Copyright The Oregonian
ConductorOne, a startup that helps authenticate identities online, said Tuesday that it has raised $79 million to fund product development and hire more staff. Founded in 2020, the company says it has now raised more than $100 million. The company’s headquarters are in San Francisco but co-founders Alex Bovee and Paul Querna live in Portland. Bovee is ConductorOne’s CEO and Querna is chief technology officer. ConductorOne employs 90 companywide, including 30 at its offices in the former Washington High School in Southeast Portland and 30 in San Francisco. The company’s software helps organizations control who has access to their systems. It’s designed to authenticate people as well as artificial intelligence agents to ensure their activities are authorized. “The AI era has fundamentally reshaped identity security,” Bovee said in Tuesday’s announcement. He said more people and machines are operating online. This “identity sprawl,” Bovee said, “is beyond what today’s organizations and solutions can handle and only growing more complex.” Tuesday’s funding round makes ConductorOne among the Portland area’s best-funded young companies. The region has a poor track record of nurturing ambitious young businesses, though, and it’s been generations since a homegrown technology firm has grown into a major employer.
