Distributed ledger and biometrics startup Nodalblock appoints tech veteran President and CEO

Jun 10, 2019, 1:19 pm EDT | Chris Burt

Nodalblock has announced the appointment of Joel Leetzow as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, to advance the company’s corporate strategy and grow its biometric facial recognition cybersecurity and access control business.

Leetzow has 25 years of experience in software and technology and led e-invoicing company Cortex from a public valuation of $13 million in 2015 to a sale in early 2019 for consideration above $45 million. He will also join the company’s board of directors. He replaces Daniel Faria, who is remaining with the company.

Nodalblock offers facial recognition as part of a cybersecurity platform for employees and customers based on distributed ledger technology (DLT), and automates KYC procedures with facial recognition, photo ID verification, form auto-filling and the convenience of a digital signature, the company says. Its products include a mobile ticket delivery system to reduce scalping and counterfeiting, and logical and physical access control systems.

“I am excited to have the opportunity to lead the Nodalblock team,” states Leetzow. “The Company has developed a best in class cyber security and digital identity platform capable of reshaping the idea of a secure internet. The platform’s ability to provide a very complex layer of data encryption behind standard facial recognition technologies without diminishing the user experience of facial recognition login is incredibly exciting. The world needs a passive security screening tool that doesn’t miss, and the team at Nodalblock has invented one. I look forward to helping make the world a safer and more hospitable place for all by getting Nodalblock in front of every application on earth.”

“We are very pleased that Joel will be joining our team as President and CEO,” says Nodalblock Board Chair Jim Megann. “His extensive experience in the tech sector and strong operational background will be of tremendous benefit, and his proven track record of delivering on sales and technical deployments will be invaluable to the advancement of the Company’s corporate strategy.”

The digital identity and document verification market is expected to generate $15 billion by 2024.