Seattle-based Vouched, a startup focused on identity verification for both AI agents and humans, today announced a $17 million Series A funding round led by Spring Rock Ventures, bringing its total funding to $22 million.
The fresh capital will fuel the expansion of its Know Your Agent (KYA) platform, which has rapidly established itself as a leader in secure and compliant digital identity verification.
Founded in 2019 by John Baird and John B. Cao, two veterans with backgrounds in AI, computer vision, and digital identity, Vouched was born from a recognition of the shortcomings in traditional identity verification systems. Baird’s experiences at Blue Nile and work on self-driving technology revealed major inefficiencies affecting industries like banking and healthcare.
“The turning point came when I learned how the lack of documentation excluded millions from banking and healthcare,” Baird said to TFN.
At the heart of Vouched’s offering, the KYA platform tackles a growing demand for identity validation amid an increasingly complex digital landscape. CEO Peter Horadan highlighted the healthcare sector’s challenges: “In healthcare, 1 in every 5 medical records is a potential duplicate, each costing $1,950 in administrative overhead. On average, hospitals lose $17.4 million annually due to patient misidentification, and wrong-patient events expose providers to significant compliance and safety risks.”
Beyond healthcare, Vouched extends its solution to finance, ecommerce, and the emerging challenge of verifying AI-powered software agents. The KYA suite ensures bots and AI agents can be trusted, preventing fraud and impersonation in digital transactions. “We are scaling our platform to match the pace of a rapidly evolving digital world.”
Vouched’s technology integrates verification of physical IDs, digital-first credentials like mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), and AI-powered identity assessment into one adaptable platform. Supporting documents from more than 200 countries, Vouched was among the first to introduce government-signed digital licenses, which verify biometrics directly on-device to enhance security and user experience.
Peter Horadan summed up Vouched’s differentiators: “What sets Vouched apart is that we don’t force customers into a one-size-fits-all approach. Our workflow is fully customisable, so clients can strike the right balance between security and conversion. It’s end-to-end trust, delivered with minimal implementation effort and maximum adaptability.”
Legacy identity providers still rely heavily on manual or fragmented identity checks that interrupt onboarding and slow down user flow. Vouched’s streamlined automation allows enterprises to embed fast, accurate, and compliant identity verification directly into their customer journeys.
Looking ahead, Vouched plans to solidify its position as the trusted identity layer across industries where speed, compliance, and trust are critical. “Over the next three to five years, our goal is to cement Vouched as the trusted identity layer for every industry where trust, speed, and compliance matter,” Horadan said. The company will focus on expanding global physical ID support, pushing the adoption of digital-first credentials, and preparing for an environment where AI agents autonomously conduct transactions securely.
Horadan concluded, “The identity verification industry has been fragmented and outdated for too long. With this round, Vouched is doubling down on bringing a single, modern identity layer that adapts to physical IDs, digital IDs, and even AI Agent interactions.”
Originally published on Tech Funding News. For more details, visit the source.