About Cognito
Cognito is an Industrial Goods & Manufacturing company based in San Francisco (United States) founded in 2013, and was acquired by Plaid in January 2022. It operates as an identity verification and compliance solutions are provided by Cognito. It operates on a SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) model in Industrial Goods & Manufacturing, Financial Services, and Technology sectors. Cognito has raised $2 million across 1 funding round from investors including Plaid, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Khosla Ventures. The company has 18 employees. Cognito offers products and services including Flow, Screening, and Identity. Its focus areas include Software and Identity Verification Solutions. Its legal entity is BlockScore, Inc. Its competitors include Onfido, Perfios, HID Global, IDfy and Trulioo and 4 more; 8 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Identity verification and compliance solutions are offered by Cognito for businesses worldwide. Services are focused on KYC compliance, fraud prevention, and trust and safety across various sectors. Products like Flow, Screening, and Identity are designed to streamline user onboarding and ongoing monitoring. Integration is made easy with developer-friendly APIs and no-code options. Global coverage is ensured with support for numerous countries and ID documents. Optimization for conversion rates is prioritized in all solutions.
- Headquarters San Francisco, United States
- Employees 18
- SectorsIndustrial Goods & ManufacturingFinancial Services Technology
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website cognitohq.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Plaid (Jan 2022)
- Legal Name Blockscore, Inc
Products & Services of Cognito
Cognito offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Flow, Screening, and Identity.
All-in-one ID verification integrated in minutes globally.
Modern AML compliance with reduced false positives.
Frictionless ID verification starting with phone numbers.
Funding Insights of Cognito
Cognito has successfully raised a total of $2M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Seed round of $2 million completed in June 2014. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $2M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Seed — $2M
- First Round $2M
(Jun 2014)
- Investors Count 6
All 1 funding rounds of Cognito with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2014 | $2M | Seed | – | Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners | – |
7 investors in total: 7 institutional.
Investors in Cognito
Cognito has secured backing from 7 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Plaid, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Khosla Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage startups are accelerated via funding and educational programs. | – | ycombinator.com | Mountain View, United States | |
Venture capital investing in innovative companies across global sectors is undertaken by Lightspeed Venture Partners. | 1997 | lsvp.com | Menlo Park, United States | |
Early-stage startups are funded by this venture capital firm. | 2004 | khoslaventures.com | Menlo Park, United States | |
Investments in technology companies are conducted globally by Battery Ventures. | – | battery.com | - | |
Investments are made in US seed and early-stage tech companies. | – | nav.vc | Reston, United States | |
Investing in Deep Tech and emerging technologies for 12 years. | – | boost.vc | - | |
Open banking aggregation APIs are provided for individuals and businesses. | 2012 | plaid.com | San Francisco, United States |
Investor details for Cognito
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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People of Cognito
184 people are tracked at Cognito (40 in leadership, 2 in board & advisors, 142 in team); the tracked headcount is 18.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Ajit Deshpande | Head Of Business Technology | Leadership |
Erin Hansen | People Partner | Leadership |
Will Robinson | Chief Technology Officer | Leadership |
Rishma Allibhai | Head Of Corporate Finance | Leadership |
Hannah Hughes | Chief Marketing Officer | Leadership |
Zachary Perret | Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Winnie Wang | Head Of Tax | Leadership |
Eric Sager | COO | Leadership |
Jennifer Taylor | President | Leadership |
Elyse Whitehead | Head Of Enterprise Legal Services | Leadership |
Victor Ng | Head of Tax | Leadership |
Sharon Arad | Head of People & Organizational Development | Leadership |
Jeremy Presser | Head Of Compliance And Product Legal | Leadership |
James Witkin | Head Of Business Operations | Leadership |
Ali Bunting | Head of Business Recruiting | Leadership |
Jason Pate | Head of Corporate Strategy & Development | Leadership |
Jenna Goldman | Head Of Commercial & New Business | Leadership |
Lincoln Lo | Head Of Commercial Legal | Leadership |
Jocelyn Gill | AI Finance Director | Leadership |
Sandy Y. | Head Of Accounting | Leadership |
164 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Cognito
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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Timeline of Cognito
3 dated milestones of Cognito across 9 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Cognito is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $2.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Plaid.
Competitors of Cognito
Cognito has 9 listed competitors in our database, 8 of them funded. They include Onfido, Perfios, HID Global, IDfy and Trulioo, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| onfido.com | 2012 | London, United Kingdom | $242.38M | 516 | Identity verification solutions are provided, including document and biometric authentication. | |
| perfios.com | 2008 | Bengaluru, India | $258.77M | – | Provides financial technology solutions for data analysis and verification globally. | |
| hidglobal.com | 1991 | Austin, United States | – | – | Cloud-based physical identity and access management systems are developed. | |
| idfy.com | 2011 | Mumbai, India | $56.03M | 587 | Identity verification, background screening, and fraud prevention solutions are provided. | |
| trulioo.com | 2011 | Vancouver, Canada | $477.19M | – | Identity verification platform | |
| hyperverge.co | 2014 | Palo Alto, United States | $1M | 206 | AI-powered automation is offered for document analysis and identity verification. | |
| idx.us | 2003 | Portland, United States | $35.16M | 72 | Cloud-based solutions for identity protection and data security are provided. | |
| unico.io | 2007 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | $337.34M | – | Digital identity solutions company providing facial biometrics and digital admission solutions | |
| signicat.com | 2006 | Trondheim, Norway | $2.09M | 150 | Software solutions for identity management are provided via APIs. |
Detailed competitors of Cognito
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
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Web traffic of Cognito
The website of Cognito (cognitohq.com) receives about 9.2K visits a month.
- Monthly visits9.2K
▼ 8.8% vs previous month
Top companies in Physical Security & Surveillance
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Cognito (Physical Security & Surveillance), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cloud-based business telephony and home security services are provided. | 2004 | Palo Alto, California, United States | USD 87.97 M | USD 273.6 M | 1,190 | |
AI-powered cloud-based vehicle tracking solutions are offered for fleet owners. | 2015 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 915 M | USD 1.62 B | 3,500 | |
Cloud-based smart security cameras are manufactured for home use. | 1999 | Provo, Utah, United States | USD 172 M | USD 341.04 M | 11,275 | |
Family and friends are connected through location-sharing mobile app. | 2008 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 89.74 M | USD 489.48 M | 569 | |
Wireless home security systems are offered with cellular monitoring. | 2006 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 387 M | – | – | |
Enterprise video surveillance systems and platforms are developed. | 2016 | San Mateo, California, United States | USD 656.64 M | – | – | |
Wireless smart home security cameras and doorbells are provided. | 2009 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | USD 40.07 M | – | – | |
Locations are identified and shared via unique three-word addresses. | 2013 | London, England, United Kingdom | USD 231.46 M | – | – | |
Provider of smart thermostats for commercial and residential applications | 2007 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | USD 151.52 M | – | – | |
A personal safety network is provided for community protection. | 2017 | New York, New York, United States | USD 143.72 M | – | – |
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Related news about Cognito
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Frequently Asked Questions about Cognito
Cognito was founded in 2013 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Cognito is headquartered in San Francisco, United States. It is registered at San Francisco, California, United States.
Cognito is a funded company, having raised a total of $2M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $2M, raised on Jun 2014.
Cognito has 18 employees.
Identity verification and compliance solutions are offered by Cognito for businesses worldwide. Services are focused on KYC compliance, fraud prevention, and trust and safety across various sectors. Products like Flow, Screening, and Identity are designed to streamline user onboarding and ongoing monitoring. Integration is made easy with developer-friendly APIs and no-code options. Global coverage is ensured with support for numerous countries and ID documents. Optimization for conversion rates is prioritized in all solutions.
Cognito offers Flow, Screening, and Identity.
Cognito has 7 investors. Key investors include Plaid, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, and Battery Ventures.
Cognito operates through Blockscore, Inc.
Yes. Cognito was acquired by Plaid in January 2022.