Peter Horadan, a seasoned tech executive with a remarkable track record in automating complex business processes, has been appointed as the new CEO of Vouched, the leading AI-powered identity verification company. With over two decades of experience in the SaaS industry, Horadan has been instrumental in creating over $20 billion in market cap through his roles as Chief Executive and Technology Leader. His journey includes founding Seattle-based Lockstep in 2019, which he successfully scaled and sold to The Sage Group in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with AI World Today, Horadan shares his vision for Vouched and the future of identity verification in an increasingly digital world. From his early days developing online banking software at Microsoft to revolutionizing expense reporting at Concur and automating sales tax calculations at Avalara, Horadan brings a wealth of experience in transforming "boring" back-end processes into valuable, innovative solutions.
Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and your journey to becoming the CEO of Vouched?
I’ve made a career of automating what other people think of as boring, back-end business processes. I started in the 90s, writing some of the first online banking software in the world at Microsoft, back when the Internet was brand new. Next, I built the SaaS version of Concur Expense, which became the #1 way to file expense reports worldwide. That was an $8 billion exit. After that, I was CTO at Avalara, where we automated sales tax calculation and return filing. $16 billion exit. Then I cofounded a zero-to-one startup focused on accounting workflows that happen in email. We sold that to Sage just 3 years later. Long story short: there is tremendous value creation in helping companies automate their essential workflows. Even if they seem boring to some (they don’t to me!). I am convinced the next frontier of digital automation is in Identity.
What does "Painless Identity Verification" mean to Vouched, and how does this philosophy set your company apart in the market?
Today, there are a lot of contexts in which you might need to prove who you are when working remotely. Opening a bank account remotely. Seeing a doctor over telehealth. Many, many others. The state-of-the-art way to do this today is to hold your physical ID up to a webcam. This can be a bit cumbersome, but Vouched is relentless at refining the process to make it as easy as possible. Most people complete our painless process in 8 seconds or less.
Vouched offers solutions for various industries, including healthcare, financial services, and automotive. How do you tailor your identity verification solutions for these different sectors?
While every business needs to verify the identity of people they work with remotely, different industries do have some unique needs. For example, banking clients want to verify identity but then check Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) watch lists for that person. In healthcare, providers need to verify identity for regulatory reasons, and then want that identity integrated with their Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems. And so on. One of our strengths is that no matter what your industry, we’ve tailored Vouched to your unique needs. And we’re probably already integrated with the core systems you are using.
I understand Vouched recently launched a feature for verifying AI agents. Can you tell us more about this innovation and what prompted its development?
Yes. There is a change coming to how we all work together online that I think many people are not yet fully aware of. This is the introduction of software agents who will do work on our behalf. For example, today you could ask Chat GPT to plan out a great vacation for you. It will think about your preferences and make a great itinerary that you can look at. But soon, Chat GPT (and many other AI tools like it) will be able to take the next step and say do you want me to book the tickets and make the reservations for you? It’s the obvious next evolution of this amazing technology.
But as exciting as this is, it introduces several new identity challenges that we as an industry will need to solve. First, there’s the simple question of how to prove that a given software agent has the right to work for a given human. Let’s say a software agent goes to an airline to buy a plane ticket for me, Peter. How will the airline know that this agent should be allowed to do work on my behalf? Next, there’s the question of sorting good from bad agents. We know that there will certainly be fraudulent agents … and probably more bad agents than good. And an agent that is good one day may get compromised and become bad the next day. How do we tell good from bad? And finally, there is the question of legal agreements. When you buy a plane ticket, you can’t finish the process without checking the “I agree to the terms and conditions” checkbox. Just try it, you can’t, because that agreement is very important to the airline. But a software agent can’t agree to that for you. So we need to solve that too.
And the time for this is now. Some estimates are that there will be more non-human actors (software agents) than humans on the Internet by as early as next year!
At Vouched, we spend a lot of time thinking about this. We’ve released our KYA (Know Your Agent) platform to address all of these issues. Check it out on our website.
Vouched is known for its high success and accuracy rates in identity verification. How do you maintain such high standards?
We’ve got the best technology in the world for visual recognition of an ID, checking that ID for tampering, and then matching the information on that ID to known databases.
Your company offers global scalability with extensive coverage. How does Vouched manage to adapt so quickly to different international ID systems?
Great question - this is an area that is moving very quickly. The only way to do it is to do the hard work of staying up on developments in every jurisdiction across the globe. We currently have over 3,000 ID types and growing in our database that we keep continuously updated. There is no easy way other than to do the research and track ourselves.
Can you elaborate on how Vouched's AI-based reviews work to eliminate biases in the verification process?
AI is perfect for this as it has no inherent bias. We are continuously updating our AI models, and any bias is quickly eliminated through feedback in the model.
Vouched provides various integration options for clients. How does this flexibility benefit your customers?
It’s a major advantage. For most prospects we talk to, we are usually already integrated into their core system, and all they need to do is switch us on.
You've had success stories from several high-profile clients. Can you share some key learnings from these partnerships without naming specific companies?
Absolutely — across our work with leading companies in healthcare, finance, and AI, a few key lessons stand out. First, identity isn’t just about compliance — it’s a growth driver when done right, enabling faster onboarding and greater trust. Second, context matters: different use cases demand different risk thresholds and user flows. Third, speed and security aren’t trade-offs — combining both creates a real competitive edge. And finally, the definition of “identity” is evolving; our most forward-thinking partners are already preparing to verify not just people, but AI agents and digital IDs. These collaborations continually shape how we build for the future of trust.
I've heard that Vouched offers a unique self-serve experience. Can you explain how this works and why it's significant in your industry?
You bet. Anyone can go to our site, create a free account, and issue identification requests in a browser with no coding required. You can be up and running with Vouched in 5 minutes. If you do want to write code, we have many SDKs to make it easy for developers.
With your background in SaaS and now leading an AI-powered company, how do you see the intersection of SaaS and AI evolving in the identity verification space?
The future of identity is continuous identity verification. This is because account takeover is such a problem for fraud – so rather than identify the person once when the relationship starts or once per login, verification needs to be continuous. SaaS and AI are the perfect ways to deliver this.
How does Vouched ensure compliance with various regulations across different industries and regions?
At Vouched, compliance is central to how we deliver trusted identity verification across regulated industries and global markets. Vouched leverages a compliance solution, Vanta, which updates its compliance frameworks on all recent changes to rules and regulations as well as provides new frameworks, such as ISO 24001, the international standard for Artificial Intelligence Systems, as they become available.
Our platform meets the specific needs of regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services,—supporting HIPAA, KYC/AML, and medical licensing requirements. In addition, we meet the data privacy laws and guidelines under CCPA, BIPA, and GDPR. We are ISO 27001 certified, ISO 30107-3 compliant,SOC 2 Type II audited and NIST IAL2 compliant with certification in progress.
Vouched offers solutions for emerging sectors like the gig economy and cryptocurrency. How do you anticipate and prepare for new industry needs?
We talk to new customers every day. One of our advantages as a startup is that we can quickly adapt to their needs. The short answer is by listening to our customers.
What factors contribute to Vouched's success in competitive proofs of concept?
Customers typically measure us on 4 metrics. Three are quantitative: False Accept Rate (how much fraud is not caught), False Reject Rate (how many legitimate accounts are wrongly rejected), and Completion Rate (once an ID process starts, how many people complete it). These are industry standard measures. Vouched’s results here are the best in the industry. The fourth measure is taste. How much do people like the UI experience? That’s a subjective measure, but it counts a lot. At Vouched ,we are obsessed with customer DELIGHT. People want to like the software they are using.
Looking ahead, what new developments or innovations in identity verification technology are you most excited about, and how is Vouched preparing for the future?
Software agents, which we discussed already, are a big one. The other huge change that will change how we all work together is Mobile Driver's Licenses. Most people are not aware of this at all - but 30 states have signed on to this initiative, and over 5 million MDLs have already been issued. Having your ID as a digital document that is easily shared from a phone or browser will fundamentally change how every business thinks about identity. Think about the change that came from moving your physical credit cards into a digital wallet, and the ease of “swipe to pay”. This will be even bigger. And it’s coming soon to a DMV near you!
As Vouched continues to lead the charge in AI-powered identity verification, Peter Horadan's leadership promises to usher in a new era of innovation and growth. With a focus on painless verification processes, global scalability, and adaptability to emerging technologies like AI agents and mobile driver's licenses, Vouched is well-positioned to shape the future of digital identity. As businesses across various sectors grapple with the challenges of remote authentication and fraud prevention, Horadan's vision for continuous identity verification through SaaS and AI solutions offers a glimpse into a more secure and efficient digital landscape.
Originally published on AI World Today. For more details, visit the source.