Quick Facts
- Alcatraz raised $50M in Series B funding led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital
- The company saw 300% year-over-year growth in data center adoption and 200% growth in enterprise customers in 2025
- The FAA certified Alcatraz’s Rock system for high-security airport environments earlier this year
Alcatraz, a facial recognition security startup founded by a former Apple Face ID engineer, has closed a $50 million Series B funding round. The investment brings the Cupertino-based company’s total funding to more than $100 million.
BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital led the round. Existing investors include Almaz Capital, EBRD, and Ray Stata.
The company develops the Rock system, which replaces traditional badge-based security with facial authentication at building entry points. Users walk past the device at normal speed for identity verification.
Founder Vince Gaydarzhiev led hardware prototyping for iPad and iPhone at Apple during Face ID development. “I saw firsthand how powerful this technology could be when it was built with privacy at the center,” Gaydarzhiev said. “The idea was to bring that same approach to the physical spaces where people work.”
Alcatraz posted strong growth metrics in 2025. The company saw more than 300% year-over-year growth in data center adoption and 200% growth in new enterprise customers. Fortune 500 deployments expanded fivefold.
“We are the Face ID of securing physical spaces,” said CEO Tina D’Agostin. “Our technology is AI-powered and completely anonymized. For the workplace of today, badges and passcodes inherently invite too much risk.”
Data centers represent a key growth market as technology companies build AI infrastructure. Goldman Sachs research shows data center power demand will grow 160% by 2030. The data center market is projected to reach $438.7 billion by 2028.
The company’s customer base includes AI data centers, major U.S. airports, energy companies, NFL teams, universities, and Fortune 100 companies. Earlier this year, the FAA-funded Safe Skies program certified the Rock system for high-security airport environments.
“The data centers we protect aren’t just buildings. They are the infrastructure that the entire digital economy runs on,” Gaydarzhiev said. “If AI is the engine powering the next era of innovation, security has to be the foundation beneath it.”
Alcatraz plans to use the funding to expand into new verticals and international markets while growing its team. The biometric technologies market is projected to reach $57 billion by 2026.
The company expects 2026 to be its strongest year to date as organizations adopt zero-trust security models for critical infrastructure.
Read more: Alcatraz raises $50M to bring Apple Face ID-style security to physical buildings