The privacy-first identity infrastructure used by Google and Opera brings on Uber’s former Head of AI to accelerate its expansion into agentic internet applications and enterprise use cases.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 09, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Self Labs, the company behind proof-of-human and identity verification solutions serving over 14 million global users, today announced its acquisition of Loam, an AI company specialized in agentic workflows and intelligent automation, founded by Birju Shah, serial founder and Uber’s former Head of AI. Founded in 2022 and backed by Slow Ventures (Slack, Robinhood), Accomplice (WHOOP, DraftKings), and Packy McCormick of Not Boring Capital (Ramp, Scale AI) a.o., Loam has built a strong foundation in agentic systems design. Shah joins Self as Chief Operating Officer.
Self was founded on the principle that identity is a defining layer of the internet’s next era. Its suite of privacy-preserving verification tools enables platforms to confirm that users are real, human, and eligible, without collecting or storing sensitive personal data. Today, Self’s infrastructure powers proof-of-humanity, age verification, and phone-number mapping for some of the world’s leading technology platforms, serving over 14 million verified users across enterprise, fintech, and consumer applications.
The acquisition brings together Self’s privacy-first identity stack––trusted by Google, Opera, Aave, and Velodrome––with Loam’s expertise in enterprise AI and multi-agent systems design. Together, they expand Self’s programmable identity capabilities across agentic applications, enterprise workflows, and consumer internet platforms, including social networks facing increasing age verification requirements.
The acquisition follows the announcement of Google and Tether leveraging Self’s proof-of-human verification and sanctions screening infrastructure for a first-of-its-kind US Dollar stablecoin distribution engine. Self is backed by Greenfield Capital, Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund (SoftBank), Spearhead VC, Verda Ventures, Fireweed Ventures, and angel investors including Casey Neistat.
Shah, who also serves as Professor of Product and AI at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, brings deep expertise in AI systems and institutional scale. His appointment accelerates Self’s evolution from identity verification into full-stack identity infrastructure.
“As AI’s impact on the internet rapidly evolves, identity and humanity are the necessary trust layer,” said Rene Reinsberg, co-founder and CEO of Self Labs. “Companies throughout the world are looking to urgently address developments in AI, emerging regulation, and the need for stronger online safety rails for children and society at large. Self is building a solution to create this trust layer without compromising user privacy. Birju and Loam dramatically strengthen our ability to lead in this agentic era.”
