A Southeast Asian company is collaborating with one of Cincinnati’s best-known startups to help it power a new futuristic digitial identity card.
CodeZero, a tech company based Malaysia, is collaborating with Over-the-Rhine’s Lisnr to power “Zero,” a digital version of the standard business card. CodeZero is using Lisnr’s ultrasonic technology, which allows for the transfer of data between devices using sound, to combat digital identity spoofing and enable contactless authentication, it said in a release.
CodeZero’s product “pushes the envelope” on what a business card should be, the company said. Using CodeZero’s portal, for example, a employee can be onboarded and assigned their own digital business card in a matter of a few clicks, and a company can upload, design and digitize their corporate profile, brochures or sales kit – saving time, cost and the environment.
CodeZero had failed in its previous search for an ultrasonic solution – digital identity fraud is a growing problem, it said – and had reverted to using a QR code. Lisnr’s technology allows for a safe and seamless data transfer and authentication medium. The two companies first announced the partnership in December.
“The pandemic accelerated the speed of our adoption, and this brings a whole new host of challenges, one of which is the integrity and authenticity of an individual’s digital identity,” CodeZero CEO Steve Koh said in the release. “Only by addressing this issue can we move forward, and with this collaboration with Lisnr, we believe we are headed in the right direction.”
Lisnr has an active customer base across the globe, including Africa, Asia and Europe. Founded in 2012, the company employs 15 locally with offices in Over-the-Rhine and Oakland, Calif. It’s considered one of Greater Cincinnati’s most well-funded startups, with more than $40 million raised from major investors like Visa, Intel, Jump Capital, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Mercury Fund, R/GA and Synchrony Financial.
