Alcatraz raises $50 million to replace badges with facial authentication By SSN Staff Updated 9:58 AM CDT, Fri April 3, 2026 CUPERTINO, Calif.—Alcatraz, a developer of facial authentication technology for physical access control, has raised $50 million in Series B funding as it looks to expand adoption across data centers, airports and other high-security environments. The round was led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital and Taiwania Capital, with participation from existing investors including Almaz Capital, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Ray Stata and others. The funding brings Alcatraz’s total capital raised to more than $100 million. Founded in 2016, Alcatraz develops an AI-enabled access control system designed to authenticate employees without storing facial images or other personally identifiable data. The company positions its technology as an alternative to badges, PINs and traditional biometric systems, which it says are increasingly vulnerable to loss, sharing and misuse. Alcatraz reports that its customer base includes large data centers, U.S. airports, energy companies, professional sports organizations, universities and Fortune 100 enterprises. In 2025, the company says it saw more than 300% year-over-year growth in data center deployments and doubled new enterprise customer adoption. “Badges and passcodes were designed for a different era,” says CEO Tina D’Agostin. “Organizations want stronger assurance that the person entering a secure space is the authorized employee - without introducing new privacy risks.” Authentication vs. surveillance At the center of Alcatraz’s platform is the Rock, a device installed at building entry points that verifies identity through facial authentication as a person walks past, eliminating the need to stop and present a credential. The company draws a clear distinction between facial authentication and facial recognition systems commonly associated with surveillance. Traditional facial recognition technologies typically match images against stored databases of photographs, a practice that has drawn increased