SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Today, Okta Ventures, the venture investment arm of Okta, Inc. ( OKTA ) , the leading independent identity partner, introduces its 2026 report, "The Identity 25." This is the third annual look at the top 25 movers, shakers, and innovators charting a path through the complex, dynamic landscape of digital identity in the age of AI.

The 2026 Identity 25 list is a diverse compilation of forward-thinking developers, strategists, business leaders, and public servants. This year’s report, themed "identity is the control plane," highlights the critical work of these innovators as they confront a new generation of sophisticated security challenges, from the rise of agentic AI to the proliferation of deepfake technology.

The honorees are being recognized for their tireless efforts in software creation, standards evolution, and strategic implementation to keep digital transactions safe and seamless. Their work tackles some of the most pressing challenges in the digital age, such as authenticating agentic AI entities capable of complex tasks without human oversight and defending against realistic AI-generated forgeries that threaten biometric security. In addition to these defensive measures, they are leading a wave of innovation in human authentication, from Utah's state-endorsed digital identity to the European Union's Digital Identity Wallet.

The 2026 Identity 25 Honorees:

Will Allen, Product, Snowflake Intelligence & Agents at Snowflake

Dr. Joseph Atick, Executive Chairman at ID4Africa

Christopher Bramwell, Chief Privacy Officer, State of Utah

Joni Brennan, President, Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada

Lee Campbell, Identity and Authentication Lead, Android Platform at Google

Eva Casey-Velasquez, CEO, Identity Theft Resource Center

Sarah Clark, Chief Product Officer and GM North America at Hopae

Den Delimarsky, Member of Technical Staff at Anthropic

Greg Fair, Digital Identity Chief, State of California

Devin Fensterheim, Executive Advisor at Social Security Administration

Tariq Malik, Technical Advisor, Digital Public Infrastructure at The World Bank

Lara Mossler, Head of Platforms & Product, Security at Airbnb

Nicole Perlroth, Founding Partner, Silver Buckshot Ventures

Anna Pobletts, Head of Passwordless at 1Password

Boonsun Prasitsumrit, CEO, National Digital ID Company, Ltd

Keshav Reddy, Founder at Equal AI

Drummond Reed, Director, First Person Cooperative

Andrew Regenscheid, Manager, Cryptographic Technology Group, NIST

Justin Richer, Senior Staff Engineer, MongoDB

Deepanker Saxena, GM and Head of Product, Socure

Baroness Joanna Shields, OBE, Founder and CEO at Precognition, Founder, WeProtect.org and Chair, OpenAge Initiative

Taranjeet Singh, Founder and CEO, MemO

David Soria Parra, Member of Technical Staff, Anthropic

Rao Surapeneni, VP and GM of the Business Application Platform, Google Cloud

Phil Windley, Founder, Internet Identity Workshop

"Each year we look forward to highlighting the key individuals advancing new advancements in digital identity and this year is no different. Congratulations are due for all of our honorees and we couldn’t be happier to showcase their contributions to the broader community,” said Austin Arensberg, VP of Okta Ventures, Okta ( OKTA ).

To explore the full 2026 Identity 25 report and learn more about these visionaries, visit https://www.okta.com/resources/datasheet-the-identity-25/. Nominations for next year's list can be submitted to [email protected] on or before July 1, 2026.

About Okta ( OKTA )

Okta, Inc. ( OKTA ) is The World’s Identity Company™. We secure AI, machine, and human identity so everyone is free to safely use any technology. Our workforce and customer solutions empower businesses and developers to protect their AI agents, users, employees, and partners while driving security, efficiencies, and innovation. Learn why the world’s leading brands trust Okta ( OKTA ) for authentication, authorization, and more at okta.com.

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Source: Okta, Inc. ( OKTA )