Self, a zero-knowledge, proof-of-humanity identity protocol used by Google (GOOG) and Aave, said it raised $9 million in seed funding and introduced a points-based rewards program to promote on-chain identity verification.
Investors include Greenfield Capital, Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund (SoftBank), Spearhead VC, Verda Ventures, Fireweed Ventures and angel backers such as Casey Neistat, Sreeram Kannan (EigenLayer), Sandeep Nailwal (Polygon), Julien Bouteloup (Curve), Jill Carlson (Espresso) and Hart Lambur (Across Protocol), the company said in a press release on Thursday.
Self provides a privacy-preserving identity infrastructure using zero-knowledge proofs and verifiable credentials to confirm attributes such as age or uniqueness without exposing personal data.
The protocol supports verification using biometric passports, national IDs and Indian Aadhaar, as well as lightweight mobile device onboarding via Self Connect.
Zero-knowledge proofs allow cryptocurrency users to confirm that something is true, such as the validity of a transaction, without exposing any underlying details. They demonstrate the validity of blockchain claims without offering information that could compromise privacy.
Already integrated with Google, Aave, and Velodrome, Self powers use cases from Sybil-resistant airdrops to Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)-compliant token distributions.
The points program rewards users for verifying identity and engaging across partner platforms, and future integrations will expand earning opportunities.
Read more: Boundless launches Mainnet at the base, ushering in universal zero-knowledge computing
