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In the digital age, privacy feels like a luxury. Every time you download an app, sign up for a new service, or apply for something online, you’re asked for the same data. Again. And again. And again.
For Jack Tanner, that wasn’t just annoying. It was the final straw.
“I’ve worked in the identity industry for years, and I’ve seen just how broken it is. The lack of privacy, the friction of refilling data, the overreliance on third parties even when they’re not needed… It’s a mess. And it doesn’t have to be this way,” he shared.
Jack isn’t alone. Along with co-founders Chetana Bhardwaj and Christiaan Verhoef, he turned that personal frustration into a mission: to give people control over their digital identity. That mission became the Tonomy Foundation, a Dutch non-profit rethinking how identity should work in a connected world.
Sometimes the biggest ideas come from simple beginnings.
Over coffee, the founding team, friends for over five years, started venting. About how identity systems are fragmented. How access to public services is harder than it should be. How people have no agency over their own information.
They realized they weren’t just annoyed. They were experiencing the same pain millions of others were facing every day.
But unlike most people, they had the technical knowledge to fix it.
So, they got to work.
Let’s be honest, your identity is currently spread across dozens of platforms. Each one asks you to verify, log in, prove, and confirm. Every form you fill out is another leak waiting to happen. Every third-party integration is another opportunity for misuse.
Today’s systems are built for convenience, not for ownership. And in the process, your privacy gets sacrificed.
The founders saw this up close, not just as users, but as builders in tech, finance, and government systems. They knew there had to be a better way.
What came out of that frustration is Pangea, your personal, AI-powered, blockchain-secured identity vault.
It’s like your digital twin, but smarter, safer, and working for you, not for advertisers.
With Pangea, you can:
It’s privacy-first. Data-owned. And it’s built for how digital life should work.
This isn’t a typical startup story. It’s one rooted in personal stakes and powered by real-world expertise.
Jack’s spent 8+ years building in blockchain, contributing to Ethereum’s standards, and specializing in self-sovereign identity (SSI). But beyond the titles and tech, he’s a founder who’s felt the system’s failure, every time he had to give up data unnecessarily.
His passion isn’t theoretical, it’s personal. And it drives his mission to return agency to individuals online.
Outside work, he’s a ball of energy, surfing, dancing, creating. He brings the same fire to his life that he brings to rebuilding identity.
Chetana is the backbone of Tonomy’s execution, an operations wizard with years of experience in software and agile project delivery. But she’s also someone who deeply values autonomy and fairness, shaped by her early leadership roles in aviation.
Her belief: tech should simplify lives, not complicate them. And she’s making sure Tonomy lives up to that promise.
Christiaan brings a sharp edge of logistics, finance, and startup wisdom to the team. Having seen the inefficiencies of digital systems firsthand in enterprise and advisory roles, he’s determined to change how identity works in practice, not just in theory.
Rooted in a family legacy of resistance and innovation, Christiaan is driven by the belief that digital freedom is the next frontier of human rights.
The founders of Tonomy didn’t just spot a market opportunity, they lived the problem. And now they’re inviting the world to join a movement that believes:
The tools now exist, AI, blockchain,and decentralized identity standards, to make that a reality. Tonomy Foundation is pulling those threads together into something powerful.
Whether you’re a developer, policymaker, builder, or just someone tired of entering your email for the hundredth time, Tonomy is building this for you.
Take back control. Reclaim your identity.
Visit tonomy.io to learn more and get started.
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