Unico Acquires US-Based OwnID

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Unico acquires US-based OwnID: Unico acquires US-based OwnID: Brazil’s leading IDtech company, Unico, is expanding its global reach by acquiring OwnID, a startup specializing in passwordless and passkey authentication. Already a Brazilian unicorn after Goldman Sachs led a US$100M Series D round in 2022 that valued the company at US$2.6 billion, Unico continues to accelerate its international strategy following prior acquisitions of Oz Forensics and Trully.AI.

Unico After $2B Valuation: Brazil’s Identity Powerhouse

Founded in 2007 by Diego Martins (CEO), Rui Jordão and Paulo Roberto Alencastro Junior, Unico was one of the first Brazilian companies to focus on large-scale digital identity solutions. Martins has consistently emphasized digital trust as the cornerstone of Unico’s mission, while also steering the company through its unicorn valuation after the 2022 Series D.

Unico was one of the first Brazilian companies to focus on large-scale digital identity solutions. Martins has consistently emphasized digital trust as the cornerstone of Unico’s mission, while also steering the company through its unicorn valuation after the 2022 Series D.

Unico’s trajectory has been marked by a mix of organic growth and acquisitions. The company integrated anti-fraud solutions (Oz Forensics), expanded into Latin America (Trully.AI), and now looks at OwnID to close the loop between identity verification and everyday passwordless authentication. This expansion builds on the momentum since Unico acquires US-based OwnID, a deal designed to reinforce its passwordless strategy.

OwnID: Why Unico Acquires US-Based OwnID

OwnID was co-founded in 2020 by Dor Shany (CEO) and Rooly Eliezerov (President/CPO), both veterans of the identity management space. Before OwnID, they were part of the founding team at Gigya, a customer identity company founded in Tel Aviv and later acquired by SAP.

Their vision for OwnID came from two decades of witnessing how passwords remain the weak link in both user experience and security. By developing a passkey-first approach with biometric login, fallback magic links, and analytics, Shany and Eliezerov positioned OwnID as a specialist in frictionless authentication for e-commerce and consumer apps.

Today, OwnID processes more than 3.5 million authentications per month and counts Nestlé, SAP, NFL, and Michael Kors among its clients. The company will continue to operate from San Francisco and Tel Aviv, with its founders and team remaining in place, under the new brand “OwnID by Unico.”

OwnID has Israeli roots and maintains operations in Tel Aviv while also listing San Francisco as a headquarters location, which explains the involvement of Israeli counsel in this transaction.

Why Unico Acquisition of OwnID Matters

For Unico, the OwnID acquisition represents both a technological complement and a people-driven expansion:

• Tech complement: OwnID’s founders bring deep know-how in authentication and a history of successful exits (Gigya → SAP).
• Geography: With Shany and Eliezerov leading OwnID, Unico gains leadership with a global network across the U.S., Israel, and Europe.
• Business outcomes: The significance of this transaction is clear: Unico acquires US-based OwnID not just for its technology, but for the founders’ expertise, which could yield measurable ROI from higher checkout conversions to lower fraud losses.
• Strategic rationale: It is Unico’s eighth acquisition since 2020, aligned with a strategy to target markets characterized by high fraud rates and low government digitalization.

Strategic Context

The acquisition follows a wave of consolidation in digital identity. Global players like Okta, Auth0, and Microsoft are pushing passkeys and passwordless standards. By bringing in OwnID’s founding team and technology, Unico signals that Latin America can not only adopt global standards but also lead them with local innovation and people-focused leadership.

As CEO Diego Martins has noted, “trust in digital transactions is as important as access itself.” By uniting his Brazilian IDtech with the entrepreneurial DNA of Shany and Eliezerov, Unico strengthens both product breadth and global credibility. This is also why Unico compra OwnID is more than an M&A move — it’s a strategic statement about Latin America’s role in global IDtech.

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The Firms Behind The Deal

For the Buyer

Foley & Lardner LLP represented Unico, with a multidisciplinary team lead by Silicon Valley partner André Thiollier .

The partner team also included Carrie Hoffman (Partner, Labor & Employment — Dallas), David Morris (Partner, Tax — Salt Lake City), Steve Millendorf (Partner, Technology Transactions — San Diego), Krista Cabrera (Partner — Miami), Alan A. Pate (Of Counsel, Antitrust — Austin).

Supporting associates were Alexandre Turqueto (New York), Trevor Mullin (Los Angeles), Sarah Waste (Associate — Chicago), and Sarina Rogers (San Diego).

Foley & Lardner LLP is a leading U.S. global law firm with a strong Latin America practice and extensive experience in technology, M&A, and cross-border venture capital.

For the Seller

AYR – Amar Reiter Jeanne Shochatovitch & Co. represented OwnID, with Daniel Chinn (Partner, Corporate — Tel Aviv) leading alongside Hila Faber (Partner, Hi-Tech — Tel Aviv) and Mati Rosenbaum (Partner, Corporate/VC — Tel Aviv).

All three partners are recognized for their work with startups, venture capital, and international M&A transactions, regularly advising Israeli and global tech companies on strategic deals.

AYR is a Tel Aviv-based firm known for its deep focus on technology, venture capital, and cross-border corporate transactions, positioning itself as one of Israel’s go-to advisors for emerging companies.

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Related Reading

• Unico raises $100M Series D led by Goldman Sachs
• Unico acquires Oz Forensics and Trully.AI to expand anti-fraud capabilities
• 9 Trends That Will Define Identity Verification in 2025

BYL Comment: Unico Acquires OwnID as a Global Reference

his deal marks one of the most strategic cross-border acquisitions by a Brazilian IDtech firm in recent years. It is a story not just of technology but of founders and leadership: Martins scaling a Brazilian unicorn valued at US$2.6 billion into a global identity champion, and Shany and Eliezerov exporting their passwordless expertise into Latin America. With Unico acquisition OwnID, the region gains a new reference point in cross-border IDtech. The participation of Foley & Lardner LLP in the U.S. and AYR in Israel underscores the increasingly international nature of Latin American tech M&A, where legal teams span Silicon Valley, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Tel Aviv.

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Resumo em português

A aquisição da OwnID pela Unico IDtech une fundadores com trajetórias de destaque no setor de identidade digital. Diego Martins consolidou a Unico como líder brasileira avaliada em US$2,6 bilhões após rodada de US$100 milhões liderada pelo Goldman Sachs, enquanto Dor Shany e Rooly Eliezerov — criadores da OwnID e ex-fundadores da Gigya — trazem a visão global de autenticação sem senha.

Nos bastidores, a Unico contou com assessoria do escritório Foley & Lardner LLP, com André Thiollier (Silicon Valley) à frente, ao lado de sócios em Dallas, Salt Lake City, Austin, San Diego, Miami e Chicago, além de associados em Nova York, Los Angeles e San Diego. A OwnID foi representada pelo escritório israelense AYR – Amar Reiter Jeanne Shochatovitch & Co., liderado por Daniel Chinn ao lado de Hila Faber e Mati Rosenbaum, experientes em transações de tecnologia e venture capital.

Resumen en español

La adquisición de OwnID por Unico IDtech une a fundadores con trayectorias destacadas en el sector de identidad digital. Diego Martins consolidó a Unico como líder brasileño valorado en US$2,6 mil millones tras una ronda de US$100 millones liderada por Goldman Sachs, mientras que Dor Shany y Rooly Eliezerov —creadores de OwnID y exfundadores de Gigya— aportan su visión global de la autenticación sin contraseñas.

En los bastidores, Unico contó con la asesoría del bufete Foley & Lardner LLP, con André Thiollier (Silicon Valley) al frente, junto a socios en Dallas, Salt Lake City, Austin, San Diego, Miami y Chicago, además de asociados en Nueva York, Los Ángeles y San Diego. OwnID fue representada por el despacho israelí AYR – Amar Reiter Jeanne Shochatovitch & Co., liderado por Daniel Chinn, junto con Hila Faber y Mati Rosenbaum, expertos en transacciones de tecnología y venture capital.