Unico, the largest identity verification provider in Latin America, has opened a new headquarters in Menlo Park, California, as the company positions itself to compete for enterprise customers in the United States and global markets.
The move follows a two-year acquisition campaign. In 2024, Unico acquired Trully, a Mexico-based identity verification firm, and Oz Forensics, a liveness detection and anti-spoofing specialist. In 2025, the company purchased OwnID, a U.S.-based passkey and passwordless authentication provider. Together, the three acquisitions give Unico a technology stack spanning document verification, biometric liveness, deepfake detection, and FIDO2-based authentication.
Unico is backed by SoftBank, General Atlantic, and Goldman Sachs. CEO Diego Martins said the headquarters relocation reflects the company’s readiness to compete internationally. “We have spent two years methodically building the technology and expertise required to lead on the global stage,” Martins said in an announcement. “In an era where AI-driven fraud is escalating, the market is in urgent need of the enterprise-grade certainty that Unico provides.”
The company has also made several senior hires from major technology firms. Davi Reis, formerly of Google and a keynote speaker at SXSW 2026 on deepfake threats, has joined as VP of Global Strategy. Pablo Surace, previously with Meta and Procter & Gamble, leads global brand and product marketing. Paul Ray Judia Jr., an 18-year Apple veteran, serves as head of product design. Additional hires include product director Frederico Montezuma from Hotmart and finance director Bruno Branco from EBANX.
The global identity verification market is projected to reach $50.6 billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights, driven by rising fraud, regulatory requirements, and the adoption of biometric and AI-based verification tools. Unico’s expansion puts it in direct competition with established IDV providers such as Jumio, Onfido, Veriff, and Incode in the U.S. and European markets.
In Latin America, Unico has built a dominant position in biometric identity verification for financial services, e-commerce, and telecommunications. The Silicon Valley headquarters is intended to serve as the company’s global base of operations as it pursues enterprise contracts outside the region.
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
