Controversial facial recognition startup AnyVision has raised $235 million

AnyVision, the Israeli startup specializing in visual recognition of humans and objects, announced Thursday, July 7, that it has raised $235 million in donations. This Series C is led by Vision Fund 2 (SoftBank) and Eldridge Industries, with the participation of investors such as Robert bush GmbH, Qualcomm Ventures et Lightspeed.

Founded in 2015, the startup uses smart cameras that index and analyze information using artificial intelligence and deep learning to recognize people by their faces. The company is also developing related technologies such as temperature monitoring systems, relevant to current concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic, to detect people with high temperatures in a crowd.

Continuing to develop its technology
AnyVision said the funding will be used to develop its SDKs, particularly for work in computing peripheral devices such as smart cameras, body cameras, and chips that will be used in other devices. This roundtable will also help accelerate the innovation of AnyVision products, in particular its Access Point AI platform, which will provide occupancy analyzes with lead times and indication of potentially dangerous behavior.

“AnyVision’s AI reconnaissance innovations have transformed passive cameras into proactive security systems and enabled organizations to take a more comprehensive view of advanced security threats.AnyVision CEO Avi Golan said in a statement that the CEO is a former operating partner of SoftBank’s investment arm.

Dropped by Microsoft 2019
It’s also this watch display that in 2019 caused a lot of ink to flow. According to one report, the company’s technology has been quietly used by the Israeli government to monitor Palestinians in the West Bank. This led Microsoft, which invested in AnyVision through its M12 subsidiary, to conduct a full audit of the investment and liquidate its stake with a commitment to stop investing in other technologies of this type.

Although the company denied the accusation, the story seriously damaged its reputation. But the startup has reportedly managed to get contracts with big names Reuters. Thus, AnyVision technology is used by hospitals such as Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, the US supermarket chain Macy’s or the energy giant. BP. This funding round is also further evidence that the startup has managed to restore its image with investors. The company also plans to expand into new markets and support an expanded distribution program.