D-ID raises $13.5 million

Israeli identity protection startup D-ID has raised $13.5 million in a round led by AXA Venture Partners, with participation from Hyundai Motors, Pitango Venture Capital, Maverick Ventures, Mindset Ventures, Omron Ventures, and AI Alliance.

Founded in 2017, D-ID enables companies, security agencies, and governments to comply with privacy regulations and protect biometric databases by removing unnecessary sensitive biometric data from facial images, while ensuring photos look no different to the human eye. In the event of a data breach, photos that received the D-ID treatment cannot be decrypted or reverse-engineered, and the company also has a solution for videos.

“A raise of this magnitude at a time of such economic uncertainty reflects the need for the solutions we offer. 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.” – Sella Blondheim, D-ID’s cofounder and COO.

“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. Their commitment to privacy strives to empower industries, companies, and communities.” – Rami Kalish, a cofounder and managing partner of Pitango Venture Capital.