What Iden3 does

Iden3 is an open-source technology organization building a self-sovereign identity protocol for decentralized and trust-minimized environments. Founded in 2018 and based in Zug, Switzerland, the project is supported by the 0KIMS Association and operates with a small team of 1–10 employees. Its core offering is the Iden3 Protocol, which uses zk-SNARK zero-knowledge proofs, Ethereum-based censorship-resistant infrastructure, and Sparse Merkle Trees to enable privacy-preserving identity creation, credential issuance, revocation, and verification without revealing underlying personal data. The protocol supports W3C standards interoperability via DID, JSON-LD, and Verifiable Credentials schemas, and includes a novel proof-query language for configuring identity claim verification.

The product stack comprises three layers: the Iden3 Protocol (core identity and credential management), Circom 2.0 (a Rust-written domain-specific circuit programming language and compiler that is battle-tested in production at Polygon Hermez, Dark Forest, Zkopru, and Tornado Cash), and the Iden3 Identity Wallet (an open-source iOS/Android reference app). Supporting these are Go libraries (go-iden3-core, go-circuits, go-merkletree-sql, go-iden3-crypto, prover-server, go-iden3-auth) and JavaScript SDKs distributed via npm. The Rapid-PLONK scheme offers a single shared trusted setup, and an ID Sponsor module eliminates gas costs for end-users.

Iden3's business model is entirely open-source: the protocol and Circom compiler are free to use with no commercial pricing tiers disclosed. The only documented funding is an Ethereum Foundation grant supporting Circom 2.0 development. Distribution is community-led and self-serve via GitHub, documentation portals, NPM, and mobile app stores. Customers and ecosystem partners include Polygon (primary deployment network, with PolygonID built on iden3), Ethereum Foundation (grant provider), and Linea (secondary L2 deployment). End-users, issuers (universities, governments, DAOs), verifiers (DeFi/dApps), and developers form the primary user segments, though none are paying customers in a conventional commercial sense.

Name

Iden3

Legal name

Iden3

Website

https://iden3.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Iden3 is an open-source self-sovereign identity protocol using zero-knowledge proofs and Ethereum infrastructure to enable privacy-preserving decentralized identity management for developers, issuers, verifiers, and end-users across Web3.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Decentralized Identity Infrastructure

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

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

Authentication & Access Control (Web3 login, SIWE, passkeys, MFA, policy engines) (FSAPACAI), Compliance Identity & KYC/KYB for Wallets (on-chain identity, reusable KYC, travel rule tooling) (FSAPACAL), Wallet Connectivity & Session Protocols (WalletConnect, deep links, QR, auth sessions) (FSAPACAF), Account Abstraction & Smart Wallet Tooling (AA SDKs, paymasters, session keys) (FSAPABAK), Cross-Chain Identity & Naming (multi-chain DID, ENS cross-chain resolution) (FSAPAKAH)

Keywords

• Self-sovereign identity
• Zero-knowledge proofs
• Decentralized identity
• Zk-SNARK circuits
• Verifiable credentials

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Open Source Protocol (Core): The core iden3 protocol and Circom language are open-source and free to use. The protocol is designed for developers and organizations to build self-sovereign identity applications.
2. Ethereum Foundation Grant: Circom 2.0 received a grant from the Ethereum Foundation which helped fund development of the Circom 2.0 compiler.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Iden3 provides an open-source self-sovereign identity protocol built on Ethereum that uses zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) to enable privacy-preserving decentralized identity management. The protocol allows individuals to generate and control their own identities, receive verifiable claims from issuers, and prove identity attributes to verifiers without revealing personal data. The stack includes the Iden3 Protocol, Circom 2.0 circuit programming language, a mobile identity wallet reference app, and a suite of Go-based developer libraries for cryptography, Merkle trees, identity primitives, and proof generation.

Product overview

Iden3 is a self-sovereign identity protocol providing a complete tech stack for privacy-preserving decentralized identity management. The core offering consists of the Iden3 Protocol (the main identity and credential management system), Circom 2.0 (a developer-focused circuit programming language for zero-knowledge proofs), and the Iden3 Identity Wallet (a mobile reference app for end-users). The platform is supported by a suite of Go software libraries (go-iden3-crypto, go-merkletree-sql, go-iden3-core, go-circuits, prover-server, go-iden3-auth) that provide cryptographic primitives, Merkle tree implementations, identity management, circuit transformations, and ZK proof generation. All components are open-source and designed for trust-minimized, censorship-resistant environments built on Ethereum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Circom 2.0: A circuit programming language and compiler for building zero-knowledge arithmetic circuits, written in Rust

Products and services

• Iden3 Protocol A next-generation self-sovereign identity protocol based on Ethereum with zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) for privacy-preserving decentralized identity management. Enables identity creation, claim issuance/revocation, and verifiable credential verification without revealing personal information. Targeted at developers and organizations building Web3 applications, DeFi protocols, dApps, and identity systems.
• Circom 2.0

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PolygoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPolygon is the primary blockchain network for iden3 protocol deployment. The protocol supports Polygon Mainnet, Polygon Amoy Testnet, and Polygon zkEVM. State contract addresses are deployed across Polygon networks. PolygonID platform is built using iden3 technology for identity management on Polygon.
• EthereumcoreTechnology or IntegrationIden3 protocol is based on Ethereum and inherits its properties including high degree of decentralization and security profile. State contracts are deployed on Ethereum Mainnet and Ethereum Sepolia testnet. The protocol leverages Ethereum for censorship-resistant identity state storage.
• 0KIMS AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 0KIMS Association is referenced as the organizational entity supporting the iden3 project. 0KIMS is a research and development organization focused on zero-knowledge cryptography and identity solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PolygonID: PolygonID is built on top of iden3 technology and offers a decentralized identity solution for the Polygon ecosystem. It is the closest downstream product built on iden3's protocol stack, sharing the same zk-SNARK approach and core libraries.
• Ceramic Network: Ceramic provides decentralized identity and verifiable data infrastructure for Web3, using DIDs and data streams. It competes with iden3 in the decentralized identity primitives layer for Web3 developers, although it focuses more on composable data streams than zk-based credentials.
• Spruce ID: Spruce ID offers decentralized identity tools including DIDKit, Spruce Kit, and OAuth-style sign-in with Ethereum. It directly competes with iden3 in Web3 authentication and verifiable credentials, targeting similar developer and enterprise use cases.
• Veramo: Veramo is a JavaScript framework for verifiable data and decentralized identity, supporting DIDs, Verifiable Credentials, and message signing. It overlaps with iden3's developer-tooling offering and is a relevant alternative for building identity-enabled applications.
• Trinsic: Trinsic provides an identity wallet platform and APIs for issuing and verifying digital credentials, targeting enterprises and governments. It competes with iden3 in the verifiable credentials and identity wallet space, with a more SaaS-style commercial model.
• Dock (Dock.io): Dock offers a blockchain-based verifiable credentials platform with a focus on enterprise use cases such as workforce and supply chain credentials. It competes directly with iden3's issuer/verifier model and shares the goal of portable, user-controlled digital identity.
• Indicio: Indicio provides open-source decentralized identity software and professional services for governments and enterprises. It shares iden3's open-source philosophy and serves overlapping use cases around verifiable credentials and digital travel credentials.
• MATTR: MATTR builds a verifiable credentials platform supporting W3C standards and digital trust infrastructure. It is comparable to iden3 in targeting verifiable credential issuance and verification, with a more commercial/government-focused delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft Entra Verified ID: Microsoft's enterprise decentralized identity product uses DIDs and Verifiable Credentials within the Entra ecosystem. As a broad incumbent, it overlaps with iden3 in standards and verifiable credentials but targets large enterprise customers with proprietary tooling.

Emerging players

• Worldcoin: Worldcoin provides proof-of-personhood via iris biometrics and a global identity network, competing for the same end-user use case (proof-of-personhood, Sybil resistance) that iden3 enables via zk-based credentials. It represents a different technical approach to a converging market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/identhree
• GitHubgithub.com/iden3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Iden3