SecureIDNews | Clear gets $44 million in funding

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Clear, a registered traveler program in the U.S., has secured $44.4 million in venture funding. The latest round of funding was led by new investor Spark Capital, and also includes Syncom Venture Partners.

Existing investors Lockheed Martin, GE Security, Baker Capital, Lehman Brothers, and Clear founder and CEO Steven Brill also contributed in this funding round. Clear plans to use the financing to further its membership growth in its existing markets and will also expand its fast lanes beyond airport installations in new markets across the country.

The Clear registered traveler program pre-screens travelers. After completing an application, which involves providing iris and fingerprint images, the traveler receives a card that enables access to expedited security lanes at airports across the country. Clear members’ identities are authenticated through biometric verification every time they go through airport security.

Clear’s annual membership fee is $128 and can be used at 18 airports throughout the country.

Smart Card Alliance releases NFC transit report

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

NSTIC gets $16.5 million

The National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace has received its $16.5 million in funding for the 2012 fiscal year, says Jeremy Grant, senior executive advisor of ID management at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

17 French cities up for €20m NFC ticketing grant

The French government has shortlisted Paris and 16 other major cities for a €20 million grant that will be used to deliver NFC mobile ticketing solutions for public transportation.

HID completes NFC key pilot at ASU

HID Global has announced the successful completion of the world’s first university pilot of NFC smart phones carrying digital keys.

First announced in September, the pilot involved a select group of students and staff at Arizona State University using NFC-enabled smart phones equipped with HID’s Secure Identity Object (SIO) Technology. Participants could gain access to their residence halls and other secure access areas by tapping their handset against a reader embedded in the door and entering a PIN, rather than use their plastic campus card.

NIST seeks proposals for NSTIC pilots

The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced a competition to award a approximately $10 million for pilot projects to accelerate progress toward improved systems for interoperable, trusted online credentials that go beyond simple user IDs and passwords.

KT: 20 million Koreans will have NFC phones this year

KT Corporation, Korea’s largest teleco, is predicting that 20 million NFC-enabled phones will be in the hands of South Koreans by the end of 2012 – accounting for nearly 40% of the country’s total population, according to NFC World.

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Clear gets $44 million in funding