July 5, 2025

#207: Bringing Soldiers Home to Building the Digital Identity with Blake Hall, Founder & CEO, ID.me

Joe Toste · 2 minute read

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Featuring:

Blake Hall, Founder & CEO, ID.me

What You’ll Learn:

How Blake's grandfather earned a Bronze Star with Valor at Anzio and established three leadership rules that shaped three generations of soldiers

Why Roy, an Iraqi interpreter, became a life-changing mission that demonstrated the true meaning of bringing everyone home

How ID.me is building the identity layer for the internet with a digital wallet that puts consumers in control of their data

The four immutable character traits Blake screens for: optimism, kindness over niceness, fight-or-flight control, and zero tolerance for jerks

Strategic fundraising lessons from raising over $100 million while maintaining company control and avoiding liquidation preference traps

Timestamps

(01:00) Military Heritage: Three Generations of Soldiers from WWII to Iraq

(02:00) Grandfather's Bronze Star: Saving His Unit at Anzio Against Nazi Machine Guns (04:00) The Three Family Rules: Humility, Hard Assignments, and Leadership Lessons (05:00) Roy's Story: Meeting the Iraqi Interpreter Who Looked Like a "Water Boy"

(07:00) Combat Reality: 19 of 22 Interpreters Executed Over 24 Months

(08:00) The Promise: "I'm Going to Bring All My Guys Home"

(13:00) Combat to Civilian: "Where Do I Go on Friday to Hang Out?"

(14:00) ID.me's Mission: Building the Identity Layer for the Internet

(15:00) Digital Wallets Beyond Payments: Privacy Filters and Never Do Same Thing Twice (21:00) Core Value #1: "Don't Be a Jerk" - Zero Tolerance Policy

(22:00) Core Value #2: "Kind vs. Nice" - Truth-Telling Over People-Pleasing

(23:00) Core Value #3: "No Pessimists" - The Apollo 13 Mindset

(25:00) Hiring Strategy: Screening for Immutable Character Traits First

(27:00) Duke Basketball Example: Coach K's "We're Gonna Win" Leadership

(31:00) Fundraising Timing: Running Experiments Before Raising Capital

(34:00) Paul Graham's Wisdom: "Love from Few vs. Lukewarm from Many"

(36:00) Founding Team Dynamics: Complementary Skills and Vesting Agreements (39:00) Strategic Investors: USAA Partnership Without Control Strings

(40:00) Crossover Funds: Viking Global's $100M+ Rounds Without Board Control

(42:00) The Four Business Questions: Size, Frequency, Price, and Moats

(45:00) Book Recommendations: Military Leadership to Tech Innovation

Links Mentioned

ID.me - Digital identity verification platform
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer - Blake's favorite book on leadership and power
Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank - Essential guide to customer development
Just Listen by Mark Goulston - FBI hostage negotiation psychology applied to communication
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore - Understanding technology adoption lifecycle
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project - Organization that helped Roy's family
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) - Provided early grant funding to ID.me

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