By Lauren Coffey and Rebecca Cooper, Tampa Bay Business Journal
Blake Hall, CEO and founder of identity verification provider ID.me, announced the company’s latest funding Sept. 15. The McLean, Virginia based company hired more than 500 Tampa Bay residents since May and has raised more than $100 million.
ID.me opened a second office in Tampa earlier in the year, and secured $100 million in debt financing from funds managed by Fortress Investment Group LLC. It also raised a $20 million revolving credit facility.
With the newest funds, ID.me is valued at $1.5 billion, the company said. CEO and founder Blake Hall told the Tampa Bay Business Journal that there are no plans to specifically deploy any of the funding in the Tampa Bay region, but will instead use it to fuel overall growth and expand its offerings.
“We love Tampa, so we will continue to invest in Tampa and hire and expand our team down there,” Hall said. “I’ve always been a fan of the city and as we’ve expanded and hired folks down there, there’s certainly something to be said of Southern hospitality,” Hall said. “That’s why we hired over 500 people; it’s been a really nice start.”
