Martigny & Lausanne, Switzerland, September 2, 2013 – KeyLemon, a leading provider of face and speaker recognition solutions for authentication purposes, has closed a Series A investment. The investment round was co-led by Debiopharm Investment (Debiopharm) a company of Debiopharm Group™, and Swisscom Ventures.
Since its foundation in 2008, KeyLemon has established itself as a technology leader in the perceptual computing space for authentication solutions. The company offers both embedded and cloud based solutions and has partnerships with several of the large Blue Chip Technology companies across a wide range of use-cases and sectors.
The recent funding will help provide the necessary resources for KeyLemon to continue growing and developing new cutting-edge technologies as well as customer solutions. Gilles Florey, CEO of KeyLemon said about the new investment: “The support from our new investors validates our vision of enhancing the authentication process to increase security and make such process easier for our users.”
Commenting on the deal, Thierry Mauvernay, Delegate of the Board of Debiopharm Investment, said: “KeyLemon understands the paradox of security: there is no system that can be 100% reliable. Therefore a combination of face and voice recognition dramatically increases the authentication process. Beyond this concept, KeyLemon impressed me with proven key strengths in the use of algorithms which entails further development perspectives”.
“Devices such as PC’s, smartphones and tablets generally have integrated cameras and microphones, which enable the broad adoption of KeyLemon’s authentication solutions,” commented Pär Lange, Investment Officer at Swisscom Ventures: “I am impressed with what KeyLemon has achieved this far, and as an ever increasing number of online services become part of our daily lives, I believe there will be a growing demand for KeyLemon’s solutions. With its agile technology, KeyLemon is also well positioned to leverage from the trend of cloud based computing in the authentication space”.
About KeyLemon
KeyLemon, spin-off of the Idiap Research Institute, provides face & speaker recognition to enhance human and computer interaction (HCI). The company has unique competencies and know-how in the design and the integration of face & speaker recognition technology into simple, convenient and functional software products and solutions.
About Debiopharm Investement
The mission of Debiopharm Investment SA is to diversify investments made by Debiopharm Group™, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs. This diversification occurs particularly with the Private Equity branch taking minority stakes in innovative IT, Cleantech and ‘Services for Individuals’ startups.
About Swisscom Ventures
Swisscom Ventures is the venture arm of Swisscom Ltd, the largest telecom operator in Switzerland. Swisscom Ventures invests in promising companies that tread new paths in the ICT, media or Cleantech industries and could be of strategic importance to Swisscom. As a value-creating investor, Swisscom is able to provide companies with the technical know-how and experience of an established telecommunication provider.