Associated Press / 01:21 PM November 06, 2018
In this Oct. 31, 2018, photo, Huang Yongzhen, CEO of Watrix, demonstrates the use of his firm’s gait recognition software at his company’s offices in Beijing. A Chinese technology startup hopes to begin selling software that recognizes people by their body shape and how they walk, enabling identification when faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a major push to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance across China, raising concern about how far the technology will go. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
BEIJING — Chinese authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: “gait recognition” software that uses people’s body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go. ADVERTISEMENT
Huang Yongzhen, the CEO of Watrix, said that its system can identify people from up to 50 meters (165 feet) away, even with their back turned or face covered. This can fill a gap in facial recognition, which needs close-up, high-resolution images of a person’s face to work. “You don’t need people’s cooperation for us to be able to recognize their identity,” Huang said in an interview in his Beijing office. “Gait analysis can’t be fooled by simply limping, walking with splayed feet or hunching over, because we’re analyzing all the features of an entire body.”
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Shi Shusi, a Chinese columnist and commentator, says it’s unsurprising that the technology is catching on in China faster than the rest of the world because of Beijing’s emphasis on social control. “Using biometric recognition to maintain social stability and manage society is an unstoppable trend,” he said. “It’s great business.”
The technology isn’t new. Scientists in Japan, the United Kingdom and the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency have been researching gait recognition for over a decade, trying different ways to overcome skepticism that people could be recognized by the way they walk. Professors from Osaka University have worked with Japan’s National Police Agency to use gait recognition software on a pilot basis since 2013. But few have tried to commercialize gait recognition. Israel-based FST Biometrics shut down earlier this year amid company infighting after encountering technical difficulties with its products, according to former advisory board member Gabriel Tal. ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s more complex than other biometrics, computationally,” said Mark Nixon, a leading expert on gait recognition at the University of Southampton in Britain. “It takes bigger computers to do gait because you need a sequence of images rather than a single image.”
Watrix’s software extracts a person’s silhouette from video and analyzes the silhouette’s movement to create a model of the way the person walks. It isn’t capable of identifying people in real-time yet. Users must upload video into the program, which takes about 10 minutes to search through an hour of video. It doesn’t require special cameras — the software can use footage from surveillance cameras to analyze gait. Huang, a former researcher, said he left academia to co-found Watrix in 2016 after seeing how promising the technology had become. The company was incubated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Though the software isn’t as good as facial recognition, Huang said its 94 percent accuracy rate is good enough for commercial use. He envisions gait recognition being used alongside face-scanning software. Beyond surveillance, Huang says gait recognition can also be used to spot people in distress such as elderly individuals who have fallen down. Nixon believes that the technology can make life safer and more convenient. “People still don’t recognize they can be recognized by their gait, whereas everybody knows you can be recognized by your face,” Nixon said. “We believe you are totally unique in the way you walk.”  /muf
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Chinese ‘gait recognition’ tech IDs people by how they walk

His latest venture is a bit different. This week, the Israeli medical technology company InterCure, which is set to become Canndoc Pharma after acquiring medical cannabis firm Canndoc, announced that Barak would come on as chairman of the board. Canndoc was founded in 2008 to become a producer and developer of medical cannabis products, one of the few such companies operating with a license from the Israeli Ministry of Health to market its offering to consumers. Its acquisition by InterCure, known for investing in medical and biotech companies, was announced earlier this month. The acquisition will now place InterCure/Canndoc Pharma as the only company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that holds a permanent license covering the entire medical cannabis value chain, according to a company statement. Barak said that he was “happy to be joining the company’s senior management,” adding that “medical cannabis has proven its potential to help and improve the lives of many patients across the world.”
Key Western countries, he said, have adopted medical cannabis as a recognized treatment course. InterCure/Canndoc Pharma is “well poised to break into these markets,” and Barak says he intends to “lead the company’s international growth strategy and to take an active part in its business development with the aim of turning Canndoc Pharma into a global leader in its field.”
Under the terms of the agreement between Barak and the company, he will receive a monthly salary of $10,000 for 40 hours of work, and will be eligible for options plan amounting to 5 percent of the company at an average price of NIS 0.32 per stock, which represents a premium of some 60 percent on InterCure’s current share price. InterCure/Canndoc Pharma said in a statement that the compensation package for Barak demonstrated “great confidence” in his leadership and in the company’s future. Canndoc CEO Roy Zarahiya said the company “proudly and warmly welcomes Barak’s appointment as chairman of the board.”
The company, he said, was certain “Barak’s abilities and his international connections would be beneficial to the management in realizing its vision of becoming a world leader in the medical cannabis industry.”
Barak has already brought his abilities to several ventures. In 2015, he joined the board of FST Biometrics, an Israeli company that specializes in biometric identification technology, as a representative of GMF Capital, which invested  $15 million in the company at the time. That same year, Barak provided $1.5 million in seed funding to public safety technology startup  Carbyne , previously known as Reporty, where he also serves as chairman of the board. Carbyne recently raised $15 million in a Series B funding round. Barak also co-founded Israeli cybersecurity firm Toka, which came out of stealth mode this year to announce that it raised $12.5 million in a seed round from a number of high-profile investors including Dell Technologies Capital. Toka’s tech helps government agencies “transform their cyber defenses,” and creates spy tools and software for clients to help fight national security threats. Toka is heavily focused on IoT devices, such as Amazon Echo, Alexa smart alarms and others. InterCure/Canndoc Pharma is Barak’s first known venture into the medical cannabis field, which is growing but witnessing some setbacks. The development also comes as there is talk of a comeback for Barak into political life. A cannabis industry in wait
In 2016, Israel approved reforms that would ease restrictions on medical cannabis, including a plan to increase the number of cannabis farms and allow exports, which according to government research at the time is set to bring in an estimated $1 billion in revenue per year. It is set to position Israel as a top medical cannabis exporter but the industry has been waiting for almost a year now for the government to give its final approval for the legalization of medical cannabis exports. In February, Netanyahu suspended export plans amid opposition by the Ministry of Public Security headed by Gilad Erdan which said it was afraid plants grown for exports would spill over into the recreational market and demanded some NIS 200 million to its budget to help secure facilities. A reported conversation with US President Donald Trump, whose administration is taking a hard line against cannabis including its medical use, was also said to be the cause of the sudden export freeze. The suspension raised the ire of medical cannabis farmers, entrepreneurs, and investors who poured hundreds of thousands of shekels into the industry and who  threatened legal action , while others began  eyeing opportunities abroad . Since the government announced the reforms in 2016, some 400 Israeli farmers applied for permits to grow cannabis, the Israeli Health Ministry said in December, adding that 242 had received preliminary approval by December 2017. The ministry also said it received some 200 applications for cannabis nurseries seeking to distribute cannabis plants, 95 requests to set up cannabis pharmacies, 60 applications for processing facilities, and 44 requests to set up stores selling cannabis products. In April, the government announced that it has come up with a revised plan to allocate a budget to Erdan’s Ministry of Public Security for 25 police officers to monitor cannabis growers and operations, and limit the initial operations of cannabis farms to 50, well below the 242 farmers who received initial approval. But the plan has satisfied few in the industry, and the wait continues. Saul Kaye, founder and CEO of cannabis tech startup accelerator iCan, which hosts the annual CannaTech conference in Tel Aviv, told NoCamels earlier this year that Israel can become the leading global export nation of medical cannabis, where “Cannabis will become as important to Israel’s economy as high-tech.”
“Israel is perfectly positioned to enter and disrupt the medical cannabis market that is expected to soar to $33 billion dollars worldwide in the next five years. Israel, already the most advanced nation on earth in cannabis R&D will now be able to produce and market cannabis base products that will help millions of people suffering from numerous illnesses and afflictions such as cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, sleep disorders, epilepsy, and PTSD, to name just a few,” he said. This is all done with strong encouragement from the Israeli government, which also invests in the industry. In 2017, the Israeli government said it would invest $2.13 million in 13 research projects on cannabis, making Israel one of three countries with a government-sponsored cannabis program. Israel is also one of the few countries where medical cannabis is allowed to be tested on human beings in clinical trials.

Former PM’s Ehud Barak Latest Tech Venture Is A Medical Cannabis Firm

Jul 25, 2018
FST Biometrics is shutting down after 11 years of providing facial recognition and behavioral biometrics, according to reports in a pair of Israeli newspapers. Hebrew newspaper The Marker and English-language paper Haaretz both report that the decision was made at a board meeting in June, with the latter reporting the decision was due to a lack of customers. “Management is now making an effort to meet its obligations to customers and minimize the harm to its employees,” an anonymous source said, according to Haaretz. The company was founded by retired Major General Aharon Zeevi Farkash, while former prime minster Ehud Barak served on its board of directors, along with Amdocs founder Avi Noar, who was also CEO. FST had raised $23 million in venture capital, and its IMID (In Motion Identification) Access solution is used by large corporations and healthcare organizations, and was deployed at a UK health and fitness club earlier this year . A representative of FST’s New York distributor was not aware of the reports or any change in the company’s status when reached for comment by Biometric Update, and FST had not responded to attempts by Biometric Update to reach the company for confirmation as of publication.

Israeli media reports FST Biometrics is shutting down

Israeli Startups Raised Record $3.2 Billion in First Half of 2018
TechNation | FST Biometrics shutting down after 11 years despite its A-list managers ■ Naspers unit buys Israel’s Zooz for reported $80 million to $100 million ■ Siemplify raises $14 million for cybersecurity management tools
TheMarker
 
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Israeli startups raised record $3.2 billion in first half of 2018
Israeli startup companies raised $1.61 billion in new capital in the second quarter, a 27% increase from a year earlier that brought the first-half 2018 total to a record $3.2 billion, the Israel Venture Capital Research Center and ZAG law firm said Tuesday. The second-quarter total was lifted by a giant $300 million fundraising by Benny Landa’s Landa Digital Printing; without it, the year-on-year increase would have been just 3%. ZAG managing partner Shmulik Zysman attributed the growth to foreign investors, especially from China and from European investors with an interest in automotive technology. “We expect these trends to continue, both in terms of capital-raising and foreign investors entering the Israeli high-tech industry,” he added. The first half also saw a reversal in the declining investment in the youngest tech startups. Software startups raised the most funds in the second quarter, taking in $584 million, IVC said. Artificial intelligence companies raised $426 million. (Eliran Rubin)
FST Biometrics shutting down after 11 years despite its A-list managers 
It came with some of the best credentials a security technology company could have, as well as $23 million in venture capital behind it, but FST Biometrics is closing up shop after 11 years. A source at the company who asked not to be identified said Tuesday that the board voted June 14 to cease operations. “Management is now making an effort to meet its obligations to customers and minimize the harm to its employees,” the source said. The company was founded and chaired by Maj. Gen. (res.) Aharon Zeevi Farkash, a former commander of the Israel Defense Force’s vaunted 8200 intelligence unit. Ehud Barak, a former prime minister, served on its board and its CEO, Avi Noar, was a founder of the tech giant Amdocs. But while FTS developed several products that used visual identification technologies, including facial recognition and behavior analysis, it failed to find a market for any of them. (Amitai Ziv)
Naspers unit buys Israel’s Zooz for reported $80 million to $100 million
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Online payment company PayU, a subsidiary of Naspers, said Monday it agreed to acquire Israeli payment-technology provider Zooz to support its expansion in high-growth markets. PayU did not disclose the size of the acquisition but a source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters it was valued at around $80 million to $100 million. Netherlands-headquartered PayU provides online payment services for customers in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Zooz connects merchants to multiple banks and by analyzing various parameters decides which bank to route the payment transaction to, finding the bank with the lowest fee. The two will work together to create a payments infrastructure whose features will include fraud management and smart routing, PayU said. Zooz co-founders CEO Oren Levy and Chief Technology Officer Ronen Morecki will join the PayU global leadership team and the Israeli company’s 70 employees will move to PayU. (Reuters)
Siemplify raises $14 million for cybersecurity management tools
Siemplify, an U.S.-Israeli startup that helps corporate users navigate their cybersecurity software, said Tuesday it had raised $14 million in new funding. The round, led by Jump Capital and joined by existing investors G20 Ventures and 83North, brought Siemplify’s total funding to date to $28 million. The company was founded in 2015 by Israelis CEO Alon Cohen, Chief Technology Officer Amos Stern and Chief Operating Officer Garry Fatakhov. To help human beings separate attention-worthy signals from the rising din of distracting noise, Siemplify’s security orchestration, automation and response, or SOAR, technology enables users to manage disparate cybersecurity tools through a single platform, enabling them to respond to threats faster and more effectively. The funds will be used to beef up sales and marketing and product innovation. Headquartered in New York, the company has a research and development center in Tel Aviv. (TheMarker)

Israeli startups raised record $3.2 billion in first half of 2018

Apr 10, 2018
FST Biometrics today announced that it has installed its In Motion Identification (IMID) solution to provide secure access for students and members of the Wellington Health & Fitness Club, a U.K. boarding school established in 1859. FST’s IMID Access will manage secure access for the fitness center’s 3,000 members, with access points deployed at the facility’s main entrance. IMID is also integrated with the facility’s Gladstone MRM Plus2 system and TRP member experience management software. “We required a system that provided touch-free in-motion identification for smooth member access to our fitness centre, while preventing access to those unauthorized,” explained Brian Cannon, Operations Bursar for Wellington College. “We value our tradition, but also are prepared to go cutting-edge for the sake of members’ time, health and safety, all of which are preserved through FST’s advanced biometric identification system.”
“Given our strong experience working with Wellington College for several years, we knew they expected an access control solution that would be both secure and elegant,” added Andrew Wylie, FTL Secure Solutions, FST’s strategic partner in the UK. “FST’s IMID Access provides the convenience and simplicity of in-motion, visual identification while also offering the highest level of biometric-based reliability.”
FST’s IMID Access is used in large corporations , healthcare facilities , retail applications and more.

FST Biometrics announces new deployment of its IMID solution

Haganá is a company that provides security services and outsourcing solutions in the private security sector. The company offers property security, private security, security project development, service outsourcing, and electronic security solutions, including alarm monitoring and access control. Haganá also offers remote concierge and insurance brokerage. It is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Haganá

FST Biometrics , the leading biometric identification solutions provider , today announced a strategic partnership with Groupo Haganá , Brazil 's foremost provider of residential and facility security systems and personnel .

Haganá Security Implements FST Biometrics IMID Technology

Idesco provides identification card solutions within the security and access control industry. It has products including ID card printers, photo ID systems, ID card software, and supplies and accessories for ID card creation and management. Idesco serves various sectors, including healthcare, education, property management, government, banking, and event management. Idesco was formerly known as the Identification Service. It was founded in 1943 and is based in New York, New York. In October 2025, Idesco was acquired by CCL Industries.

Idesco

These companies protect organizations from digital threats.

Cybersecurity

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Private Equity

FST Biometrics provides In Motion Identification (IMID) solution which combines facial recognition and behavioral analytics to enable authorized individuals to be identified at a distance while in-motion. The product has a wide range of global applications across the public and private sectors and is already serving clients within the corporate, retail, financial services, telecommunications, residential and governmental sectors.

Date	Round	Amount	Investors	Valuation Valuations are submitted by companies, mined from state filings or news, provided by VentureSource, or based on a comparables valuation model.	Revenue	Sources
7/25/2018	Dead		Dead	$XXM	0 FY undefined	1
5/11/2015	Private Equity	$XXM	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	10
8/28/2013	Unattributed VC	$XXM	Subscribe to see more	$XXM	0 FY undefined	10

Date	7/25/2018	5/11/2015	8/28/2013
Round	Dead	Private Equity	Unattributed VC
Amount		$XXM	$XXM
Investors	Dead	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Valuation	$XXM	$XXM	$XXM
Revenue	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined	0 FY undefined
Sources	1	10	10

First funding	Last Funding	Investor	Rounds	Board Seats	Type	Location
5/11/2015	5/11/2015	GMF Capital	1 Private Equity		Private Equity	Germany
00/00/0000	00/00/0000	OTV	Subscribe to see more		Venture Capital	Israel

First funding	5/11/2015	00/00/0000
Last Funding	5/11/2015	00/00/0000
Investor	GMF Capital	OTV
Rounds	1 Private Equity	Subscribe to see more
Board Seats
Type	Private Equity	Venture Capital
Location	Germany	Israel

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