ID.me is a digital identity and verification platform that helps users to securely prove and share their credentials online. Originally founded as a classifieds website for the military community, ID.me has evolved into a verification software used by 21 federal agencies, 50 state government agencies, and more than 70 healthcare organizations. In this blog, learn more about ID.me’s history and milestones, from ID.me’s founding story to its growth and achievements.

ID.me’s History and Milestones

Blake Hall, ID.me’s CEO and founder, noticed a big problem. He watched a military veteran display their DD214 separation paperwork to a store employee in order to claim a military discount. While efficient to prove military service, the document held significantly more private information than what was needed for that circumstance. Hall wanted to make the military status verification process easier and built out a verification technology for his original company TroopSwap in 2010, a daily deal platform for the military community. He realized that the verification technology had bigger use cases than just military discounts, and rebranded the company to Troop ID, providing broader digital identity verification for military members and veterans.

Expanding Access

In 2013, however, Troop ID took a large step forward, expanding access to all Americans and rebranding the company to ID.me. After receiving a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop and test online identification technology, ID.me pursued various federal standards for authentication and verification in addition to securing contracts and developing out its product line.

Impact of COVID-19

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the need for secure login and digital identity verification systems became urgent. Unemployment systems were overwhelmed, fraud fell through the cracks, and millions of Americans needed fast and reliable identity verification. ID.me scaled operations to help meet the need and seven states credited ID.me with stopping over $270 billion in unemployment fraud, including $125 billion in California alone.

ID.me Today

Today, ID.me has grown into a robust provider of digital identity verification solutions that has provided its services to over 156 million users and is used by notable brands and government agencies including Columbia, Lenovo, Blue Apron, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

ID.me Products

ID.me’s main product is the ID.me Digital Wallet, a centralized location for users to manage verified credentials such as military service, healthcare employment, or student status for easy use across various websites and services. Within the Digital Wallet, features include:

Unify Authentication– provides a single, streamlined login experience that combines identity verification, multi-factor authentication, and credential validation
Access Management – allows organizations to define and enforce access policies that govern how and when users authenticate and access resources
Identity Verification – designed to simplify and secure the process of confirming user identities online
Credential Validation – enables organizations to swiftly and securely verify professional and community credentials, such as medical licenses, military service, or student status
Login Security – helps protect user accounts from unauthorized access and fraud using multi-factor authentication

ID.me’s Milestones

Over the years, ID.me has reached numerous milestones in terms of traction, revenue, and awards. Some of its recent milestones are, but not limited to, the following:

Used by 21 federal agencies, 50 state government agencies, and more than 70 healthcare organizations
Helped over 156 million users experience streamlined sign-in and identity verification as of December 2025
me’s revenue grew over 450% from 2020 through 2024
Reportedly generated revenues of $150 million in 2024

Final Thoughts

What started as a platform for military members to verify their military status has now evolved into a popular identification tool for all Americans. Used by government agencies and state governments alike, ID.me continues to uphold verification standards, seek new customers, and develop new products to help keep user identities safe in the digital age.

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The information presented here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be, nor should it be construed or used as, comprehensive offering documentation for any security, investment, tax or legal advice, a recommendation, or an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, an interest, directly or indirectly, in any company. Investing in both early-stage and later-stage companies carries a high degree of risk. A loss of an investor’s entire investment is possible, and no profit may be realized. Investors should be aware that these types of investments are illiquid and should anticipate holding until an exit occurs.

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