Have you ever been reading an article, checking your bank statement or shopping online when you are asked to provide a password?
The frustration of looking up a password or resetting a password is enough to make some users leave a website or abandon their online shopping cart.
Austin-based Passage is working to create a world without passwords, where users can log in to web applications with Face ID, Touch ID, Windows Hello and other biometrics built into their devices.
Passage’s technology allows developers to integrate complete biometric user authentication into their app or website with just a few lines of code.
In addition to a more seamless user experience, biometric authentication also protects users by eliminating phishing and account takeover attacks, while protecting businesses from the risks associated with storing and managing passwords. Passage does not store any face, fingerprint or other biometric data about users.
The company announced Tuesday that it has emerged from stealth with $4 million in new funding led by LiveOak Venture Partners with participation from Next Coast Ventures, Tau Ventures, Secure Octane and various angel investors.
The company, co-founded by CEO Cole Hecht and CTO Anna Pobletts, has five employees. The startup plans to hire seven new employees this year.
“Passage delivers an exceptional developer experience for a technology that’s easier to use, more secure and ultimately the future of authentication,” Hecht said in a statement. “There’s often a tradeoff between security and user experience, but Passage offers a unique combination of both with low implementation complexity.”
In addition to the funding news, Passage is also launching its public beta and inviting developers to start building with it.
Passage will be expanding the platform in the coming months to include support for additional authentication methods, extensibility features, mobile support and additional guides to help developers get up and running.
Hecht said he is working with companies to onboard Passage to production and hopes to move from beta to general availability in the second quarter of this year.
