About Us
At ZipID, our journey began with a mission to revolutionize the way
Form I-9s are completed. Founded by Janice Kephart, a seasoned expert in identity and border security, ZipID was born out of a commitment to enhance compliance, security, and efficiency in the hiring process.
Our Mission
To build a best in class platform where identity and compliance work hand in hand, and user experience is paramount. We are here to help you move faster, stay compliant, and make confident decisions with ease.
Our Vision
At ZipID, we believe strong economies thrive when employers have trust in their employees, and vice versa. We are here to help you build that trust, one human at a time.
Message from Our Founder
Forged in Security. Built for Trust.
ZipID is the product of over 25 years at the intersection of national security, policy innovation, and identity technology. My mission has always been to bring clarity to complex systems—crafting solutions that enable both seamless facilitation and robust security.
You can see the imprint of my work in programs like REAL ID, the U.S. biometric entry/exit system, and the federal due diligence protocols used in deploying biometric technologies today. From serving as Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee to my role as Counsel to the 9/11 Commission, I’ve been at the center of shaping how our nation verifies identity and protects its people. My “terrorist travel” findings helped redefine global border protocols, and I’ve testified before Congress 19 times, published the first public federal biometric report, and contributed to countless national media discussions on identity, privacy, and trust.
Why Trust ZipID?
Because I know what the federal government can do—and what it leaves to others. Employers are required to confirm identity, yet given little to no tools to do so accurately, efficiently, or securely. That gap is what ZipID fills.
My own story mirrors the spirit of ZipID. My great-grandfather, Horace Kephart, was a writer, explorer, and co-founder of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. His legacy instilled in me a drive to forge new paths and create lasting change. And as a Grammy-nominated spoken word artist, I’ve learned the power of creative problem solving—of blending structure and expression to make something meaningful.
ZipID is the result: a best-in-class platform where automation, accuracy, and privacy come together to solve a critical challenge. It’s designed to empower HR professionals, protect new hires, prevent fraud, and build trust—from any device, in any location.
We've climbed more than a few proverbial mountains to get here, which only means we are here to stay. I’m incredibly proud of the brilliant team behind ZipID and can’t wait for you to experience what we’ve created.
ZipID is buzzing
with great customers
Melanie Parrish
Strategic People Solutions HR
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ZipID ICE-compliant I-9 software?
Yes. ZipID is designed to satisfy all five federal electronic I-9 system requirements under 8 CFR § 274a.2, including compliant audit trails, electronic signature protocols, and secure storage standards — including the March 2026 ICE reclassification of substantive violations.
As of January 2, 2025, I-9 paperwork violations carry fines of $288 to $2,861 per form under 8 CFR § 274a.10(b)(2). Knowingly hiring unauthorized workers carries fines up to $28,619 per worker for repeat offenses. ICE audit rates in 2025 ran at least ten times higher than in 2024.
ZipID uses NIST-validated biometric facial recognition at 99.998% accuracy to match a live selfie to the photo on the new hire's government-issued ID. OCR extracts and autofills document data, and fraud detection checks for tampered, synthetic, or spoofed documents.
ZipID plans to become a certified E-Verify third-party agent by August 2026. E-Verify completion is currently part of the I-9 workflow after the employer signs the form, with ZipID toggling to E-Verify, and then data from the E-Verify case is autofilled into the Additional Information box on the I-9 form, for preservation and audit purposes.
What is NIST and why does it matter for I-9 verification?
NIST — the National Institute of Standards and Technology — is a federal agency that sets the accuracy and performance benchmarks for biometric and identity verification technologies. For I-9 compliance, NIST standards matter because they provide an independent, government-validated measure of whether a facial recognition system is accurate enough to trust. ZipID uses NIST-tested algorithms rated at 99.8% accuracy, meaning employers can be confident that the identity match on every new hire meets the highest federal standard — not just a vendor's own claim.
ZipID completes the entire Form I-9 process — including identity verification, document capture, and E-Verify — in under 8 minutes, for both remote and in-person new hires.
ZipID's 1:1 facial recognition — which matches a live selfie to the photo on a government-issued ID — is rated at 99.8% accuracy using NIST-validated algorithms. This means fewer than 2 mismatches per 1,000 verifications. The system also includes liveness detection to prevent spoofing, ensuring the selfie is from a real, present person and not a photo or deepfake.
CR — Optical Character Recognition — is technology that reads and extracts text from physical documents like government-issued IDs. ZipID uses AI-powered OCR to instantly capture and interpret data from a new hire's ID, then automatically populate the required fields on Form I-9 — eliminating manual data entry, typos, and transcription errors. Unlike basic OCR tools, ZipID's AI layer also cross-checks extracted data for logical consistency, validates security features, and flags tampered, synthetic, or spoofed documents — turning a simple document scan into a fraud detection checkpoint.
ZipID uses NIST-validated biometric facial recognition at 99.8% accuracy to match a live selfie to the photo on the new hire's government-issued ID. OCR extracts and autofills document data, and fraud detection checks for tampered, synthetic, or spoofed documents.
It is completely the employer's choice. Facial authentication can assure that a new hire is who they say they are, and the ID they present matches their live self.
This is especially important for remote workers, or industries subject to immigration fraud or economic espionage from foreign adversaries who may pose as Americans for access to proprietary information.
How long does it take to complete an I-9 with ZipID?
ZipID completes the entire Form I-9 process — including identity verification, document capture, and E-Verify — in under 8 minutes, for both remote and in-person new hires.
ZipID is an I-9 compliance and identity verification platform that combines facial recognition, OCR document capture, and fraud detection to verify new hire identities and complete Form I-9 in under 8 minutes — with a legally compliant audit trail built in. It is the only I-9 platform built by the person who helped write the federal identity doctrine behind the law.
Who built ZipID?
ZipID was founded by Janice Kephart, former counsel to the 9/11 Commission and a national security identity expert with 25 years of federal and private sector experience, as a lawyer and policy and technology identity expert. Kephart authored the federal identity doctrine and biometric entry-exit recommendations that underlie today's I-9 compliance framework. She has testified before Congress 19 times on identity-related issues, and is an I-9 expert.
I-9 compliance is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of HR. It has become a critical business imperative for risk mitigation.
ZipID is the first solution that not only streamlines electronic completion of this new-hire requirement, but also enables employers and HR teams to go further—confidently verifying identity and documents. This added layer of assurance delivers peace of mind in an area where accuracy and compliance are essential.
It's incredibly easy for employees to use, and it gives compliance visibility across locations and HR teams - becoming the new standard in identity authentication for employment.