UvA Ventures Holding BV makes scientific innovations and expertise from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) available to the market and society by establishing or participating in companies. UvA Ventures thus contributes to the university's valorisation objective. UvA Ventures was established in 1992 to create a strict separation between public and private funding activities that originate at the university. UvA Ventures Holding BV includes subsidiary companies active in the field of contract research and services . UvA Ventures also encourages and facilitates entrepreneurship, invests in new ventures and manages equity interests. We provide governance, finance & control, management and advice for various companies. We also do this for companies of AMC Ventures Holding BV and HvA Ventures Holding BV, the holdings of the Academic Medical Center (AMC) and the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA).

UvA Ventures Holding

Raydiant Europe

The anonymous audience analytics intelligence specialist for Digital Signage, DOOH, Out of Home Media, and In-Store Analytics.   Making lightweight AI edge software solutions that bridge the gap between the online and real world. Providing anonymous in-store analytics to Retailers and powering the DOOH ecosystem with ad performance metrics for Advertisers, real-time audience reach for Media network owners, and an industry-recognized impression-based currency for programmatic advertising.   As an AI spin-off from the University of Amsterdam, we have R&D in our DNA and are constantly transforming the latest computer vision and deep learning research into our products. Focusing on creating easy-to-use, low CPU intensive, and affordable audience measurement software solutions that provide our customers with accurate and actionable insights into their audiences.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Sightcorp is an AI spin-off from the University of Amsterdam that develops patented proprietary AI Software solutions for mobile apps which includes face detection (detect multiple faces in an image), emotion analysis, crowd demographics, and attention analytics. Main target markets of the company include retail, advertising, hospitality, and digital signage.&nbsp;

Facial recognition delivers incredible convenience to consumers, as well as serious risks.

Facial Recognition

Sightcorp

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Sightcorp is an AI spin-off from the University of Amsterdam that develops patented proprietary AI Software solutions for mobile apps which includes face detection (detect multiple faces in an image), emotion analysis, crowd demographics, and attention analytics. Main target markets of the company include retail, advertising, hospitality, and digital signage.&nbsp;In January 2022, Sightcorp was acquired by&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7828?industryIds=16">Raydiant</a>, a provider of an in-location experience management platform, to jointly develop solutions for personalized on-screen, in-location experiences targeting retailers, restaurants, etc. Sightcorp expects to open offices in Lithuania and London in 2022 and to grow its European team from 20 to 100. Raydiant is also hiring across the US and internationally to accompany Sightcorp’s new offices.Key customers and partnershipsThe company’s clients include Toyota, Wahlburgers, T-Mobile, Red Bull, and Baskin Robbins.

FacePhi offers a range of facial recognition identity authentication solutions for transaction approval and digital onboarding. FacePhi’s Selphi software allows the user to perform ID authentication via a selfie. The selfie is encrypted and sent to the bank’s database to be used for payee authentication. The encryptions ensures the user's privacy, as the full image is not sent to the bank.&nbsp;In 2023, FacePhi recorded an annual revenue of EUR 25.15 million (USD 26.4 million).Key customers and partnershipsIn May 2021, FacePhi partnered with Revelock, a Spanish fraud detection company, to provide comprehensive identity verification and fraud prevention solutions for financial institutions. In February 2022, the company partnered with software company Oracle Cloud Marketplace to act as a distributor for FacePhi's digital onboarding and facial recognition solutions.&nbsp;In November 2021, the company also partnered with airport operator Aena to offer identity verification for passengers and employees at a price of USD 1.7 million for four years. Aiming to expand its presence in the LATAM region, FacePhi established a regional office in Uruguay in March 2022, followed by an agreement with Hites, a Chilean department store, to use remote selfie onboarding technology to allow<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates?industryIds=16"> Hites’</a> customers to apply for credit cards online.&nbsp;In May 2024, the company entered a strategic partnership with Hancom Group, making it the exclusive distributor of FacePhi's products in the Asia-Pacific region.As of November 2024, FacePhi served over 300 clients across more than 25 countries, with a client retention rate exceeding 95%. The company's technology was being used by several Spanish airlines including Air Europa, Binter, Iberia, and Vueling. Samsung Securities became a technology client in 2024, strengthening FacePhi's presence in the Asia-Pacific market.&nbsp;

FacePhi

Okaya offers a mobile app that aims to understand the users’ wellbeing by using a combination of facial recognition technology, biometrics analysis (such as heart rate, weight etc.) and machine learning. Okaya’s facial recognition algorithm developed in-house, analyses facial features obtained from a 15 second video recording where up to 30 frames are captured in a second. This data is evaluated along with other biometrics to determine the level of fatigue of a person. The product is claimed to help create strong work teams and a strong work environment as it allows to identify areas where improvement is required.Key customers and partnershipsOkaya targets industries such as healthcare, corporate wellness, and human resources. The platform is designed to serve both clinical providers and employers aiming to improve workforce mental health. Okaya also supports businesses with dedicated integration assistance via channels like Discord.

Okaya

Facetec offers a 3D&nbsp;facial authentication software called ZoOm, which is capable of high-performance liveness detection (verifying that the captured facial features belong to a living person). The software can be used on smart mobile devices and webcams. The company also has patented technology to generate a 3D face map using a video selfie recorded even with a 2D camera. While most other 3D face mapping requires dedicated hardware components, FaceTec's technology eliminates this requirement. As a result, app developers do not need to rely on device manufacturers to incorporate additional hardware in order to use ZoOm. In September 2019, Facetec improved its product by embedding an age-estimation tool.&nbsp;Even though selfie-based authentication has become commonplace, many of them use 2D facial mapping which makes them vulnerable to spoofing attacks (attempts to gain access illegally by reproducing a person's face using images, masks, mannequins, etc.) due to the use of 2D mapping of facial features.&nbsp;The company claims that its product is one of the few companies to be certified at level 1 and 2 in the iBeta Presentation Attack Detection (PAD) test, which is governed by an ISO standard. The software can detect digital and physical 'spoof artifacts' such as high-resolution photos and videos, masks and mannequins.Key customers and partnershipsFaceTec has over 100 customers across various verticals with an installed base of over 10 billion smart devices. ZoOm targets a wide range of markets ranging from banking, e-commerce, healthcare, insurance, e-voting, attendance, and government. Majority of FaceTec's customers are currently government and financial institutions.

FaceTec, Inc.

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 FaceFirst offers facial recognition solutions mainly for access control as well as for identity authentication and real-time security. It focuses on retailers, airports, casinos, banks, as well as music and gaming events. The company also offers a mobile app (for iOS and Android) for facial recognition on the go. FaceFirst&rsquo;s facial recognition tool is mainly aimed at the retail segment, which accounts for around 50% of its business. FaceFirst&rsquo;s patented retail security platform can identify any known shoplifters or forbidden employees attempting to enter the store. Its products can be integrated with existing retail systems. 
 
 
 The company also introduced Mask-ID in November 2018, which instantly blurs identified faces without compromising accuracy. Additionally, the retail security platform allows its users to access the company&rsquo;s database of retail criminals, enabling them to include any individuals banned by the company itself. FaceFirst is one of the companies to work with lawmakers to help regulate the industry.
 
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FaceFirst

Companies that are developing facial recognition technology to suggest tags for photos uploaded on the platform, typically social media.

Companies that provide facial recognition technology for contactless and fast-payment gateways.

Companies providing tools to identify VIP customers and repeat customers by using facial recognition.

Companies that provide technology to monitor physical access to offices, retail stores, and residences as well as access to electronic devices, such as mobile phones and laptops, using facial recognition.

Companies providing facial recognition technology to identify people from live and recorded videos.

Companies that provide facial recognition technology to police and government agencies to identify criminals, protestors, unauthorized overstayers in the country, and departing passengers.

Facial recognition is a type of biometrics used to verify individuals

Used in smart city applications for access control

Facial recognition technology is built on ML models for training data

Sightcorp

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