With Smart Eye Technology, people can securely open documents through facial, vocal and iris recognition.
Founder Dexter Caffey created the solution after going on a trip to Israel and seeing documents on the screen of the cybersecurity expert next to him. To Caffey, that was its own cybersecurity and privacy problem.
So, he created a solution.
Smart Eye Technology, an Atlanta startup founded in 2018, allows people to send documents through its platform with varying levels of security so only the receiver can view the materials. If the technology senses someone looking over their shoulder, it automatically removes the documents from view.
The startup has raised a little less than $10 million from private investors, Caffey said. It also received $10,000 from WeWork’s Black-owned Business Grant program.
The mobile app launched last June and has 9,000 users. The desktop app launched with Samsung last month, Caffey said.
When people send documents through the Smart Eye Technology platform, they can note whether they want to have it protected by facial recognition, voice, fingerprint or eye. The sender has control over how the document is viewed. If they send it to the wrong person, they can remove access, Caffey said.
Caffey says the platform is useful to protect private lines of communication, such as between a lawyer and client or company and customer. It’s also a safeguard against hackers or phishers, who may pretend to be someone else via email to gain access to information.
Smart Eye Technology's early growth comes during a time in which cybersecurity solutions are in high demand, especially after high-profile ransomware attacks, such as the Colonial Pipeline incident that delayed fuel transportation on the East Coast.
Smart Eye Technology has seven employees in Atlanta and a team of about 20 contractors. It’s also part of Peachtree Corners’ Atlanta Tech Park accelerator. As the company grows, Caffey plans to add new features to make the platform more user friendly.
The startup is one of the many cybersecurity companies based in Atlanta, which has a reputation in the industry for high-growth companies. Internet Security Systems, started by Georgia Tech graduates, sold to IBM for $1.3 billion in 2006. That success spurred a new generation of cybersecurity startups, such as OneTrust, valued at more than $5 billion, and Pindrop Security, founded by serial entrepreneur Paul Judge.
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