.
- Cross-Chain Communication
Problem: Minting NFTs on Starknet while verifying payments from Zcash (a different blockchain) required secure, reliable cross-chain messaging.
Solution: I integrated Axelar routing to pass proofs between chains and designed a Starknet smart contract to verify zkProofs before minting NFTs.
- Performance on User Devices
Problem: Verifying zkProofs on client devices was initially slow and resource-intensive, causing delays.
Solution: I optimized proof generation parameters, offloaded some verification steps to lightweight browser tools, and documented minimum device requirements for users.
- Privacy vs. Trust
Problem: Event organizers were hesitant to accept tickets without seeing payment details.
Solution: I created clear demos and documentation showing zkProofs provide cryptographic guarantees, balancing privacy with verifiable authenticity.
Tracks Applied (3)
Self-Custody & Wallet Innovation
Miden
Privacy Infrastructure & Developer Tools
Zcash Community Grants
Privacy-Focused Content & Media
Bitlux
Technologies used