Persona facial recognition and biometric liveness secure scale-up of Umbrella volunteer base

Facial biometrics and liveness checks from Persona have been integrated with volunteer network Umbrella’s platform to provide online identity verification as its scales its membership base to help seniors through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Umbrella operates a member-based service which provides seniors with essential grocery and medication deliveries through a U.S.-wide volunteer network. The company is waiving its fees and attempting to scale up its network quickly, with help from Persona to streamline its onboarding process to ensure safe and secure service for seniors.

“In light of the pandemic, we refocused our efforts on our customers’ most pressing needs for grocery, essentials and prescription deliveries. We waived our membership fee so that anyone over 60 across the country could access their essentials through our delivery service,” states Lindsay Ullman, co-founder and CEO of Umbrella. “Partnering with Persona will allow us to quickly scale nationwide while upholding our commitment to our customers’ safety and security.”

Identity verification plays a crucial role in the vetting process which is necessary to ensure the highest possible level of security and safety when sending volunteers to senior’s doorsteps, according to the announcement.

Prior to the pandemic, Umbrella mostly provided help from local networks of handy men and women who provided reasonably priced and reliable help for seniors around the home. Most of those providing help were recent retirees seeking fulfilling ways to spend free time and earn extra income, but the company says millennials have volunteered in large numbers since the beginning of the pandemic to provide deliveries for their vulnerable neighbors.

“Working with Umbrella in this once-in-a-century crisis to help seniors receive the groceries, medications and essentials they need is one of the best ways we could help in such a critical and trying time for our world,” says Rick Song, co-founder and CEO of Persona.

Persona provides a fully-automated identity verification solution with no human in the loop and a holistic approach to identity. The company offers verification through phone number matching, government ID verification, selfie videos for facial recognition and liveness, along with more traditional methods like knowledge-based authentication (KBA).

Persona announced a $17.5 million funding round at the beginning of 2020.

Article Topics

biometric liveness detection  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  identity verification  |  Persona