VGS (Very Good Security), founded in 2015 and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, provides a Zero Data Platform that allows companies to collect, use, and transmit sensitive payment and personal data without ever storing the raw values themselves. Its core technology replaces sensitive data with format-preserving tokens - surrogates that behave like the original data in downstream systems - meaning applications can process card numbers, account details, and other sensitive fields without taking on the associated compliance and security burden. The platform has surpassed three billion tokens stored globally and is used by Fortune 500 companies across financial services, fintech, and e-commerce.
The Zero Data Platform encompasses several discrete capabilities built around this tokenization model:
- PCI-compliant Vault - stores sensitive data outside customer systems to reduce PCI scope
- Card Management Platform - handles card-related workflows without exposing raw card values
- Network Tokens - manages network-level tokenization for payment security
- Account Updater - keeps card and account data current without customers holding the underlying sensitive information
- Card Attributes - surfaces necessary card metadata in tokenized form to preserve business logic
Developers integrate the platform through REST APIs, iframes, mobile SDKs, and data orchestration tooling, allowing the Zero Data approach to fit into existing infrastructure rather than requiring a rebuild. VGS is also investing in infrastructure for Agentic Commerce - enabling autonomous AI agents to conduct secure transactions on behalf of merchants and consumers - positioning the platform for emerging payment architectures beyond traditional card-present or card-not-present flows.