What Proxy does

Proxy was a San Francisco-based identity technology company founded in 2016 that developed Proxy ID, a biometric identity platform positioned around the slogan "Access More, Share Less." The company's stated thesis was privacy-first, human-led authentication, suggesting biometric or possession-based verification rather than centralized credential storage. Proxy raised approximately $58.8 million across four funding rounds from 2015 through March 2020, with investors including Blackbird Ventures, Y Combinator, Kleiner Perkins, Coatue, Scale Venture Partners, Silicon Valley Bank, and West; Denis Mars served as co-founder and CEO throughout. The Series B in March 2020 (Scale Venture Partners lead) and the April 2020 acquisition of Motiv, a wearable fitness ring company, marked a clear strategic pivot from pure software identity into wearable hardware and health-adjacent data capture. Proxy's operating headcount remained in the 1–10 employee band per available firmographic data, indicating a lean team despite a sizable capital base.

In May 2023 Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring (ŌURA), a Finnish wearable health technology company founded in 2013 that has grown to over 750 employees and serves millions of members across more than 100 countries with an ecosystem of 800+ partners as of 2024, including Natural Cycles, Dexcom, Best Buy, Amazon, and Target. The acquisition sits alongside Oura's purchases of Veri and Sparta Science in 2024 as part of a broader push to build a comprehensive health-monitoring platform spanning rings, biometric identity, and recovery analytics. Post-acquisition, Proxy operates as part of the Oura family rather than as an independent commercial entity, and its identity and biometric technology is positioned to support Oura's expanding health data platform rather than to monetize independently.

No public pricing model, customer logos, revenue figures, or commercial GTM details are disclosed in the source data, so Proxy's standalone business model — beyond fundraising and the Motiv-driven hardware bet — cannot be characterized in detail. The company is no longer independently operating.

Name

Proxy

Website

https://proxy.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Proxy was a San Francisco identity technology company that built Proxy ID, pivoted into wearable health via its 2020 Motiv acquisition, and was itself acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Identity Solutions

NAICS

Security Systems Services (except Locksmiths) (561621)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biometric Input Devices (Fingerprint/Face/Iris Scanners) (HDACAFAI), Verification & Risk Signals (Device Fingerprinting, Behavioral Biometrics) (HDADALAJ), Decentralized Identity (DID) & Verifiable Credentials (BPAMAEAJ)

Keywords

• Digital identity
• Identity verification
• Biometric authentication
• Privacy technology
• Wearable biometrics

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Core offering

Proxy designs and builds privacy-first, human-led identity technologies. Its flagship product, Proxy ID, allows users to authenticate and share identity information while keeping personal data protected, embodying the company's "Access More, Share Less" philosophy. The company also operated the Motiv biometric ring after acquiring the company in April 2020, extending its identity and authentication capabilities into wearable hardware.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Proxy ID Privacy-first digital identity technology that enables users to authenticate and share identity information without exposing personal data, targeted at enterprise customers and end users who need secure, privacy-preserving access.
• Motiv Ring Biometric wearable ring offering fitness tracking and identity/authentication capabilities, brought into Proxy via the April 2020 acquisition of Motiv.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023. Oura is a Finnish wearable health technology company founded in 2013, specializing in smart rings for sleep and recovery tracking. The acquisition brought Proxy into Oura's ecosystem of health technology products and services.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023. The acquisition represents Oura's strategy to expand its health technology portfolio and capabilities. Oura has grown to become a global leader in smart rings with millions of members.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023 as part of Oura's strategic expansion. Oura Ring is a wearable health technology company with over 750 employees and millions of members globally.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023. Oura has expanded to over 800 ecosystem partners by 2024 and serves millions of members across over 100 countries.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023. This acquisition is part of Oura's broader strategy including also Veri (2024) and Sparta Science (2024) to build a comprehensive health monitoring ecosystem.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Proxy was acquired by Oura Ring in May 2023. Oura serves millions of members across over 100 countries and partners with major retailers and health companies including Natural Cycles, Dexcom, Best Buy, Amazon, and Target.
• ŌURA (Oura Ring)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProxy announced its excitement about joining forces with Oura Ring. Oura is a Finnish wearable health technology company specializing in smart rings for comprehensive health monitoring.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Auth0 (Okta): Customer identity platform (now owned by Okta) offering passwordless and adaptive authentication. Direct overlap with Proxy's digital identity and access capabilities.
• Stytch: Developer-focused authentication and identity platform offering passwordless, MFA, and device fingerprinting. Comparable to Proxy in serving modern digital-first identity use cases.
• 1Password: Consumer and business password and identity management platform that has expanded into passkeys and passwordless authentication. Comparable as a human-led identity credential manager.
• Transmit Security: Passwordless and biometric identity orchestration platform serving large enterprises. Competes with Proxy in the same passwordless/biometric authentication category and similar enterprise buyer profile.
• Identiv: Physical and digital identity solutions provider covering credentials, access control, and IoT identity. Relevant peer given Proxy's positioning around unified physical/digital identity access.
• Okta: Largest pure-play identity and access management platform, offering MFA, passwordless, and workforce/customer identity. Closest direct competitor to Proxy's enterprise identity stack and Proxy ID vision.
• HYPR: Passwordless authentication and decentralized identity specialist focused on phishing-resistant MFA. Directly comparable to Proxy's 'privacy-first, human-led identity' positioning, particularly in biometric authentication.
• Beyond Identity: Passwordless identity platform combining device-bound credentials with biometrics. Closely aligned with Proxy's privacy-first, device-anchored identity model.

Broad incumbents

• Duo Security (Cisco): Cisco-owned MFA and zero-trust authentication platform with broad enterprise distribution. A scaled incumbent competing in the same MFA/passwordless space as Proxy.
• Microsoft Entra ID: Microsoft's identity and access platform bundled into the broader Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystem. Dominant incumbent that defines the competitive context for any enterprise identity startup including Proxy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Proxy