What PopID does

PopID is a biometric authentication technology company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, operating as a majority-owned subsidiary of Cali Group, a retail technology holding company. The company provides consumer-initiated face and palm biometric authentication for identity verification, payment processing, loyalty programs, and access control. Its core product is PopPay, which converts a selfie or palm image into an encrypted digital key stored in the PopID cloud and matched at the point of transaction; the platform is PCI-DSS compliant and uses FIPS 140-2 validated encryption. The product portfolio includes PopPay POS (hybrid point-of-sale and kiosk), PopPay Payment Terminal (works alongside third-party POS systems), PopPay Kiosk (self-service biometric kiosk), and PopID Check-In for Access (venue ticketing and entry). In July 2025, PopID acquired Palmia to add palm-based payments, creating a multimodal biometric platform.

PopID serves multiple verticals including quick-service restaurants (its primary segment), retail, stadiums and entertainment venues, banks and financial institutions, and government digital currency programs. Named enterprise deployments include Steak 'n Shake (300+ locations), Whataburger pilots, Carrefour Dubai, QNB (Qatar National Bank), the Bahamas Central Bank (CBDC), and the Central Bank of the UAE (proof-of-concept with Network International). The platform has over 1,000 US merchants. Geographic reach currently spans the United States, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the Bahamas.

The company's revenue model combines hardware sales (PopPay POS, kiosks, and payment terminals), transaction fees on biometric payments (priced below traditional credit/debit processing), subscription fees for platform features (loyalty, recognition, analytics), and interchange-like revenue from PopPay eWallet stored value balances. Distribution is multi-channel: enterprise direct sales supported by Panasonic Corp. of North America's 88 staging facilities and 11,000 employees; OEM/embedded integration through Verifone and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions; self-serve web onboarding at webapp.popid.com for small businesses; and channel partnerships with payment processors including J.P. Morgan Payments and Network International. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with multi-year contracts for enterprise customers and monthly billing for SMBs.

Name

PopID

Legal name

PopID

Website

https://popid.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PopID is a Los Angeles-based biometric authentication company providing face and palm recognition for payments, ordering, loyalty, and access control. It serves quick-service restaurants, retail, stadiums, banks, and government digital currency programs, with over 1,000 US merchants and deployments in the UAE, Qatar, and the Bahamas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biometric Payment and Identity Verification Platform

NAICS

Credit Card Issuing (52221)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Wallet Platforms (Consumer & Merchant) (BPAMAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Wallets & One-Click Checkout (CRAFALAC), In-App / Online Checkout Wallets (FSAMAEAH)

Keywords

• Biometric authentication
• Facial recognition payments
• Palm recognition platform
• Contactless payment solutions
• Identity verification software

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Biometric Payment Transaction Fees: Revenue generated from transaction fees on biometric payments processed through the PopPay platform, with lower processing fees than traditional credit and debit cards
2. POS and Kiosk Hardware Sales: Sale of PopPay POS systems, kiosks, and payment terminals to merchants for biometric-enabled ordering and payment
3. Subscription Services: Ongoing subscription fees for access to PopPay platform features including loyalty integration, customer recognition, and analytics
4. eWallet Stored Value: Revenue from consumer stored value accounts with lower fees, generating interchange-like revenue on funds held and transacted

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PopID provides a biometric identity verification platform, centered on PopPay, that enables consumers to authenticate, order, and pay using their face or palm at participating merchants. The platform converts a face or palm image into an encrypted digital key stored in the PopID cloud and matches it on transaction, with hardware variants including PopPay POS, PopPay Kiosk, PopPay Payment Terminal, and PopID Check-In for Access for venue ticketing. It targets restaurants, retailers, stadiums, banks, and government digital currency programs.

Product overview

PopID is a biometric verification platform enabling consumers to use their face or palm as identity for digital interactions including ordering, payment, loyalty, and access control. The product portfolio centers on PopPay — a biometric payment platform — and includes hardware variants: PopPay POS (hybrid POS/kiosk terminal), PopPay Payment Terminal (works alongside third-party POS), and PopPay Kiosk (standalone self-service kiosk). Additional offerings include PopID Check-In for Access (event venue ticketing and access control). The platform uses computer vision to convert face or palm images into encrypted digital identity keys, stored in the PopID cloud and matched for verification at PopID-enabled businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PopPay Biometric payment and ordering platform that lets consumers pay and place orders using face or palm recognition; links to a payment card or checking account with lower processing fees than credit and debit. Targets consumers and merchants across QSR, retail, banking, and venues.
• PopPay POS Hybrid point-of-sale combining stand-alone POS and kiosk functionality with a customer-facing screen for direct order placement; reduces labor costs and increases team productivity for restaurants and retailers.
• PopPay Payment Terminal Payment terminal that works alongside third-party POS systems to enable businesses to accept PopPay biometric payments within minutes, with support for digital currencies.
• PopPay Kiosk Self-service biometric kiosk enabling customer check-in, ordering, and payment via face or palm recognition; proven to increase throughput by 25% and ticket size by 4% in deployments.
• PopID Check-In for Access Biometric access control and ticketing solution enabling ticketless entry at event venues and stadiums, with facial authentication for entry, concessions, and staff credentialing; partnered with ASM Global for stadium deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carrefour Dubai cut transaction times by 75% with face biometrics
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and flagship.

• J.P. Morgan PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationJ.P. Morgan Payments partnered with PopID to expand biometric payment offerings, with pilots at Steak 'n Shake (300+ locations) and Whataburger (Texas and Louisiana). The partnership enables enterprise-scale biometric payment deployment.
• Network InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork International partnered with PopID to implement face verification platform at Carrefour Dubai (UAE), a first for biometric payments in the UAE. Also collaborated on Central Bank of UAE's biometric payment solution.
• Toshiba Global Commerce SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to deliver biometric-enabled point-of-sale and self-checkout systems, integrating PopID's facial recognition into Toshiba's retail technology solutions.
• ASM GlobalcoreTechnology or IntegrationASM Global partnered with PopID for biometric payments and ticketing at stadiums, enabling facial authentication for entry, concessions, and staff credentialing at major venue portfolios.
• Panasonic Corp. of North AmericacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Panasonic for large-scale integration and support services, leveraging Panasonic's 88 staging facilities and 11,000 employees for enterprise deployments.
• Redrock (for palm biometrics)strategicTechnology or IntegrationPopID added palm recognition capability through Redrock partnership to enable multimodal biometric payments, expanding beyond facial recognition alone.
• Central Bank of UAEflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPopID's biometric platform powers the UAE's first biometric payment solution using facial and palm recognition, developed in collaboration with Network International for the Dubai Land Department proof-of-concept, aligning with UAE Digital Economy Strategy.
• WinkstrategicTechnology or IntegrationWink partnered with PAX Technology to incorporate multimodal biometric authentication into payment terminals, complementing PopID's technology ecosystem.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• PayPal: Global digital wallet and payments platform with biometric authentication features. Both a PopID investor and a strategic distribution partner, while also competing in adjacent biometric checkout use cases.
• NEC Corporation: Global technology incumbent with one of the most accurate facial recognition engines in the market. Both a PopID investor (NEC Orchestrating Future Fund) and a technology partner integrating its face biometrics into PopID's merchant network.
• Apple (Face ID / Apple Pay): Consumer device leader with biometric authentication (Face ID) and a global payments network (Apple Pay). Represents the largest potential biometric payment incumbent whose device-scale adoption could compress PopID's consumer-facing differentiation.

Direct peers

• Amazon One: Amazon's palm-recognition payment and identity service deployed at Amazon Go, Whole Foods, and third-party retailers. Directly comparable to PopID's biometric payment and identity verification offering, with the same palm-based modality and retail-vertical focus.
• CLEAR: Biometric identity verification company offering face and fingerprint authentication at airports, stadiums, and event venues. Comparable to PopID Check-In for Access and its stadium deployments via ASM Global and NFL/Wicket partnerships.
• Zoloz: Ant Group's biometric identity verification unit offering face-recognition authentication for payments, financial services, and digital identity. Directly comparable to PopID's facial-recognition payment platform and identified alongside PopID as a key player in the face-swiping payment market.
• IDEMIA: Global leader in biometric authentication and identity verification for payments, banking, government, and border control. Comparable as a direct competitor to PopID in facial recognition for financial services and government digital identity programs.
• Wicket: Facial authentication platform deployed across all 30 NFL stadiums for ticketing, access, and concessions. Closely comparable to PopID Check-In for Access and explicitly partnered with PopID's ecosystem for venue deployments.

Emerging players

• Aware, Inc. Provider of biometric software and SDKs for face, fingerprint, and iris authentication used by enterprises and governments. Comparable as a biometric identity infrastructure provider serving similar payments and identity verification use cases.
• Veridos: Provider of identity solutions including biometric authentication for government IDs, travel documents, and digital identity programs. Comparable to PopID's government and CBDC deployments with the Bahamas and Central Bank of UAE.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/popid

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors9 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PopID