Okta Ventures Unveils "The Identity 25" to Honor Pioneers Shaping the Future of Digital Identity

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Okta Ventures, the venture investment arm of Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the leading independent identity partner, proudly introduces "The Identity 25," an initiative that shines a spotlight on the trailblazers in the burgeoning field of digital identity. This 2nd annual report is a testament to the collective efforts of innovators who are tirelessly working towards building simpler, more secure, and scalable identity-centric technologies.

In a world where every digital experience, from website logins to e-commerce transactions to voting, is rooted in identity management, "The Identity 25" aims to recognize and elevate emerging leaders who are enhancing identity, security, and privacy for businesses, consumers, and global citizens.

This year's Identity 25 list is a diverse compilation of academics, activists, public servants, entrepreneurs, standard-setters, and technology pioneers. Working across various disciplines and capacities, these individuals contribute to making the world a safer place to live, work, and transact.

The Identity 25 Honorees:

• Janelle Allen, Engineering Product Manager, WebEx Identity at Cisco
• Lincoln Ando, Founder, idwall
• Andrew Black, Managing Director, ConnectID, Australian Payments Plus
• Dan Boneh, Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
• Brian Campbell, Distinguished Engineer, Ping Identity
• Julie Dawson, Chief Regulatory & Policy Officer, Yoti
• Paolo de Rosa, Policy Officer, European Commission
• Rodger Desai, CEO, Prove Identity
• Victor Dominello, Co-Founder, ServiceGen
• Kim Hamilton Duffy, Executive Director, Decentralized Identity Foundation
• Diego Fernández, Co-creator, QuarkID & Co-founder, The Future Co.
• Daniel Fett, Identity Solution Architect, SPRIN-D, German Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation
• Heather Flanagan, Principal, Spherical Cow Consulting
• Naohiro Fujie, General Manager, ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation & Chair, OpenID Foundation, Japan
• Ryan Galluzzo, Identity Program Lead, Applied Cybersecurity Division, NIST
• Sasikumar Ganesan, Head of Engineering, MOSIP; Former Chief Security Architect, Aadhaar
• Gail Hodges, Executive Director, OpenID Foundation
• Hanna Kim, Director, Login.gov
• Gideon Lombard, Chief Operating Officer, DIDx
• Nat Sakimura, Chairman, OpenID Foundation; CEO, NAT Consulting
• Eric Scouten, Identity Standards Architect, Adobe
• Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, FIDO Alliance
• Teresa Wu, Vice President, Smart Credentials, IDEMIA North America
• Yang Xie, CEO, Authing
• Yodahe Zemichael, Executive Director, National ID Ethiopia

"The Identity 25 is an initiative designed to recognize the leading lights in the growing Identity space. With this report, Okta Ventures seeks to elevate the emerging leaders who are working together to improve Identity, security, and privacy for businesses and their clients, for consumers, and for global citizens," said Austin Arensberg, Senior Director Okta Ventures.

The honorees on this year's Identity 25 list are actively involved in creating laws to thwart identity criminals, advocating for individual rights and privacy, combating fraud and abuse, developing new technologies, teaching strong identity principles to the next generation of leaders, and setting standards for a safe, interoperable digital world. This is honorable in an increasingly complex world with new challenges like AI-enabled fraudsters and a plethora of new devices leading to a larger attack surface that makes the struggle to implement Identity solutions increasingly difficult.

As we navigate the complexities of an ever-expanding digital world, these brilliant innovators are only beginning to develop the systems of tomorrow, and they will undoubtedly continue to create and inspire solutions that challenge our current predictions. With "The Identity 25," Okta honors the magnitude of their achievements and the depth of their commitment as they advance identity standards, technology, and processes to better the lives of our shared global digital community.

To explore "The Identity 25" report and learn more about the incredible individuals shaping the future of digital identity, visit here.

About Okta

Okta, Inc. is The World’s Identity Company™. We secure Identity, so everyone is free to safely use any technology. Our customer and workforce solutions empower businesses and developers to use the power of Identity to drive security, efficiencies, and success — all while protecting their users, employees, and partners. Learn why the world’s leading brands trust Okta for authentication, authorization, and more at okta.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325271744/en/

Media Contact:

Kyrk Storer

press@okta.com

Source: Okta, Inc.

FAQ

What is The Identity 25 initiative announced by Okta Ventures (OKTA)?

The Identity 25 is Okta Ventures' second annual recognition program honoring 25 innovators who are advancing digital identity, security, and privacy solutions across various sectors.

Who are some key honorees in Okta's Identity 25 list for this year?

Key honorees include Stanford Professor Dan Boneh, FIDO Alliance CEO Andrew Shikiar, OpenID Foundation Chairman Nat Sakimura, and Login.gov Director Hanna Kim.

What challenges in digital identity is Okta (OKTA) addressing with this initiative?

The initiative addresses challenges like AI-enabled fraud, expanding attack surfaces, and the increasing complexity of implementing identity solutions in the digital world.

What are the main focus areas of The Identity 25 honorees selected by Okta (OKTA)?

Honorees focus on creating anti-identity theft laws, privacy advocacy, fraud prevention, technology development, identity education, and setting standards for digital security.