US-based facial biometric security firm Alcatraz has secured a $35 million Series B investment, along with an additional $15 million from other investors, bringing its total funding since founding to over $100 million, as Vestbee was informed.
- Established in 2016 by Vince Gaydarzhiev, Alcatraz develops facial biometric authentication systems for physical access control. The technology replaces traditional credentials such as badges, PINs, or mobile passes with AI-powered facial recognition.
- It works by capturing a user’s facial features and converting them into anonymized, non-reversible templates. When a person attempts to access a secured area, the system verifies the template in real time to grant or deny entry.
- The system is designed to handle large-scale deployments, enabling rapid enrollment of thousands of users while maintaining compliance with privacy regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, and BIPA.
Details of the deal
- The Series B round was co-led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital, with participation from existing investors including Almaz Capital, the EBRD, Ray Stata, and others.
"We see exceptional potential in Alcatraz as a global leader in next-generation access control. The company addresses a key challenge for the modern digital economy - the security of the physical infrastructure behind AI and cloud technologies. With their technology, strong team, and clear market positioning, Alcatraz is in an excellent position to set the standards in this segment," claims Ivailo Gospodinov, Managing Partner at BlackPeak Capital.
- Alcatraz will use the funding to improve its facial authentication technology, expand into international markets, and increase its workforce, enabling faster user enrollment and broader deployment across data centers, campuses, and enterprise facilities.
