OneCosmos Network

About OneCosmos Network

OneCosmos, operating as 1Kosmos, provides a platform focused on digital identity verification and passwordless authentication. The company was founded in 2018 by Hemen Vimadalal, Rohan Pinto, and Mike Engle with the vision of creating a more secure digital world where individuals have greater control over their personal information.

The founding team brings a wealth of relevant experience to the venture. CEO Hemen Vimadalal is a serial entrepreneur who previously founded and exited two companies, Vaau and Simeio Solutions, for a combined total of over $375 million. His personal experience with identity theft was a driving force behind creating 1Kosmos. CTO Rohan Pinto has a deep background in identity and access management, having worked on early single sign-on products at Sun Microsystems, with core skills in cryptography and PKI. CSO Mike Engle began his career in information security at major financial institutions like Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers before moving into the startup world.

1Kosmos addresses the security risks associated with traditional passwords and centralized identity systems, which are vulnerable to phishing, account takeovers, and data breaches. The company targets a broad client base, including enterprises (for workforce and frontline worker access), their customers (for KYC and authentication), and government agencies (for citizen services). Its business model revolves around providing this unified platform that combines identity proofing, credential verification, and strong authentication, with revenue generated through solutions for workforce, customer, and citizen identity management. In February 2021, the company secured $15 million in a Series A funding round led by ForgePoint Capital and later raised a $57 million Series B in August 2025.

The core of the 1Kosmos offering is a platform that creates a reusable digital identity for users. It begins by verifying a user's identity to a high degree of assurance (NIST IAL2) by cross-referencing government-issued documents like passports and driver's licenses with live biometrics (a 'LiveID' selfie). This verified identity is then cryptographically bound to the user's device, creating a secure digital wallet. Instead of passwords, users authenticate via biometrics, providing phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA). A key architectural component is the use of a private, permissioned blockchain to store user data in a decentralized manner, which prevents the creation of large 'honeypots' of personal data attractive to hackers and gives users control over their information.