Pindrop acquires Next Caller to boost voice biometrics security, Trust Stamp picks up PixelPin

Pindrop has acquired call center fraud detection and call verification technology provider Next Caller Inc. to boost its voice biometric security capabilities and position it for rapid growth.

The acquisition expands Pindrop’s customer base and consolidates its position as a leader in voice security, according to the announcement.

Next Caller will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pindrop, and the teams will collaborate on go-to-market strategies.

Pindrop cites a survey by Adobe showing that 91 percent of business decision makers were planning to invest in voice technology even prior to the pandemic, as well as a Forrester report showing dramatic increases in call volume and challenges for call centers to maintain secure operations as evidence of the impending opportunity for both companies to grow rapidly and serve new industry verticals with voice biometrics.

“Next Caller is a true pioneer in the device verification space. The growth Next Caller has experienced has been truly impressive to witness. Operating independently as close partners, we’re thrilled to be able to now work together to provide even better solutions to our respective customers and prospects while keeping a close eye on the many growth opportunities ahead of us,” comments Vijay Balasubramaniyan, Pindrop’s CEO.

Balasubramaniyan spoke to Biometric Update about the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on voice biometrics adoption earlier this year.

“As we thought about the future of our industry, it has always been clear to me that Pindrop would lead the charge. Thus, when the opportunity arose to join forces with the Pindrop team, we jumped. Our two companies will now be able to service the market in its entirety with the right solution for whatever stage of voice security and authentication they are in,” says Ian Roncoroni, Next Caller co-founder and CEO.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Trust Stamp acquires visual authentication company PixelPin

Trust Stamp has acquired PixelPin, which provides authentication for access control through an image-based “Pin-on-Glass” system, for an undisclosed price.

PixelPin’s solution, with which users authenticate themselves by indicating selected points on images, will be added to Trust Stamp’s portfolio of technologies for improving customer experiences and trust. The companies say the technology can help broaden internal risk-management strategies and increases choices for multi-factor authentication. PixelPin CEO Miles Clee, who has 40 years of technology leadership experience, joins Trust Stamp as its new vice president of commercial initiatives.

“As Trust Stamp continues to expand and productize our technology offerings to accelerate global digital transformation, PixelPin offers our partners a secure, simple, and customer-friendly authentication experience,” states Trust Stamp Chief Commercial Officer Kinny Chan. “Further, PixelPin expands on Trust Stamps core value to provide secure access to a digital identity; PixelPins ease of use facilitates secure authentication to individuals that are encumbered by traditional usernames and passwords.”

“We look forward to working with Miles to build on PixelPins work to date by bringing the solution to market and realizing its potential as a component of our growing product portfolio, both as a stand-alone security factor and in multi-factor authentication implementations,” Chan adds.

Trust Stamp also launched a $5 million funding round to accelerate productization of its digital identity technology this week.

Zenus raises over $325K from crowdfunding round

Zenus has surpassed 500 crowdfunding investors for its ethical face biometrics software for the retail market, Co-founder and CEO Panos Moutafis announced in a LinkedIn post, reaching $328,000 raised by early-afternoon Friday Eastern time.

Investments in the crowdfunding round, which values the company at almost $10 million, start at $199.98 for 99 common shares ($2.02 each).

Blinking announces fund-raise and hiring

Blinking has raised an unspecified amount from the Ana Ivanović Private Equity Fund to build up biometric digital identity solutions based on Privacy by Design principles, according to a company blog post.

The investment is the second round of an investment closed by the Serbia-based startup in 2020.

Blinking provides a multi-platform digital identity solution for the creation, confirmation, and management of digital identities, with ID document scanning, selfie biometrics and liveness checks. It can be implemented for user onboarding,

“It’s with truly a great pleasure that we can officially announce we partnered with the former world champion and one of the greatest tennis players in the world Ana Ivanović!” comments Blinking Co-founder Miloš Milovanović. “Ana became part of our team over the last year. 2020 has proved to be a big challenge for the world. With the help from Ana, we managed to dodge those 2020 challenges. In fact, the investment came at a crucial moment for us. After several successful international and domestic POC’s and pilots, we were on the track to securing numerous corporate clients on both domestic and foreign markets. Our product and company actually got the trust of even more clients from financial, telecommunications, and gaming industries by the end of the year, and we definitely owe that to Ana’s support.”

The company used the funds in part to hire several new engineers, and is currently looking to fill five more engineering roles.

Article Topics

acquisitions  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  Blinking  |  digital identity  |  facial recognition  |  funding  |  investment  |  Pindrop  |  voice biometrics  |  Zenus