Original Link: https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/08/evolv-raises-30-million-to-expedite-security-screenings-with-ai/
The Evolv Edge.
Image Credit: Evolv Technology
Perhaps the worst thing about air travel is having to wade through
congested airport security. Wait times at airports like Salt Lake City
International and Washington Dulles regularly exceed half an hour on
average, and that’s assuming folks follow TSA instructions.
The founders of Evolv Technology,
a Waltham, Massachusetts-based security startup specializing in
tech-based screening technology, think they have a better solution: the
Evolv Edge and Express. They’re self-contained and portable gates that
tap AI, machine learning, and millimeter wave sensors to expedite
security screenings in high-traffic places.
The founders evidently are not the only people who believe in the
products. Evolv this morning announced that it’s raised over $30 million
in series C growth capital with participation from Finback Investment
Partners, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s firm. Existing backers Bill
Gates, DCVC (Data Collective), General Catalyst Partners, Lux Capital,
and SineWave Ventures also contributed, bringing Evolv’s total raised to
date to around $75 million.
Former Fidelis Security president and chairman Peter George, who was
recently appointed CEO, said the funds will accelerate product
development and the growth of Evolv’s marketing, customer support, and
channel programs. “The active shooter epidemic is one of the greatest
challenges facing our generation,” he said. “Evolv is the human security
company that delivers the best approach to maintaining society’s
freedom of movement while dramatically reducing threats.”
The Edge is able to scan more than 800 people per hour, said Evolv —
slower than the 3,600 per hour the newer Express can scan but better
than the 250 per hour
of which conventional scanners are capable. That’s because you walk
right through it — it doesn’t require you to slow down, pose, or take
off your jackets or shoes, and its algorithms can distinguish in real
time between common objects like cellphones and keys and potentially
dangerous ones like firearms and explosives.
The sensors work in conjunction with computer vision-equipped cameras
that identify people as they walk through the gate. Those who lack
security clearance or who have a criminal record are flagged for review.
And when a threat is detected by the system, it’s pinpointed on a video
monitor for manual screening by a human employee.
Above: The Evolv Express.
Image Credit: Evolv Technology
Evolv offers an optional facial recognition add-on — Pinpoint — that
taps an IP camera to capture images of visitors’ faces and compare them
to a localized or networked database. They’re processed in seconds and
compared to multiple watch lists and employee rosters, including custom
“be on the lookout” and VIP lists.
It remains unclear how the Edge’s threat detection rates compare to traditional checkpoints. A leaked 2015 TSA report
revealed that Department of Homeland Security investigators managed to
sneak weapons and fake bombs past airport screeners in an alarming 95%
of attempts.
Evolv hasn’t made public the results of its pilot programs, but vice
president of global solutions Chris McLaughlin said that the company is
committed to a policy of transparency. “[The Edge] is based on an open
architecture,” he told VentureBeat in a previous phone interview, noting
that Evolv’s Cortex AI Software platform continuously improves scanning
accuracy by uncovering new threat profiles. “We’re maintaining close
oversight with engineers and scientists […] to validate [our] screening
models.”
Evolv says that to date, its gates have detected more than 5,000
weapons and screened over 50 million people in schools, concert halls,
workplaces, houses of worship, and other public venues. In July, Evolv
deployed Edge scanners in Oakland International Airport (OAK) as part of a pilot to streamline employee screening, and in August 2017, the company teamed up
with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to
test the Edge in commuter train stations. More recently, Evolv installed
scanners at Lincoln Center and the World Trade Center PATH station in
New York City; Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,
Massachusetts; undisclosed LL Bean locations; and Dorman High School’s
freshman campus in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.
“Mass shootings in our country and Florida, like the ones that took
place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the Pulse nightclub, and
just this month at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, are happening
more frequently around the world,” Bush said in a statement. “Evolv has
reinvented what’s required in physical security systems to protect
innocent people. Outdated legacy systems just don’t meet the need.”
Evolv’s board includes the former head of the Secret Service, the
former CTO of the TSA, a former White House National Security Advisor,
and the former head of counterterrorism for the New York Police
Department.