NEC announced an investment in Tascent, a U.S.-based biometric system company, with the aim of accelerating the global expansion of its safety business.
NEC and Tano Capital have participated in a Series B funding round where Tascent has raised $19.5 million for expansion of its multimodal biometric offerings and global footprint.
Established in 2015, Tascent provides multimodal biometric identification systems, with particular emphasis on the iris modality. The company’s technologies include optical control technology to remotely capture an accurate, high-quality iris image at high speed, and a user interface (UI) technology that smoothly guides users in support of capturing accurate biometric information. Tascent’s technologies are embedded in security systems widely used at airports, government agencies and enterprises around the world.
This investment and partnership will enable the two companies to jointly enhance the capacity of iris recognition, using Tascent’s optical control and UI technologies and NEC’s advanced biometric engines, and create a next generation iris authentication offering for the public safety market.
Masakazu Yamashina, EVP, NEC
Moving forward, NEC aims to expand its social solution business and further boost profitability by acquiring new customers, delivery resources, core technologies and business models through collaborations and M&A, while developing its own core technologies and solutions.
Alastair Partington, Founder and Co-CEO, Tascent
Tascent is excited to partner with NEC to develop world-class identity solutions and to accelerate the adoption of multimodal biometrics in government and commercial applications.
