# Kaarel Kotkas

> Kaarel Kotkas is the Estonian founder and CEO of Veriff, the identity verification company he established in 2015. Raised on a farm on Hiiumaa, he moved to Tallinn for windsurfing, started student businesses and investigated online identity checks for TransferWise before building Veriff. He is also an angel investor, including in Lightyear, and received Estonia’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2020.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Veriff
- **Organizations:** Veriff, Sants Solutions OÜ, Bevoke Estonia OÜ
- **From:** Emmaste, Estonia
- **Nationality:** Estonian
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration, Estonian Business School, Tallinn Secondary School of Science (Tallinna Reaalkool)
- **Known for:** Founded Veriff in 2015 and led it through Y Combinator Winter 2018., EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Estonia, 2020., Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, 2023.

## Career timeline

- **2013** — Co-established Sants, a student business matching young people with short-term work.
- **2015** — Established Veriff after investigating online identity verification for TransferWise.
- **2016** — Veriff launched its first product.
- **2018** — Participated in Y Combinator’s Winter 2018 batch.
- **2020** — Received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in Estonia.
- **2021** — Named among the angel investors in Lightyear’s pre-seed round.
- **2022** — Veriff announced a $100 million Series C at a $1.5 billion valuation on January 26.
- **2023** — Recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe and awarded the Order of the White Star.
- **2025** — Veriff marked ten years and reported more than $100 million in revenue and profitability.

## Achievements

- Founded Veriff in 2015 and led it through Y Combinator Winter 2018.
- EY Entrepreneur of the Year in Estonia, 2020.
- Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe, 2023.
- Order of the White Star, 2023.
- Included in Nordic Business Report’s 2018 ranking of 25 young entrepreneurs in Northern Europe.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Appeared on CNN’s Quest Means Business to discuss Veriff, digital identity and Estonia’s startup environment.
- **2026-01** — Discussed continued founder involvement in sales and Veriff’s development on the Estonian Ettemõte podcast.
- **2025-12** — Veriff reported doubled revenue above $100 million, profitability, tripled verification volumes and more than 30-fold growth in authentication volumes.
- **2025-10** — Reflected on Veriff’s first decade in an anniversary podcast hosted by Anisah Osman Britton.

## Links

- Website: https://www.veriff.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaarelkotkas
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/KaarelKotkas

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kaarel-kotkas
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26