Explore every episode of the podcast The Future of Identity
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zac Cohen – Building the Next Generation of Digital Trust | 22 Jul 2026 | 00:42:17 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Zac Cohen, Chief Product Officer at Trulioo, one of the world's leading identity verification platforms. Having helped scale Trulioo from its earliest startup days into a global leader in identity verification, Zac brings a unique perspective on how trust, fraud prevention, reusable digital identities, and AI are reshaping the future of digital identity. Our conversation explores how identity verification has evolved beyond simple compliance into a continuous trust problem and why digital IDs, agentic AI, and intelligent risk engines are becoming essential building blocks for the next generation of online experiences. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone building identity, fraud, or trust infrastructure. Zac offers thoughtful insights into how enterprises can prepare for a future where reusable IDs, AI agents, and continuous trust all work together to create safer, lower-friction digital experiences. Thanks for listening, and if you found this conversation valuable, share it with someone else working to shape the future of digital identity. Learn more about Trulioo. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Eran Haggiag – Rebuilding Digital Identity Around SIM Cards for the AI Era | 23 Jun 2026 | 00:30:13 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Eran Haggiag, founder and CEO of Glide Identity, to explore a bold vision for the future of digital identity. While much of the industry is focused on wallets, passkeys, and government-issued credentials, Eran argues that the foundation for a global, high-assurance identity system has been sitting in our pockets for decades: the SIM card. Our conversation examines how Glide is leveraging telco infrastructure, hardware-bound cryptographic keys, and verifiable credentials to create a universal identity layer designed for a future shaped by AI agents, quantum threats, and increasingly sophisticated fraud. We also discuss why phone numbers may be one of the most underappreciated public identifiers in the world and how they could serve as the connective tissue between authentication, verification, and reusable identity. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone thinking about the infrastructure layer of identity in an AI-driven world. Eran offers a fresh perspective on authentication, identity verification, and how existing telecom infrastructure could help accelerate the transition to more secure and interoperable digital identity systems. Hope you enjoy the conversation and if it resonates, feel free to share it with others interested in where identity is headed. Learn more about Glide Identity. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Jonas Brännvall - How BankID Became Ubiquitous in Sweden | 29 Jan 2025 | 00:42:21 | |
In this episode, we speak with Jonas Branvall, Head of International Expansion at BankID Sweden, one of the most widely-adopted reusable ID systems in the world. With 99.7% of Swedish adults using BankID and over 7,500 relying parties onboard, it’s a fascinating success story in the digital identity space. I’ve been eager to explore what drives the adoption of a universally embraced digital ID system, and Jonas provides clear answers. We discuss the pivotal role of strong use cases in driving adoption, including the two major relying party use cases that helped BankID achieve its widespread success. Jonas also shares his insights on the tipping point for adoption—approximately 40% penetration—and why that marks the transition to ubiquity for both users and relying parties. BankID’s story offers a powerful model for anyone involved in launching mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), EUDI wallets, private-sector reusable ID networks, or companies looking to integrate these solutions. Join me for this insightful conversation with Jonas Branvall and learn more about BankID at https://www.bankid.com/en/. | |||
| Diego Fernández - Driving Decentralized Identity in Buenos Aires with QuarkID | 15 Jan 2025 | 00:38:41 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Diego Fernández, co-founder of QuarkID and Sovra, to discuss the innovative decentralized identity solution rolled out by the city of Buenos Aires. QuarkID has garnered international attention for its self-custodial identity wallet app, and Diego provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at its development, challenges, and growing adoption. In this episode, we explore:
This episode is a must-listen for professionals in digital identity, government innovation, and technology ecosystems. Whether you’re interested in decentralized identity, user adoption strategies, or creating impactful public-private partnerships, this conversation offers valuable insights. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who are passionate about the future of identity! Learn more about QuarkID at https://quarkid.org/. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Jeffrey Schwartz - Acquiring Trinsic Ecosystems & Accelerating the Future of Decentralized Identity | 12 Dec 2024 | 00:58:38 | |
In this episode of the Future of Identity podcast, I’m joined by Jeffrey Schwartz, Founder and CEO of Dentity, to discuss the recent acquisition of Trinsic’s SSI platform assets, their ongoing partnership with Trinsic, and the innovations driving decentralized identity adoption. They explore the journey behind Dentity’s success in achieving market traction, building trust, and scaling decentralized identity solutions in the face of market challenges.
Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Ajay Gupta - Shaping California’s mDL Program and the Future of Digital Identity | 04 Dec 2024 | 00:43:57 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Ajay Gupta, Chief Digital Transformation Officer of the California Department of Motor Vehicles, to discuss California’s groundbreaking mobile driver’s license (mDL) program. From its launch to current adoption trends and future ambitions, this episode provides a comprehensive look at how California is shaping the future of mDLs. In this episode we explore:
This episode is a must-listen for those interested in the future of digital identity, especially professionals working in government, transportation, or identity ecosystems. Whether you’re curious about the technical, policy, or adoption aspects of mDLs, there’s something here for everyone. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who would find value in this discussion! Learn more about the CA DMV’s mDL hackathon outcomes in a free public briefing webinar on Januaty 10th. Register here. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| David Kelts - From Idemia to Decipher Identity and the Evolution of Mobile IDs | 06 Nov 2024 | 00:42:55 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by David Kelts, a leader in digital identity and mobile ID initiatives, with a career that spans significant contributions across multiple companies and initiatives worldwide. David's insights shed light on the journey of mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs), the evolution of identity verification, and his current role at Decipher Identity, where he’s tackling adoption challenges and working with businesses to expand use cases for digital identity. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Rohan Pinto - 1Kosmos's Journey from Blockchain to Passwordless Authentication | 09 Oct 2024 | 01:02:53 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Rohan Pinto, Co-founder and CTO of 1Kosmos, a company at the forefront of decentralized identity and passwordless authentication solutions. We explore the evolution of identity management and the journey from blockchain-based beginnings to building secure, user-controlled identity systems that go beyond traditional centralized approaches. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Calvin Fabre - Envoc's Role in Pioneering Mobile Driver’s Licenses in Louisiana | 16 Sep 2024 | 00:50:07 | |
In this episode, I’m joined by Calvin Fabre, President and Founder of Envoc, a company that has been at the heart of mobile driver's license (mDL) innovation in Louisiana, a state leading the nation in mDL adoption. Calvin shares the fascinating story of how his company helped bring the country’s first digital driver’s license into reality, starting with a simple idea for a “digital glove box.” Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Karyl Fowler - From Transmute to Global Trade and the Power of Digital Identity | 28 Aug 2024 | 00:46:41 | |
In this episode, I sit down with Karyl Fowler, co-founder and CEO of Transmute, a company at the forefront of integrating modern identity technology into global trade. Before founding Transmute, Karyl's work in the semiconductor and bioelectronics industries provided her with unique insights into the complexities of global supply chains. We explore a variety of topics, including:
Karyl offers valuable perspectives on the future of trade and digital identity, making this an episode you won't want to miss! Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Kim Hamilton Duffy - From Learning Machine to DIF and the Evolution of Decentralized Identity | 14 Aug 2024 | 00:42:41 | |
In this episode, I talk with Kim Hamilton Duffy, the Executive Director of the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF). Before her work at DIF, Kim served as the CTO at Learning Machine, an early pioneer in the self-sovereign identity space that was acquired in 2020. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Special Episode - Trinsic Update | 05 Jun 2024 | 00:10:06 | |
One of the most frequent requests that we get is to record an episode about Trinsic. So this week we’re doing just that because we recently announced the launch of our identity acceptance network in partnership with CLEAR, Yoti, IDVerse, Airside, Dentity, and more than a dozen others. This episode will outline what identity acceptance is, how Trinsic landed on this approach, and how this might be relevant to you. If this is interesting to you, we’re hosting a webinar next week which you can learn more about and register at trinsic.id/webinar. To read more about our identity acceptance network check out the announcement: https://trinsic.id/first-identity-acceptance-network/ Thanks for listening. Feel free to reach out on Twitter at rileyphughes, and visit trinsic.id if you’re interested in participating in our identity acceptance network. | |||
| Rob White – Expanding Digital Identity Through Samsung Wallet and Samsung ID | 28 May 2026 | 00:32:09 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Rob White, Head of Samsung Wallet US, to discuss Samsung’s role in the rapidly evolving digital identity ecosystem. From mobile driver’s licenses to the newly launched Samsung ID with CLEAR, Robert shares how Samsung is thinking about identity as a foundational layer for secure digital experiences across its devices and services. Our conversation explores the challenges and opportunities of scaling digital identity adoption, the importance of balancing security and privacy, and why wallets may play a critical role in addressing the growing trust challenges created by AI-generated fraud and impersonation. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in the future of digital wallets, mobile driver’s licenses, and identity verification. Robert offers a unique perspective from one of the world’s largest wallet providers on what it will take to move digital identity from early adoption to mainstream use. Hope you enjoy the conversation and if it resonates, feel free to share it with others interested in where identity is headed. Learn more about Samsung Wallet. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Adrian Field - OneID’s Approach to Driving BankID Adoption in the UK | 25 Apr 2024 | 00:46:55 | |
In this episode we talk with Adrian Field, the Director of Market Development at OneID, which is a bank-based identity verification product focused on the UK market. We cover a range of topics, including:
Adrian has a very good grasp on the digital ID ecosystem and is generous sharing his insights after four years working in this space. You can learn more about OneID on their website: https://oneid.uk/. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Taylor Liggett - ID.me’s Strategy for Adoption, Monetization, and Brand for 100 Million Wallets and Beyond | 03 Apr 2024 | 00:29:14 | |
In today’s episode we spoke with Taylor Liggett, Chief Growth Officer of ID.me, which is the largest reusable ID network in the United States and may be the largest private digital ID network in the world. With over 100 million user wallets and $150 million in revenue, ID.me has figured some things out about reusable ID adoption and monetization. We talk about how reusable identity reduces the friction required to undergo a verification, and therefore expands the market. Taylor shares specific stats on conversion rates and completion times that are very interesting. We cover a bunch of tactical topics, like:
Taylor spoke to some of the common objections that people online and in the media tend to have with ID.me. He did a great job addressing ID.me's tie-in with government, their strategy to build consumer trust in their brand after experiencing both good and bad press, and how they’re thinking about the evolution of interoperability in the space. You can learn more by visiting the ID.me website. Listen to the full episode on Apple podcasts, Spotify or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Eric Scouten - Adobe’s Leading Role in the Content Authenticity Boom | 20 Mar 2024 | 00:36:17 | |
On today’s episode we talked with Eric Scouten, Senior Engineering Manager at Adobe, who has been working for the last four years on solving content authenticity. What does that mean? We’ll get into it in the episode, but suffice it to say that it’s an effort to bring trust to content online. Was the pope really photographed in that puffy jacket? Was the photo of a war zone really taken this week, or is that from several years ago? And we’ll get into how to identify the identity of the individual or business behind the content, in a privacy-preserving way. We talk about adoption of the C2PA standard, how the content authenticity initiative recruited so many of the most influential tech and media platforms, and how Adobe built the conviction to ship the first versions into production despite a cold start problem. We also talk about the user experience of content authenticity, both from the creator side and consumer side, and some thornier issues including potential for censorship and deceit. This is a fascinating episode into an emerging standard that I believe will be an important part of all our lives over the coming years, and example of incredible innovation coming from a large technology company. You can learn more about the Content Authenticity Alliance at https://contentauthenticity.org/ and you can find more about the C2PA standard at https://c2pa.org/ Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Adam Gunther - Tactical Insights from Equifax and IBM on Driving Reusable Identity Adoption | 06 Mar 2024 | 00:30:42 | |
On today’s episode we spoke to Adam Gunther, SVP and General Manager of Digital Solutions at Equifax. This was a fascinating conversation about Adam’s journey leading decentralized identity at IBM, moving into an operating role within Equifax, and how their reusable identity strategy has evolved over time. We talk about tactical factors that are needed for reusable identity adoption, like solutions to liability and common taxonomies for onboarding and recovery. We also talk about how to move forward ambitious identity projects within large enterprises. Listen for Adam’s three rules for getting products off the ground, and why he says “no smart refrigerators.” You can learn more about Kount, an Equifax Company, on their website and you can find Adam on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Phil Windley - Identity Metasystems and Lessons from Building the Sovrin Foundation | 21 Feb 2024 | 00:35:02 | |
In this episode we talk with Phil Windley, Sr. Software Development Manager at AWS, Cofounder of IIW, former Chair of Sovrin Foundation. We talked about his experience building and leading the Sovrin Foundation, which at one point was almost synonymous with the term self-sovereign identity. It was set up to be an identity metasystem that would reinvent how identity was done online… and we talk about why it didn’t end up becoming that. Phil shares lessons from identity systems that got adopted, like the social login metasystem, as well as from things that didn’t get a lot of adoption, like certain identity blockchains and information cards a decade prior. We hope this an interesting episode. We’re glad we got to tell a small part of the Sovrin story as we think a lot of today’s reusable ID projects have their roots in the movement Sovrin started—including Trinsic. To learn more about Phil you can visit his personal website https://windley.com/ where you'll find ways to contact him, and buy his new book. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Nick Thomas: Finicity’s Journey from Personal Finance App to $985M Acquisition for their Open Banking Platform | 07 Feb 2024 | 00:38:21 | |
Today we talked with Nick Thomas, cofounder of Finicity, which was acquired by Mastercard, where Nick went on to be the EVP of Global Open Finance Innovation. Nick has a fascinating career that has paralleled digital identity for a long time, as a cofounder of Bluetooth and FDX, the major open banking standards body in the US. These are both organizations that brought an industry together around common standards to grow the market far bigger for everyone involved—and we talk lessons learned and how this applies to identity. Nick shares a deep look into Finicity’s story starting as a consumer application and eventually becoming a major data aggregator. Then we dive into Finicity’s journey disrupting themselves by pushing into open banking. We explore the work Finicity did with verifiable credentials as an issuer, and the big challenge that prevented them from rolling it out. You’ll appreciate all of his takes on the parallels between fintech and IDtech. To learn more about Nick you can find him on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Jacques von Benecke: Launching National-Scale Self Sovereign Identity in Bhutan | 24 Jan 2024 | 00:52:32 | |
In this episode, we talk with Jacques von Benecke, CTO of DHI, the commercial and investment arm of the government of Bhutan. If you haven’t heard, Bhutan has launched one of the most complete SSI ecosystems in the world! We spent most of the time diving in to how it’s going since launching just a few months ago. We get into metrics, like how many users have onboarded, and the growth rate over time. We cover use cases, business models, governance, and more! We even cover how they productize wallets for accessibility, and we were amazed to hear they have iOS, Android, and web… but they have 11 other wallet configurations they’ve had to build to cover the whole population! Most of all it was really interesting to see what can happen when you have top-down mandate to develop better digital identity and a strong technology approach to execute. To learn more about Bhutan’s National Digital Identity initiative you can visit Bhutan NDI or listen to Jacques' interview on the (un)Trustables podcast. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Jon Gelsey: Identity Product GTM Insight from Auth0’s Early Days | 10 Jan 2024 | 00:36:43 | |
In this episode, we talk with Jon Gelsey, founding CEO of Auth0 Inc, which sold to Okta for $6.5B, as well as the CEO of Xnor.ai which he sold to Apple for $200m. Jon told the story of the early days of Auth0, including how they got their first $1m of revenue. Then we spent time diving in to how new technologies get adopted—Jon even went as far as saying that technology adoption is always incremental, not revolutionary. Then we talk about the role of big tech, and why he doesn’t think reusable identity will be dominated by massive incumbents. That led us to talk about what he would do if he were running a company whose business model could be cannibalized by reusable identity, which is that he would look to disrupt himself in a safe way. This was a rare look into some great advice from one of our industry’s best operators. To learn more about Jon, you can visit his LinkedIn profile. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Harrison Tang: Spokeo’s Vision of a “People Search Engine” Powered by Verifiable Credentials | 15 Nov 2023 | 00:34:10 | |
In this episode, we sit down with Harrison Tang, Co-founder and & CEO of Spokeo, which is a “people search engine”. Spokeo aggregates many sources of data about people and sells that data to verifiers. So at first blush, Harrison is an unlikely person to be a massive advocate for SSI and co-chair of the W3C Credentials Community Group. | |||
| Carlos Korten: Lessons Learned From Bindle’s Health Pass | 26 Oct 2023 | 00:46:10 | |
In this episode, we chat with Carlos Korten, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer of Bindle Systems. Bindle built one of the largest private-sector deployments of decentralized identity in the USA, and Carlos shares tons of stories from the trenches of getting hundreds of thousands of consumers on board. | |||
| Amit Sharma – Rethinking Digital Identity in the Age of AI and Verifiable Credentials | 22 Apr 2026 | 00:45:11 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Amit Sharma, Global Head of Digital Strategy at IDEMIA Public Security, to explore a more foundational question than usual: why digital identity matters right now. Rather than focusing on a single deployment or ecosystem, this conversation zooms out to examine how accelerating AI capabilities, data exploitation, and digital-first lives are reshaping the role of identity in society. Our discussion connects big-picture philosophy with real-world infrastructure - covering everything from verifiable credentials and mobile driver’s licenses to identity acceptance networks and the economics of data. Amit shares a compelling perspective on why the current model of identity - built around detection, data aggregation, and exploitation - is breaking down, and what needs to replace it. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone thinking about the future of identity beyond just technology - spanning business models, regulation, AI, and the fundamental question of how we build a more trustworthy digital world. Amit brings a rare combination of policy, security, and commercial perspective to one of the most important shifts happening in identity today. I hope you enjoy the conversation and if it resonates, feel free to share it with others interested in where identity is headed. Learn more about IDEMIA. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Nate Soffio: Reusable Identity in Financial Services | 12 Oct 2023 | 00:57:57 | |
In this episode, we sit down with Nate Soffio, Co-founder and & CEO of Portabl. Nate is applying decentralized identity to fintech and open banking, which is such an important but also challenging use case. | |||
| Andrew Black: Building Bank-Backed Digital ID in Australia | 13 Sep 2023 | 00:42:48 | |
In this episode, we speak with Andrew Black, Managing Director of ConnectID, which is part of Australian Payments Plus. Andrew, who is an expert in the convergence of IDtech and open banking, sheds light on a unique approach to building bank-backed digital identity and the user experience that it enables. It was fascinating to unpack the role governance plays in ConnectID with some tangible examples, and analyze how the UX of an identity exchange differs from that of an identity wallet. | |||
| Sarah Clark: Mastercard’s ID Network | 30 Aug 2023 | 00:46:30 | |
In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Clark, SVP of Digital Identity at Mastercard, to discuss Mastercard’s ID network. | |||
| Keith Uber: Organizational Identity and vLEIs | 17 Aug 2023 | 00:32:25 | |
In this episode, we sit down with Keith Uber, VP of Sales Engineering at Ubisecure, to discuss the role of verifiable credentials in identity and access management. | |||
| Ankur Patel: Microsoft’s Decentralized Identity Product—Entra Verified ID | 20 Jul 2023 | 00:31:36 | |
Today’s guest is Ankur Patel, Head of Product at Entra Verified ID which is Microsoft’s decentralized identity product. We begin the conversation by reviewing Microsoft’s storied history of identity initiatives, and why one of the world’s most valuable companies made decentralized identity one of their major focus areas. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Eric Starr: Verifiable Credential Adoption in Government | 26 Jun 2023 | 00:35:22 | |
Today’s guest is Eric Starr, Co-founder & CEO of UltraPass ID—an IDtech product for governments. | |||
| Timothy Ruff: The Difference Between a Use Case and a Business Case | 14 Jun 2023 | 00:39:21 | |
Today’s guest is Timothy Ruff, General Partner at Digital Trust Ventures. Timothy is an early pioneer of self-sovereign identity as a co-founder of Evernym, a co-creator of Sovrin, and an advisor to several IDtech startups. Timothy has countless battle scars from being on the ground floor of so much innovation in the decentralized identity space.
To reach out to Timothy, email him at timothy@digitaltrust.vc | |||
| Manny Nijjar: Lessons Learned From the NHS Staff Passport | 11 May 2023 | 00:24:37 | |
Today’s guest is Manny Nijjar, co-founder and CEO of Truu, which is a healthcare-focused IDtech product that’s been involved in one of the most impressive production verifiable credentials rollouts to date. Their platform, alongside a handful of other vendors, helped the largest health system in the world respond to the COVID-19 pandemic—all while Manny was also serving on the front lines as an infectious disease doctor, leading his hospital’s COVID-19 response. | |||
| Evin McMullen: Verifiable Credentials in the Metaverse | 13 Apr 2023 | 00:43:40 | |
Today’s guest is Evin McMullen, co-founder and CEO of Disco.xyz. | |||
| Paul Ashley: Will Consumers Pay for an Identity Product? | 28 Mar 2023 | 00:51:11 | |
Today’s guest is Paul Ashley, CTO and co-CEO of Anonyome Labs. Paul starts by talking about how the erosion of privacy online and the rise of data brokers and surveillance capitalism led them to create their IDtech product MySudo. MySudo is a privacy application that allows users to create secure digital profiles, or personas, with unique disposable phone numbers, emails, credit cards, and other identifiers to use across the internet. | |||
| Robin Tombs – Building Reusable Identity at Scale and Driving Real-World Adoption with Yoti | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:48:55 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Robin Tombs, co-founder and CEO of Yoti, one of the earliest and most widely adopted reusable digital identity wallets globally. Robin shares the long journey behind Yoti - from early frustrations with knowledge-based identity checks to building a biometric, user-controlled identity app years before reusable identity became a mainstream concept. Our conversation explores what it really takes to build a reusable identity network from the ground up. Robin reflects on the challenges of solving the cold start problem, navigating regulatory friction, and earning user trust, while steadily growing Yoti to over 23 million downloads across multiple markets. We also dig into how adoption is finally accelerating as governments, businesses, and users begin to align around the value of portable, privacy-preserving identity. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone building or investing in digital identity. Robin offers a rare, candid look at what it takes to persist through a decade-long journey in identity and why the next phase of growth will be driven by interoperability, networks, and real-world utility. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who are passionate about the future of identity! Learn more about Yoti. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Sebastian Mellen: The Power of Verified Data in Non-Obvious Industries | 14 Mar 2023 | 00:44:15 | |
Today’s guest is Sebastian Mellen, Co-founder and CEO of Cerebrum. His team is building an IDtech product called vID, tackling data and compliance problems in healthcare, HR systems, and even youth sports teams. | |||
| Chris Ingrao: Bringing Decentralized Identity to Healthcare | 28 Feb 2023 | 01:02:04 | |
Today’s guest is Chris Ingrao, a co-founder of Lumedic—a company whose mission it was to transform the patient experience in the US healthcare market. Lumedic launched an IDtech product in production and was on the brink of several incredible adoption breakthroughs, but through internal reorganization, its potential unfortunately was not realized. | |||
| Katrie Lowe: Stop Selling SSI, Sell Answers to Problems | 14 Feb 2023 | 00:35:56 | |
Today’s guest is Katrie Lowe, Co-founder and CEO of Domi Labs. We start the conversation talking about how Berlin’s hyper-competitive rental market led Katrie to build a digital rental passport to streamline the experience for property managers and tenants to exchange information in a rental process. We go on to talk about Domi’s product experience, including the clever ways their product implements verifiable credentials to crack what she calls the “SSI trust triangle.” Katrie then breaks down why Domi chose to focus on a very specific use case in the real estate vertical. A theme of this episode is focus, and that focus has led to a super deep understanding of the value propositions that Domi’s customers are willing to pay for. The answer is surprising. We’ll give you a hint—it doesn’t have to do with self-sovereignty, decentralization, or privacy. And despite that, it was fascinating to hear Katrie break down why Domi chose to build their IDtech product using self-sovereign identity anyway. | |||
| Jeffrey Schwartz: Build More, Talk Less — Solving Real Problems with Verifiable Credentials | 13 Feb 2023 | 00:42:13 | |
Today’s guest is Jeffrey Schwartz, Founder & CEO of Dentity whose mission is to make the internet a safer place for people everywhere. Jeffrey’s background in the automotive industry (of all places) opened his eyes to the need for better digital identity. He co-founded Dentity to solve the trust problem in peer-to-peer transactions and discusses the surprising breadth of use cases they’re already tackling, from frat parties to notaries. | |||
| Introducing: The Future of Identity | 11 Feb 2023 | 00:07:48 | |
Welcome to The Future of Identity. Normally, show host Riley Hughes (Co-founder & CEO of Trinsic) talks to the people building IDtech products, but the purpose of this solo episode is to introduce the purpose of the podcast. In this short episode, Riley covers:
Thank you for joining us. Make sure to subscribe to the show to get new episodes as they drop. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id). We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Ross Freiman-Mendel – Networked Identity, Reusable Personas, and the Future of KYC | 07 Jan 2026 | 00:53:14 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Ross Freiman-Mendel, Head of Product Growth at Persona, to explore the shift from one-off, siloed KYC toward network-based and reusable identity products. Ross walks through Persona’s consumer and enterprise identity networks, including Reusable Personas, Persona Connect, and emerging work on Know Your Agent (KYA), and explains why redundant verification has become one of the biggest unsolved problems in identity. Our conversation goes deep on the practical realities of building reusable identity at scale. Ross shares concrete adoption metrics, including 2× higher conversion rates, significantly faster completion times, and why over 90% of Persona customers are now activated on the network. We also unpack how network-based identity improves fraud detection while simultaneously reducing user friction - one of the rare win-win scenarios in identity. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone building or buying identity verification technology. Ross offers a grounded, metrics-driven perspective on how reusable identity is finally moving from theory to production and why networks, not standalone checks, will define the next era of digital trust. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who are passionate about the future of identity! Learn more about Persona. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Chris Goh – Scaling Mobile IDs in Australia with ISO mDocs | 22 Oct 2025 | 00:54:04 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Chris Goh, former National Harmonisation Lead for Australia’s mobile driver’s licenses (mDLs) and the architect behind Queensland’s digital driver’s license. Chris played a pivotal role in driving national alignment across states and territories, culminating in the 2024 agreement to adopt ISO mDoc/mDL standards for mobile driver’s licenses and photo IDs across Australia and New Zealand. Our conversation dives into Australia’s path from early blockchain experiments to a unified, standards-based approach - one that balances innovation, security, and accessibility. Chris shares lessons from real-world deployments, cultural challenges like “flash passes,” and how both Australia and New Zealand are building digital ID ecosystems ready for global interoperability. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone building or implementing digital credentials, whether you’re a policymaker, issuer, verifier, or technology provider. Chris offers a clear, grounded perspective on what it really takes to move from pilots to national-scale digital identity infrastructure. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who are passionate about the future of identity! Learn more about Valid8. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Thomas Mayfield – Building Interoperable Web3 Identity with the Veridian Platform | 12 Aug 2025 | 00:46:39 | |
In this episode of The Future of Identity Podcast, I’m joined by Thomas Mayfield, Head of Decentralized Trust & Identity Solutions at the Cardano Foundation. Thomas leads the development of the Veridian Wallet, an open-source digital identity platform built on the KERI (Key Event Receipt Infrastructure) protocol and funded by the Foundation. Our conversation explores the rapidly evolving Web3 digital identity ecosystem—and how Veridian aims to bridge Web2 and Web3 with universal interoperable identifiers that cut through today’s fragmented identity landscape. We also dig into the growing urgency to rebuild digital trust as data breaches, ransomware, and AI-powered threats escalate. In this episode we explore:
This episode is essential listening for anyone working on decentralized identity—whether you’re building infrastructure, integrating identity into products, or shaping policy. Thomas offers a rare, in-depth look at how to design for both future-proof security and real-world interoperability. Enjoy the episode, and don’t forget to share it with others who are passionate about the future of identity! Learn more about the Cardano Foundation. Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find all ways to listen at trinsic.id/podcast. | |||
| Teresa Wu - Driving Mobile ID Adoption at IDEMIA | 09 Jul 2025 | 00:58:13 | |
On this episode we spoke with Teresa Wu, Vice President of Smart Credentials and Access at IDEMIA. IDEMIA has been involved with many U.S. states for their mobile IDs, including New York, Arizona, Iowa, Delaware and more. Very few people on earth have more experience than Teresa working with governments to issue digital credentials. We asked her what would encourage more states to launch mobile IDs and drive end-user adoption. Her response was: more relying party use cases. So, we spent most of our conversation exploring questions like:
We closed out by covering the lessons Teresa has learned through all this experience for public servants. I think this conversation will be relevant to anybody interested in digital IDs, either on the issuance or acceptance side. You can find Teresa on Linkedin and learn more about IDEMIA on their website. Subscribe to our newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||
| Rebekah Johnson - Building a Business Identity Ecosystem at Numeracle | 07 May 2025 | 00:45:34 | |
On today’s episode we spoke to Rebekah Johnson, Founder & CEO of Numeracle. This was a fascinating conversation about Rebekah’s journey starting Numeracle in 2016 to bring trust back to business communications by tackling robocalling and spam in the telecom ecosystem. We talk about how Numeracle became an early identity issuer in telecom through the implementation of STIR/SHAKEN protocols which have now rolled out to subscribers of carriers like T-Mobile and how she overcame the classic chicken-and-egg problem of launching before carriers were ready. We also discuss how the business identity ecosystem compares to consumer digital identity, and what companies should do when they know a new standard is coming (like eIDAS 2.0), but it’s not here yet. We finish by exploring modern AI's impact on communications, including how to preserve trust when automated agents or AI-powered voice calls are part of the conversation. You can learn more about Numeracle at numeracle.com and connect with Rebekah on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for more announcements related to the future of identity at trinsic.id/podcast Reach out to Riley (@rileyphughes) and Trinsic (@trinsic_id) on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. | |||