QuickNode Accelerator - AcadLayer

We’re excited to spotlight AcadLayer, a visionary team building the modular education layer for Web3. Backed by over 40,000 learners and 30+ university partnerships, AcadLayer is redefining how knowledge is earned, verified, and rewarded on-chain. Their zk-powered protocol enables verifiable learning, AI-driven tutoring, and gamified educational experiences—all governed by a community-first ethos. With products like Decentraclasses, BlockDevs, and InstaLearn already live, AcadLayer is laying the groundwork for a decentralized future where credentials are interoperable, learning is personalized, and education becomes a composable building block for the blockchain ecosystem.

Q & A with AcadLayer 👇

1. Who are you, and what’s the mission behind AcadLayer?

We are a team of educators, developers, and builders passionate about transforming the future of education through decentralized technologies. AcadLayer is our protocol-layer initiative designed to redefine how knowledge, skills, and credentials are accessed, verified, and rewarded.

Our mission is to build an open and interoperable education infrastructure powered by zk-powered credentials, AI agents, and gamified learning pathways. AcadLayer enables learners, educators, and institutions to seamlessly issue, verify, and monetize educational achievements while ensuring data privacy, on-chain proof of learning, and community governance.

Backed by a growing ecosystem, including products like Decentraclasses (Learn-to-Earn platform), BlockDevs (live cohort hosting), and InstaLearn (AI tutor), AcadLayer is the foundational layer that ties it all together. With over 40,000 learners and 30+ university partnerships, our vision is to become the Ethereum of education.In short, AcadLayer is building the Ethereum of education, an open, zk-powered education protocol enabling verifiable learning, AI-powered tutoring, and credentialing at scale. Backed by 40K+ learners and 30+ university partners, we’re creating a future where anyone can learn, earn, and prove their knowledge on-chain.

2. What drew you to QuickNode’s Rollup Accelerator, and how has it shaped your journey so far?

We were drawn to QuickNode’s Rollup Accelerator because of its clear focus on scalability, developer tooling, and ecosystem growth; three pillars critical to building a decentralized education infrastructure like AcadLayer. The accelerator's emphasis on performance and seamless onchain experiences aligns perfectly with our vision of zk-powered credentialing and real-time learning verification.

Since joining, the program has accelerated our technical roadmap, helped us optimize our Arbitrum Orbit rollup for educational use cases, and connected us with mentors, partners, and early users. It's been instrumental in turning our protocol from concept to a production-ready layer powering verifiable learning.

In short, QuickNode’s Rollup Accelerator gave us the speed, tools, and mentorship to bring our zk-powered education protocol to life. It's been foundational in launching AcadLayer as a scalable rollup for on-chain learning.

3. What’s been the highlight of your experience in the accelerator over the past few weeks?

The highlight of our experience has been the deep technical mentorship and support in optimizing our Arbitrum Orbit rollup for zk-credentialing and on-chain education primitives. The QuickNode team didn’t just provide infra, they played a hands-on role in simplifying our deployment process, helping us fine-tune our architecture, and connecting us with the right people across the ecosystem. This played an important role in helping the team prepare for the roll out and launch of our upcoming AcadChain.

Additionally, connecting with other mission-driven builders in the cohort has sparked new collaborations and ideas, reinforcing our belief in the power of decentralized ecosystems.

4. What key milestones have you hit during the program, and what lessons have stuck with you? During the accelerator, we’ve achieved several key milestones:

• Worked towards Launching AcadChain, our Arbitrum Orbit-based rollup tailored for education use cases.
• Worked on Integrating zk-powered Proof of Learn NFTs for credentialing across our products.
• Sent proposals and spearheaded efforts to Onboard at least 5 institutional partners to pilot verifiable learning credentials.
• Worked on Optimizing developer tools and APIs for issuing and verifying educational proofs on-chain.

The biggest lesson we’ve learned is the importance of building with your community. From early educator feedback to developer contributions, co-creation is the backbone of decentralized education. We’ve also realized that scalability isn’t just technical, it’s about designing systems that can evolve with diverse learning needs.

5. What’s next for AcadLayer, and how do you plan to make waves in Web3?

Next up, we’re expanding the AcadLayer protocol into a full-stack modular education layer. With plug-and-play SDKs, AI agents for personalized learning, and DAO-powered governance. We're rolling out ACAD ID, our unified learner identity system, and scaling Proof of Learn NFTs as a universal credential across partner platforms and universities.

To make waves in Web3, we’re building the infrastructure that enables any app, DAO, or protocol to issue, verify, and reward learning on-chain, turning education into a composable primitive for the decentralized world.

In short, AcadLayer is evolving into the modular education layer for Web3, powered by zk-proofs, AI agents, and DAO governance. We’re creating the rails for verifiable, personalized, and community-driven learning at scale.

Check them out at bento.me/acadlayerhq and follow along on X: @AcadLayerHQ.