World
World operates a biometric identity network using iris-scanning Orb devices and zero-knowledge proofs to verify unique humans. It serves 18M+ verified users across 160+ countries through its World App, World Chain L2 blockchain, WLD token, and enterprise integrations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What World does
World (formerly Worldcoin) operates a privacy-focused biometric identity network built around the Orb, a custom iris and face scanning device that converts biometric input into cryptographic codes and uses zero-knowledge proofs to anonymously verify unique humanness online. The protocol comprises four integrated products: World ID (currently version 4.0, with Credentials, Deep Face, and AMPC), World App (a self-custodial crypto "super app" that was the third largest crypto wallet at one point with 150M+ transactions and $1.5B in transaction volume), World Chain (a human-centric Layer-2 blockchain on the Optimism Superchain offering gas-free transactions to verified humans and native Mini App distribution), and the WLD ERC-20 token (10 billion fixed supply, launched July 24, 2023). As of mid-2026, the network has verified more than 18 million humans across 160+ countries, with more than 38 million registered users and over 450 million cumulative World ID uses.
The business is operated by Tools for Humanity, a private company co-founded in 2019 by Sam Altman (also CEO of OpenAI) and Alex Blania, and stewarded by the World Foundation, a non-profit that owns the WORLDCOIN, WORLD ID, and ORB trademarks. World Assets, Ltd. serves as the token-issuance subsidiary of the Foundation. Distribution occurs through Orb operators, retail pilots (including a Gap store in San Francisco), flagship community spaces (San Francisco, Munich, Seoul, Rome), partner networks (e.g., MEDIROM/Re.Ra.Ku in Japan, with 7,000+ Orbs deployed across six US cities), and enterprise integration partnerships with Tinder, Zoom, DocuSign, Okta, Vercel, Razer, Mythical Games, Reddit, Shopify, AWS, and Coinbase. The company has raised approximately $379 million cumulatively in equity from a16z, Bain Capital Crypto, Blockchain Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global, Coinbase Ventures, and others, with a reported $2.5 billion valuation as of November 2025. A further $65 million was raised through OTC WLD token sales in March 2026. No recurring revenue, pricing model, or paying-customer count is disclosed in the source data.
World faces material regulatory and operational headwinds. Biometric data bans, deletion orders, or enforcement actions have been imposed in Kenya (final deletion of data from 350,000+ users ordered January 2026), Thailand (operations suspended, data of 1.2M users deleted), Spain, Brazil, Hong Kong, Portugal, the Philippines, Colombia, and Chile, with active investigations in India and Indonesia. In June 2026, the company announced Phase 3 of The Simple Plan — a strategic pivot from token-incentivized growth to utility-driven growth — refocusing on five focus countries (US, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea) and implementing job reductions at Tools for Humanity as it works to migrate 95% of Orbs to a self-serve model by end of 2026.
World firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- World
- Legal name
- World Foundation
- Website
- https://world.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- World operates a biometric identity network using iris-scanning Orb devices and zero-knowledge proofs to verify unique humans. It serves 18M+ verified users across 160+ countries through its World App, World Chain L2 blockchain, WLD token, and enterprise integrations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where World is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
World business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
World product offering
Product offeringCore offering
World operates a privacy-preserving proof-of-human identity network built around the Orb biometric iris-scanning device and the World ID zero-knowledge protocol, allowing individuals to anonymously prove they are unique humans online. It pairs this with the World App, a self-custodial crypto "super app" wallet, and the WLD governance/rewards token. For businesses, World offers the World for Business product line, integrating World ID verification into enterprise platforms (Tinder, Zoom, DocuSign, Okta, Razer, Vercel) and providing developer APIs/SDKs (IDKit, AgentKit) for AI agent authentication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- World ID: Private proof-of-human identity protocol enabling users to anonymously prove they are a unique human online via zero-knowledge proofs; current version is World ID 4.0.
- World App
- World Chain
- Worldcoin (WLD)
- Orb
- World Wallet
Products and services
- World App A self-custodial mobile "super app" that combines a cryptocurrency wallet (supporting USDC, WLD, 8 local stablecoins, and over 100 tokens with gas-free transactions for verified users), World ID credential storage, encrypted chat (World Chat), Mini Apps, and direct-deposit features for individual consumers globally.
- World ID A private proof-of-human identity protocol that allows users to anonymously prove they are a unique human online via zero-knowledge proofs backed by iris biometric verification at an Orb. Includes Deep Face deepfake detection, World ID Credentials (NFC-enabled passports/national IDs), and account-based authentication with key rotation and recovery.
- Orb A custom-built hardware device used to verify unique humanness via iris and face scanning. The Orb processes images locally, converts the iris to a unique code, splits the code into randomized MPC fragments, and transmits them to the user's device. Orb specifications are open source.
- World Chain A human-centric Layer-2 blockchain built on the Superchain (Optimism) offering free gas fees for verified humans, native Mini App distribution, and sybil resistance via World ID.
- Worldcoin (WLD) The native ERC-20 token of the World protocol with a fixed 10 billion total supply, used for governance, rewards, and ecosystem participation.
- World for Business Enterprise proof-of-human verification integrations allowing platforms (dating, gaming, video conferencing, e-signature, e-commerce, AI/agentic web) to verify that their users are real, unique humans via World ID APIs and SDKs.
- AgentKit A developer tool and SDK that verifies AI agents are acting on behalf of real humans during online transactions, integrating with the x402 blockchain-based payment protocol co-developed with Coinbase and Cloudflare.
- Concert Kit A World ID-powered tool that helps artists reserve tickets for verified humans, piloted by Thirty Seconds to Mars with verified fans receiving a free general admission ticket and exclusive merchandise vouchers.
Companies that use World
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
World technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration24 records
AI capability6 records
World partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
World competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ID.me: ID.me provides identity verification and proof-of-human services for government and enterprises using government-ID and selfie biometrics. It is a direct competitor in the proof-of-human verification space, particularly for US federal and commercial use cases where World ID is positioning.
- Jumio: Jumio is an identity-as-a-service platform offering biometric KYC, document verification and liveness detection for enterprises. Both compete for enterprise identity-verification budgets with World ID's anonymous proof-of-human verification.
- Persona: Persona offers configurable identity verification including biometric and government-ID checks, serving fintech and consumer apps. Direct overlap with World's enterprise identity verification use cases.
- Onfido (now Entrust): Onfido provides AI-powered identity verification using document and biometric checks, now part of Entrust. Comparable technology stack (document + biometric verification) and enterprise customer base to World's identity business.
- BrightID: BrightID is a decentralized proof-of-personhood protocol using social-graph analysis rather than biometrics. Closest crypto-native competitor to World ID in the proof-of-human category for Web3 sybil resistance.
Emerging players
- Idena: Idena is a blockchain-based proof-of-personhood network using synchronized validation ceremonies. Smaller-scale alternative in the same crypto identity verification category where World competes.
- Privado ID (formerly Polygon ID): Privado ID (formerly Polygon ID) is a decentralized identity protocol using zero-knowledge proofs for credential verification. Comparable technology stack to World ID Credentials for privacy-preserving identity attestation.
Broad incumbents
- MetaMask: MetaMask is the leading self-custodial crypto wallet with hundreds of millions of users. Competes with World App in the consumer crypto wallet category, though World App differentiates via integrated identity and Mini Apps.
- Optimism: Optimism is the Layer-2 network on which World Chain is built as part of the Superchain. Overlapping infrastructure and ecosystem participation; a key partner/competitor in the L2 identity-enabled blockchain category.
- Okta: Okta is an enterprise identity and access management platform that World integrates with but also competes against in human-verification workflows for enterprise customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
World social profiles
Digital presenceWorld financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
World leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
World subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
World funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors27 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
World M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about World
What does World do?
World operates a privacy-preserving proof-of-human identity network built around the Orb biometric iris-scanning device and the World ID zero-knowledge protocol, allowing individuals to anonymously prove they are unique humans online. It pairs this with the World App, a self-custodial crypto "super app" wallet, and the WLD governance/rewards token. For businesses, World offers the World for Business product line, integrating World ID verification into enterprise platforms (Tinder, Zoom, DocuSign, Okta, Razer, Vercel) and providing developer APIs/SDKs (IDKit, AgentKit) for AI agent authentication.
Is World a public or private company?
World is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was World founded?
World was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is World based?
World is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are World's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ID.me, Jumio, Persona, Onfido (now Entrust) and BrightID. Emerging players are Idena and Privado ID (formerly Polygon ID). Broad incumbents are MetaMask, Optimism and Okta.
Does World have an API?
Yes. World offers public developer-facing APIs for verifying World ID proofs, managing Mini Apps, and orchestrating agentic workflows. The Developer Portal API includes endpoints for Verify (verifying World ID 4.0 and legacy 3.0 proofs at https://developer.world.org/api/v4/verify/{rp_id}), Send Notification, Get Transaction, Get User Operation, Get Transaction Debug URL, Get User Grant Cycle, and Get Prices. Additional Developer Portal MCP tools include get_team_context, get_app_config, create_app, configure_world_id, get_world_id_signing_key, rotate_world_id_signing_key, get_world_id_registration_status, create_world_id_action, configure_mini_app, upload_app_image, and submit_app_for_review. The Verify endpoint accepts a required rp_id, nonce, action, and responses object, returns 200 with success, results, action, created_at, environment, session_id, and message fields. Authentication uses developer portal team API keys (api_...). Public documentation available at https://docs.world.org/ with a separate World Docs MCP server for searching documentation from AI coding assistants (Claude, Codex, Cursor, VS Code) without an API key. SDKs offered: @worldcoin/idkit (verification layer for Mini Apps and standalone), @worldcoin/minikit-js (Mini App commands, wallet auth, transactions, payments), and @worldcoin/minikit-react (React hooks). Environments: production and staging. Developer documentation is at docs.world.org/api-reference/developer-portal/verify.