Founders: Caryn Seidman-Becker (CEO), Ken Cornick
Launched: 2010
Headquarters: New York City
Funding: N/A
Valuation: N/A
Industry: Biometrics, security, tourism, travel
Previous appearances on Disruptor 50 List: 1 (No. 22 in 2019)
George Kavallines
With most nonessential travel halted and sports arenas dark in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the need for CLEAR has been greatly impacted. The New York City-based company uses biometrics (your fingerprint, the iris of your eyes, your face) to verify your identity. There hasn’t been much need for that lately, and the company has had to place a number of employees on leave. In the meantime, CLEAR is looking forward to what it can do as the economy comes back online.
View the FULL LIST: 2020 DISRUPTOR 50
To that end, it’s developed Health Pass, a new technology that links a person’s health data to a verified ID to help businesses screen employees for Covid-19 as they return to work. The company says it is in talks with the New York Mets as well as Las Vegas’ Covid-19 recovery task force as potential customers.
Here’s how it works: Users download the CLEAR app on their phone and enroll in the free service by verifying their identity using facial recognition. To enter an office building or venue using Health Pass, users take a selfie to authenticate their identity and take a short quiz on possible Covid-19 symptoms. CLEAR says that it’s working on being able to link Covid-19 test results to their digital identity. Once the quiz is answered, the user would approach a CLEAR pod — similar to the ones used in airports and stadiums — where they can use their biometrics to verify their identity. Based on the results, which might include a temperature check as well, the person would be admitted or not into the building.
Company investors include United Airlines and Revolution Growth.
