Touch Biometrix Gets Funding from Welsh Gov’t

Welsh fingerprint sensor startup Touch Biometrix has managed to acquire some funding from the Wales government.

The funding comes from the SMARTCymru program, which is aimed at supporting businesses across five phases of development. For Touch Biometrix, the funding will apply to the first phase – “Technical and Commercial Feasibility”.

In announcing the funding, Touch Biometrix did not offer its specific value, but emphasized that SMARTCymru is a £63.4 million program backed by £27 million in funding from the European Union.

The company did elaborate on its plans to “disrupt” the fingerprint sensor market, however. Having kicked things off with a stated intention to offer fingerprint sensors to electronics makers at a cost of only a dollar per unit or less, Touch Biometrics now says its “proprietary sensor designs and algorithms… will enable fingerprint sensors of any shape or size.” The company also asserts that its technology will be “[f]ast, secure and impossible to spoof”.

It’s an ambitious aim that largely rests on the shoulders of Touch Biometrix’s recently appointed CTO, Eric Derckx, a former executive of Netherlands-based video display technology specialist Liquavista.

Commenting on the SMARTCymru funding, Welsh Economy Secretary Ken Skates said, “With their advanced finger sensor technology, I am confident that North Wales based Touch Biometrix have a confident future ahead and we are proud to be working with them and supporting their growth.”

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July 11, 2018 – by Alex Perala