Holonym
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersNew Castle, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Holonym does
Holonym Foundation, doing business as Holonym, is a private US-based developer of privacy-preserving digital identity protocols for the decentralized web. The company's stack centers on Human Keys, cryptographic key pairs that bind a wallet or identity to a verified human through zero-knowledge proofs rather than centralized personal data storage. Its product portfolio spans core protocols (Zeronym for provable personhood, Mishti Network for decentralized key derivation, Silk as a consumer wallet interface), an identity verification layer (Human ID with a public REST API and JavaScript SDK), and end-user applications (Human Passport with 2M+ users for Sybil-resistant airdrops and governance). The system operates across Ethereum, Optimism, Stellar, Sui, and Base, with on-chain attestations issued through Sign Protocol and Verax, and is built on a proprietary VOLE-based zero-knowledge prover that generates proofs in 30ms–4s on consumer hardware.
The business model combines developer-facing integration (SDK and free-to-query REST API at api.holonym.io) with consumer-facing revenue from one-time identity verification fees that are valid for twelve months before re-verification is required. Go-to-market is product-led and API-first, targeting Web3 projects, DAOs, DeFi protocols, and governance applications that need Sybil resistance, privacy-preserving KYC/AML (Clean Hands system screens 20+ sanctions and PEP lists), wallet recovery, and one-person-one-vote voting. Holonym closed a $5.5M seed round in August 2024 led by Finality Capital and Paper Ventures, reports that over $500M in airdrop and grant value has been protected through its infrastructure, and continues to expand chain coverage, biometric and ePassport support, and partnerships such as the WaaP launch on Sui with human.tech.
Holonym firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Holonym
- Legal name
- Holonym Foundation
- Website
- https://holonym.id
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Holonym industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Decentralized Identity Verification
- NAICS
- Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decentralized Identity (DID) & Identity Wallets (DID methods, DIDComm, identity agents) (FSAPACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AML/KYC, KYB & Identity Verification (VASP/Travel Rule) (FSAPAJAC), Privacy, Data Protection & Compliance (zk compliance, GDPR/PII handling) (FSAPAJAM)
Keywords
Where Holonym is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New Castle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Holonym business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Identity Verification Fees: Users pay fees to complete identity verification (KYC/government ID). Verification is valid for one year before requiring re-verification and another payment.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | KYC/Government ID Verification |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Holonym product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Holonym Foundation builds privacy-preserving digital identity infrastructure for the Web3 ecosystem, using zero-knowledge proofs to let users prove facts about themselves (residency, age, KYC status, uniqueness) without revealing the underlying identity data. The product suite centers on Human ID (the verification protocol), Human Passport (a consumer Sybil-resistance application with over 2 million users), Silk (Human Key wallet), Zeronym (provable-personhood identity protocol), and Mishti Network (key derivation network), with the Clean Hands system screening against 20+ sanctions and PEP lists for regulatory-compliant KYC/AML.
Product overview
Holonym Foundation is a digital identity security organization developing a suite of cryptographic protocols for privacy-preserving identity verification in web3. The product portfolio centers on Human Keys — self-sovereign cryptographic keys granting individuals control over digital personhood — implemented through three core protocols: Silk (wallet interface in Beta), Zeronym (digital identity for provable humans), and Mishti Network (Human Key derivation network in Testnet). Built on top of these protocols, Human ID is the privacy-preserving identity verification layer using zero-knowledge proofs, while Human Passport is the end-user application with over 2 million users. Solutions include ZK KYC & AML (Clean Hands), Sybil-resistant airdrops, wallet recovery, and secure voting. The system operates across Ethereum, Optimism, Stellar, Sui, and Base networks, with Observer nodes issuing on-chain attestations via Sign Protocol and Verax. Proof generation runs client-side (30ms–4s) on consumer hardware using VOLE-based ZK cryptography.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Human Keys: Cryptographic identity keys that grant humans sole control to unlock rights for digital personhood, privacy, and security
- Silk
- Zeronym
- Mishti Network
- Human ID
- Human Passport
- Human Wallet
- Human Network
Products and services
- Human ID Privacy-preserving identity protocol that uses zero-knowledge proofs to let users prove facts about themselves (residency, age, uniqueness, KYC/AML status) without revealing identity. Enables organizations and smart contracts to verify users without storing sensitive information. Supported on Optimism, Base Sepolia, Stellar, and Sui.
- Human Passport Identity verification application and Sybil resistance protocol where users collect verifiable credentials (Stamps) proving identity and trustworthiness without exposing PII. Has protected over $225M in airdrop and grant funds.
- Silk Wallet application and Human Key interface enabling users to create and manage Human Keys. Provides wallet-as-a-service functionality including seedless onboarding, social login, and account recovery for other wallets via the Silk SDK.
- Zeronym Digital identity protocol providing provable personhood credentials for verified humans, enabling privacy-preserving identity verification where users can demonstrate they are unique, real humans without revealing their specific identity.
- Mishti Network Decentralized network for Human Key derivation providing privacy-preserving key derivation infrastructure with programmable privacy and GDPR-compliant storage of encrypted user data via the DecryptBabyJubJub method.
Quantifiable outcome
- Proof generation takes 30ms-4s on standard consumer devices
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Holonym
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Holonym technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability7 records
Feature6 records
Holonym partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- human.techcorehuman.tech is the broader framework that includes Holonym Foundation's Human ID protocol. The partnership enables WaaP (Wallet-as-a-Protocol) launch on Sui blockchain, bringing nearly 3M verified users, 43M+ credentials issued, and $500M+ protected value to Sui ecosystem.
- Sui BlockchaincoreIntegration enabling Sui SBTs (Soul-bound Tokens) for Human ID verification. Users can mint Clean Hands SBTs on Sui. Observer node supports Sui-specific endpoints.
- StellarcoreHuman ID supports SBTs on Stellar blockchain. Users can opt to receive SBTs on Stellar and use them for uniqueness proofs on the Stellar network.
- OptimismcorePrimary chain for Human ID attestations via Sign Protocol. Attester address on Optimism: 0xB1f50c6C34C72346b1229e5C80587D0D659556Fd. Attestations issued on Optimism Mainnet.
- VocdoniminorPartnership for secure voting solutions. Vocdoni uses Holonym's proof-of-personhood for decentralized democratic processes, combining privacy-preserving identity with voting infrastructure.
- VeriffminorID verification provider supporting Human ID's KYC flow. Provides selfie and document verification. GDPR compliant with detailed privacy controls.
- OnfidominorID verification provider supporting government ID verification. ISO 27001 certified via ControlCase. Privacy policy covers data collection, processing, security, and storage.
- FacetecminorBiometric verification provider. Data encrypted, siloed, and never stored with additional PII. GDPR compliant for EU residents.
- Sign ProtocolcoreAttestation platform for issuing Human ID SBTs on-chain. Holonym issues attestations via Sign Protocol schema on Optimism and other EVM chains.
- VeraxcoreAttestation registry on Linea for reading Holonym attestations. SDK available for querying and validating Holonym SBT attestations on Verax.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Holonym competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Civic: Civic is a digital identity platform for Web3 offering KYC, AML, and reusable identity verification through its Civic Pass product. It targets the same DeFi and token-issuance customers as Holonym's Clean Hands stack and has been a long-standing identity primitive in the Web3 compliance market.
- Idena: Idena is a proof-of-personhood network that validates humanness through AI-driven synchronous 'validation ceremonies' rather than biometrics or documents. It is a direct competitor in the Sybil-resistance and airdrop-protection markets that Holonym targets with Human Passport.
- Dock Labs: Dock Labs provides decentralized verifiable credentials and DID infrastructure, enabling issuers to issue and verify credentials without centralized authorities. It targets similar verifiable-credential use cases as Holonym's Zeronym and Human ID, with overlap in identity wallet and credential issuance.
- Sismo: Sismo (now operating under Clique) provides privacy-preserving reputation and identity using ZK badges (zkBadges), targeting Sybil resistance, governance, and reputation portability. It directly overlaps with Holonym's Human ID and Human Passport on ZK-based Sybil resistance for airdrops and DAOs.
- BrightID: BrightID is a decentralized proof-of-personhood protocol using a social verification graph (rather than government ID) to provide one-account-one-human guarantees. It targets the same Sybil-resistance and DAO governance use cases as Human Passport, with significant overlap in philosophical approach to privacy.
- Worldcoin: Worldcoin (Tools for Humanity) provides proof-of-personhood via iris biometrics (World ID) and has verified tens of millions of users globally. It is the most directly comparable privacy-preserving Sybil-resistance competitor to Holonym's Human ID and Human Passport, targeting the same airdrop, governance, and bot-prevention use cases.
- Rarimo: Rarimo provides privacy-preserving governance and identity infrastructure using ZK proofs, including anonymous voting, KYC, and Sybil-resistance for DAOs. It directly competes with Holonym's Clean Hands attestation system and secure-voting partnership with Vocdoni.
Broad incumbents
- Polygon ID: Polygon ID is the zero-knowledge identity and verifiable credentials layer within the broader Polygon ecosystem. It offers DID-based identity verification with ZK proofs and benefits from Polygon's ecosystem distribution — a well-capitalized incumbent in the same ZK-identity category as Holonym.
Others
- Sumsub: Sumsub is a full-stack KYC/AML/identity verification platform widely used by crypto exchanges and Web3 issuers. It is an upstream supplier comparable to Veriff/Onfido in Holonym's stack, but also competes indirectly by offering its own Web3 identity products.
- Veriff: Veriff is a centralized IDV provider that Holonym integrates with for government ID and selfie verification in its Clean Hands KYC flow. As an upstream supplier rather than a competitor, Veriff is a useful comparable for understanding IDV unit economics but does not directly compete with Holonym's ZK-privacy layer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Holonym social profiles
Digital presenceHolonym compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Holonym financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Holonym leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Holonym funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Holonym M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Holonym
What does Holonym do?
Holonym Foundation builds privacy-preserving digital identity infrastructure for the Web3 ecosystem, using zero-knowledge proofs to let users prove facts about themselves (residency, age, KYC status, uniqueness) without revealing the underlying identity data. The product suite centers on Human ID (the verification protocol), Human Passport (a consumer Sybil-resistance application with over 2 million users), Silk (Human Key wallet), Zeronym (provable-personhood identity protocol), and Mishti Network (key derivation network), with the Clean Hands system screening against 20+ sanctions and PEP lists for regulatory-compliant KYC/AML.
Is Holonym a public or private company?
Holonym is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Holonym founded?
Holonym was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Holonym based?
Holonym is headquartered in New Castle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Holonym make money?
One revenue line is on record: identity Verification Fees.
Who are Holonym's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Civic, Idena, Dock Labs, Sismo, BrightID, Worldcoin and Rarimo. Polygon ID is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Sumsub and Veriff.
Does Holonym have an API?
Yes. Holonym exposes a public REST API at https://api.holonym.io for reading user SBT (Soul-Bound Token) proofs on-chain. Developers can query sybil-resistance status (government ID, phone, biometrics, ePassport uniqueness) and US residency proofs for any blockchain address on supported networks (Optimism, Base Sepolia). Snapshot strategy endpoints enable on-chain governance token weighting based on Human ID proofs. The API is public and free to use; no authentication is required for read endpoints. The Human ID SDK (@holonym-foundation/human-id-sdk) on npm provides a JavaScript interface for embedding the SBT minting flow directly into websites. Developer documentation is at docs.holonym.id.
What industry is Holonym in?
Holonym's product category is Decentralized Identity Verification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAPACAG, Decentralized Identity (DID) & Identity Wallets (DID methods, DIDComm, identity agents), with a secondary code of FSAPAJAC, AML/KYC, KYB & Identity Verification (VASP/Travel Rule). Its NAICS code is 561611 and its SIC code is 7370.