Civic Technologies

Table of Contents

  1. Description
  2. Social handles 
  3. Key Features 
  4. Brief history of the product
  5. Executive team
  6. Competitors
  7. References

Description

Civic is a decentralized identity platform that enables businesses and individuals to manage and verify digital identities securely using blockchain technology. Its key differentiator is the creation of a reusable, user-controlled “Civic Pass,” an NFT-based token that allows users to verify their identity once and then use it across multiple dApps and websites without repeatedly sharing personal data.

https://www.civic.com

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Social handles 

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Key Features 

  • Civic Pass: The core product, an identity verification token (often an NFT or Soulbound Token) that is stored in a user’s digital wallet. It represents that a user has passed a specific set of checks, such as KYC or age verification.
  • Reusable KYC (Know Your Customer): Allows partners to verify that a user has completed a KYC process without needing to collect and store the sensitive underlying documents themselves, which reduces compliance overhead and user friction.
  • Multi-Chain Compatibility: Civic Pass is available on major blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and XDC, allowing developers to integrate identity verification into dApps across different ecosystems.
  • Liveness Verification: Uses a user’s device camera to confirm they are a real, live person during the onboarding process, preventing spoofing attempts with static images or videos.
  • Age Verification: Provides a simple, privacy-preserving method for services to confirm a user is over a certain age (e.g., 18 or 21) without revealing the user’s exact date of birth.
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Brief history of the product

Civic was co-founded in 2015 by entrepreneur Vinny Lingham and Jonathan Smith with the goal of creating a user-centric digital identity ecosystem. The company gained significant attention in 2017 when it held a successful Initial Coin Offering (ICO), raising approximately $33 million for its CVC (Civic) token, an ERC-20 utility token intended to facilitate identity-related transactions on the network. Initially focused on broad identity protection, Civic has since sharpened its focus on the Web3 space, evolving its core product into the Civic Pass to meet the growing demand for on-chain, reusable identity and KYC solutions for DeFi, DAOs, and NFT marketplaces.

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Executive team

  • Chris Hart, CEO
  • Daniel Kelleher, CTO
  • JP Bedoya, Chief Product Officer
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Competitors

  • Okta: A leader in traditional, centralized Identity and Access Management (IAM) for enterprises. While not blockchain-based, it is a major competitor in the broader digital identity space.
  • Spruce ID: A decentralized identity company that provides tools for developers to create user-controlled identity solutions, particularly known for its “Sign-In with Ethereum” standard.
  • SelfKey: A blockchain-based digital identity system that allows individuals to own and control their digital identity, with a focus on a marketplace for financial and citizenship services.
  • Microsoft Entra Verified ID: Microsoft’s decentralized identity solution that allows organizations to issue and verify digital credentials based on open standards.
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References

  • Official Website: Civic Technologies. (n.d.). Civic. Retrieved from https://www.civic.com/
  • Company History & Funding: Crunchbase. (n.d.). Civic. Retrieved from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/civic
  • Executive Team Information: LinkedIn. (n.d.). Civic Technologies, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/company/civic-technologies-inc/
  • ICO Information: CoinDesk. (2017, June 22). Vinny Lingham’s Civic ICO Sells Out, Raising $33 Million. Retrieved from https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2017/06/22/vinny-linghams-civic-ico-sells-out-raising-33-million/
  • Product Details (Civic Pass): Civic Blog. (2022, February 16). What is Civic Pass? Retrieved from https://www.civic.com/blog/what-is-civic-pass/
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