Austin-based startup Blink Identity has announced that it has raised $1.5M in a seed round led by Sinai Ventures with the participation of Live Nation, Techstars, and a number of other live entertainment related funds.
The company, which was founded by Mary Haskett and Dr. Alex Kilpatrick, completed the Techstars Music Accelerator in Los Angeles this past spring, and is bringing fast and secure facial recognition technology to live event venues and commercial spaces.
The idea is to provide venues with access to next generation identity-in-motion that qualifies concert goers at a full walking speed and in the blink of an eye.
“Blink Identity has created a fast, accurate and user-first identity service for live entertainment venues, solving the bottleneck problem and creating a preferential experience for consumers and venue owners alike,” says Jordan Fudge of Sinai Ventures. “We believe that this technology is widely applicable, and that Mary and Alex’s experience developing biometric identification technology for the Department of Defense uniquely qualifies them to lead the charge.”
“Blink is revolutionary,” added Haskett and Kilpatrick. “Currently, commercial biometrics are almost nonexistent — primarily because other systems are high-friction, difficult to use, inaccurate and vague about privacy/data protections. Our unique experience at large-scale/in-motion identity, combined with our focus on usability and privacy, will allow us to lead adoption in the commercial sector as well as open up new markets.”
The company has secured an initial partnership with Live Nation to leverage early pilot programs in a variety of venues.