Israeli Privacy Protection Startup D-ID Raises $13.5 Million

The company helps organizations comply with privacy regulations by fooling face recognition algorithms

 

Israeli identity protection startup De-Identification Ltd. (D-ID) raised $13.5 million in a round led by AXA Venture Partners, the company announced Wednesday. Hyundai Motors, Pitango Venture Capital, Maverick Ventures, Mindset Ventures, Omron Ventures, AI Alliance, and others participated in the round. D-ID raised $4 million in 2018.

 

The company plans to use the new funds to increase its sales and marketing activities and continue investing in research and development. D-ID was founded in 2017 by Gil Perry, Sella Blondheim and Eliran Kuta, all veterans of the Israel Defense Force’s 8200 intelligence unit, often referred to as Israel’s NSA.

 

D-ID co-founders Sella Blondheim (right), Gil Perry, and Eliran Kuta. Photo: Inbar Levyצילום ענבר לוי

“A raise of this magnitude at a time of such economic uncertainty reflects the need for the solutions we offer,” Blondheim, D-ID’s co-founder and COO said. “The increasing use of facial recognition technology, as well as the advanced privacy regulations that require the protection of data that could be used for surveillance, placed many companies in the position where they have to anonymize the information they store or else face hefty fines.”

 

D-ID’s AI technology produces photos and videos which are unrecognizable to facial recognition algorithms while keeping them visible to the human eye. D-ID enables companies, security agencies, and governments to comply with privacy regulations and protect biometric databases.

 

“Protection from surveillance is one of the most in-demand technologies of the 21st century and we look forward to seeing D-ID fill the gaping void in the market in this regard,” said Rami Kalish, a co-founder and managing partner of Pitango Venture Capital. “Their commitment to privacy strives to empower industries, companies, and communities.”