The Cupertino startup securing the largest AI data centers, major airports, and Fortune 100
companies just closed its Series B. Its edge: the only biometric system that authenticates
employees without ever storing their face.

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A Cupertino-based startup founded by a former Apple Face ID engineer has built the new standard for physical security — and today announced a $50 million raise to bring it to the world.

Alcatraz, which makes an AI-powered physical access control system that authenticates employees without collecting personal data, has closed a $50 million Series B funding round, bringing total capital raised to more than $100 million. The round was led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital, with participation from existing investors Almaz Capital, EBRD, Ray Stata, and others.

The company’s customers already include the world’s largest AI data centers, major U.S. airports, energy companies, NFL teams, major universities, and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, Alcatraz reported more than 300% year-over-year growth in data center adoption, 200% growth in new enterprise customers, and a fivefold expansion across Fortune 500 deployments.

“We are the Face ID of securing physical spaces,” says Tina D’Agostin, CEO of Alcatraz. “The world’s largest airports, energy companies, and the world’s most critical data centers all trust Alcatraz. Our technology is AI-powered and completely anonymized. For the workplace of today, badges and passcodes inherently invite too much risk.”

The Problem: Legacy Security Was Built for a Different Era

Badges get lost. PINs get shared. Legacy biometric systems often fail under real-world conditions. But the deeper problem, the one the physical security industry rarely talks about, is surveillance.

Every other facial biometric security system currently on the market is built on technology rooted in surveillance that ties an employee’s personal identity to their face, stores that data, and creates exactly the kind of high-value target that attracts breaches. Employees often don’t know it’s happening. Regulators are beginning to take notice.

“Four-digit passcodes and badges were designed for a different era,” says Ray Stata, one of the company’s largest investors. “Companies are realizing they need security that is tied to the person, not to a piece of plastic. With Alcatraz, every time an employee walks through the door, our AI-powered technology is learning and adapting — not relying on a photograph taken years ago on their first day.”

The Solution: Authentication, Not Surveillance

Alcatraz’s answer is the Rock™ — a solution installed at building entry points that verifies identity through facial authentication as a person walks past at normal speed. No stopping. No swiping. No fumbling for a badge.

The distinction is fundamental. Facial surveillance identifies people by matching images against a stored database of photographs — the same technology that has drawn scrutiny from regulators, civil liberties groups, and lawmakers. Facial authentication, the approach Alcatraz uses, simply confirms that the person walking in is who they say they are – without storing any photos or accessing any other personal data. Think of the difference this way: facial recognition is a surveillance camera with a long memory. Facial authentication is a lock that recognizes your key, and forgets it the moment the door opens.

No photographs are taken. No biometric images are stored in the cloud. Employees enroll voluntarily and can delete their data at any time. The platform is designed to meet GDPR, CCPA, BIPA, and other compliance requirements out of the box.

“We are the only biometric system protecting physical spaces using facial authentication instead of the legacy facial surveillance use case,” says D’Agostin. “Like Face ID on your iPhone, no photographs are being taken. No personal data is being stored.”

The Founder: From Apple to the Buildings That Run the World

Alcatraz was founded in 2016 by Vince Gaydarzhiev, who led hardware prototyping for iPad and iPhone at Apple during the development of Face ID. He saw firsthand what the technology could do when privacy was built in from the start, and saw an obvious question nobody in the physical security industry was asking: why couldn’t the buildings where people work be protected the same way their phones already were?

“I saw firsthand how powerful this technology could be when it was built with privacy at the center,” says Gaydarzhiev. “The idea was to bring that same approach to the physical spaces where people work. Now we protect the top AI data centers in the world. If AI is the engine powering the next era of innovation, security has to be the foundation beneath it. This funding accelerates our ability to build that foundation at global scale.”

Why Now: The AI Data Center Boom Has Created a Physical Security Challenge

The timing of the raise is not coincidental. The largest technology companies in the world are spending hundreds of billions of dollars building data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom — and the facilities housing that infrastructure have become some of the most sensitive real estate on the planet. Physical security spending at data centers is projected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by the value of equipment inside and mounting regulatory expectations around access.

“We are the guardians of AI,” says Gaydarzhiev. “The data centers we protect aren’t just buildings. They are the infrastructure that the entire digital economy runs on.”

But data centers are not the only critical infrastructure facing this challenge. Airports, where the consequences of a security failure are also high, present a similar opportunity. Earlier this year, Safe Skies, funded by the FAA, certified the Rock™ as reliable, secure, and effective for use in high-security airport environments, a milestone that opens a significant new sector for the company.

Alcatraz plans to use the new capital to expand into new verticals, international markets, and grow its team. The company expects 2026 to be its strongest year to date.

About Alcatraz Alcatraz is an AI-powered physical access control company headquartered in Cupertino, California. Its flagship product, the Rock™, replaces badge-based and legacy biometric security with fully anonymized facial authentication. Alcatraz customers include leading AI data centers, major U.S. airports, energy companies, Fortune 100 enterprises, NFL teams, and top universities. Total capital raised exceeds $100 million.

Media Contact: 
Linda Ebrahimian
[email protected]

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SOURCE Alcatraz