Automation technology provider Elenium Automation has raised A$10m (US$7.1m) in growth capital for its biometric solution, Faceway.
The recent capital raise was led by Thorney Investment Group along with existing investors NRMA and Acorn Capital. Manufactured in Australia, Faceway is designed to be scalable and affordable facial recognition technology that creates access passes from customers’ pictures. This technology enables secure, touchless access for passengers, without the need for them to use their phones or QR codes to check in.
With additional funding secured, the company has appointed Paula Dwyer as chairperson. In her new role, Dwyer, ex-chair of Tabcorp and current Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) board member, will focus on deploying this identity automation technology. She said, “It’s a pivotal time for the company as the world reopens and the applications for its important technologies increase. I come from a background in highly regulated industries, so one of my key objectives as chairman will be to ensure the safe delivery of Elenium’s products and ensure that data privacy, data management and the ethical use of biometrics are key differentiators in our solutions.”
Aaron Hornlimann, co-founder and CEO of Elenium Automation, said, “It is wonderful to have someone of Paula’s caliber join our organization, in addition to the investment by Thorney Investment Group and the ongoing support of our long-term investors, NRMA and Acorn. With Covid-19 having such a profound impact on the world, we have a shared vision to get people moving freely again and undo the friction and annoyance that have been caused by Covid-19, like QR code check-in and vaccine passes. This is a very important time in Elenium’s evolution, and I look forward to having strong, experienced leadership from the board and investors through this next growth phase.”
Melbourne-based Elenium employs around 85 staff, manufactures in Australia and has installations across Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the USA. The company responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by investing in its R&D to invent touchless technologies.