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Cole Hecht

My passwordless auth startup was acquired by 1Password, AMA!

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Hey! I'm Cole, co-founder of Passage - a passwordless authentication solution that enables developers to implement passkey logins in their apps with a few lines of code. We were acquired by 1Password last year and will be relaunching under our new brand on Product Hunt next week. Have any questions about passkeys, FIDO2, Passage, or the passwordless future? Happy to answer! You can check out our “coming soon” page here: https://www.producthunt.com/prod...

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Kathy Osborne
Congratulations on the acquisition, Cole! Can you share some insights into how the integration with 1Password has impacted Passage's passwordless authentication solutions?
Cole Hecht
@kathy_osborne thanks Kathy! 1Password has built an incredible reputation for security and privacy, both of which have always been a big focus for Passage, and it has been great to collaborate with the 1Password team on how to best continue protecting customers and their data.
Ernest Chi
Hi Cole! It's been so much fun getting to know you and the Passage team since the acquisition. Passkeys are now supported by so many great products and the list seems to grow every week. Can you tell us about how Passage has evolved over the past year as passkeys have become more widely adopted?
Cole Hecht
@ernestchi we've loved being a part of the 1Password team! It's been exciting to see so much passkey adoption in the last year, but it's still challenging for apps and websites to build excellent passkey experiences from scratch. We've worked hard to stay on top of the latest passkey features (e.g. conditional UI) while also focusing on passkey reliability across all platforms. Extending passkeys to mobile apps, for example, has been a big pain point for customers attempting to implement passkeys on their own and an area we've focused a lot lately.
Artem Konovalov 💎
Oh wow! Did they acquire it even before the product hunt launch?
Cole Hecht
@mattisssa we did our first Product Hunt launch about 6 months before the acquisition and will be re-launching as Passage by 1Password soon 😊
Shenq Kang Tan
Hi Cole! Thank you for hosting this AMA. I'm currently an undergrad with an interest in passkeys, authentication and startups! I'd love to know the "origin story" behind how you and Anna founded Passage - motivations, pivots, and anything you'd like to share!
Cole Hecht
@shenq_kang_tan1 hi Shenq! We spent years helping companies evaluate and improve their authentication and were excited about how WebAuthn could help security and user experience. In general I would encourage you to keep an eye on emerging technologies and be excited to explore how they can solve real problems!
Shajedul Karim
hey Cole, congrats on Passage's acquisition by 1Password and the upcoming relaunch. integrating passkey logins with just a few lines of code is a game changer. passwordless authentication is definitely the future for app security. curious, what were the biggest challenges in developing Passage? also, how do you see passwordless tech evolving in the next few years? excited for your relaunch. gonna check out your 'coming soon' page. also any insights on navigating startups through acquisition and rebranding? this could be super helpful for those dreaming of similar success.
Cole Hecht
@shajedulkarim_ hey Shajedul! In the next few years I expect consumers to start expecting passwordless on all of their favorite apps and websites. I also anticipate greater UX expectations as people experience good, bad, and ugly passwordless implementations on different services. When it comes to navigating acquisitions, and just startups in general, my biggest advice would be to meet as many people as possible. It's incredible how many people are willing and able to help at different points in the startup journey!
Oliver Thomes
I believe that this acquisition is a significant step forward for the adoption of passwordless auth. By combining our technology with 1Password's platform, we can create a truly seamless and secure passwordless experience for users.
Micah N.
It's been great working with you and the Passage team over the last year. Curious what your thoughts are on the role passkeys will play in account security as AI continues to become more advanced. Is there a future where passwords simply aren't considered secure enough?
Cole Hecht
@micah_neidhart1 I love this question! AI is significantly increasing the risk of phishing and account takeover. It's a great time to look at stronger authentication methods, and passkeys are especially exciting because they mitigate many AI-based social engineering risks at the protocol level. Passwords -- and many forms of MFA -- are prone to human error and should be avoided for security conscious apps and websites going forward.
Amelia Charlie
The acquisition was a natural progression of our relationship with 1Password. We had been working closely with them for several months, exploring ways to integrate our passwordless auth technology into their platform. As we got to know each other better, we realized that we shared a common vision for the future of secure authentication.
Matej Cabadaj
Congrats! What a news! I am interested in how the negotiations looked like? How long did it take? After how long did you get an offer? Thanks a lot!
Kane
Launching soon!
That's amazing! Your post is so exciting! Congratulations on the acquisition of your passwordless authentication startup by 1Password and the upcoming relaunch on Product Hunt! It's such a remarkable achievement!
Eden
Wow, congrats of the acquisition! Are you CEO / still running the company?