Cerebrum
Cerebrum is a Pittsburgh-based identity verification and background screening platform that combines biometric ID authentication, liveness detection, and AI-driven screening adjudication into a single API for enterprise customers in healthcare, staffing, financial services, youth protection, and enterprise hiring, distributed through a 39-partner channel network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersPittsburgh, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Cerebrum does
Cerebrum is a Pittsburgh-headquartered, privately held identity verification and background screening platform that binds a real person to their digital profile through biometric document verification, liveness detection, and AI-driven screening adjudication. The product is structured as a unified trust stack exposed via a single REST API and comprises four core components: vID for identity verification (government-ID authentication, selfie-to-photo biometric matching, and liveness detection across 140+ countries), Synapse as an AI-powered decisioning engine that automates SSN Trace and National Criminal Search adjudication with published 30-50x error reductions, The Wallet as a portable credential store that turns a verification event into a reusable user asset, and Databeam AI for automated data extraction. The platform targets enterprises in Healthcare, Youth Protection, Staffing, Financial Services, and Enterprise Hiring verticals, with Enterprise Hiring identified as the primary segment.
Cerebrum monetizes through a mix of usage-based API pricing for verification, recurring subscriptions for enterprise implementations and screening integrations, and professional services for custom integrations, with multi-year contracts and SLA-backed guarantees for large customers. Distribution is hybrid: enterprise direct sales for large organizations, API-first self-service for developer-led integration, and a channel ecosystem of 39 active partners including 27 screening providers and 10 HRIS/ATS technology platforms (ADP, BambooHR, Bullhorn, Greenhouse, iCIMS, Jobvite, Lever, Paylocity, UKG, Workday). The company holds SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, EU-U.S./UK/Swiss Data Privacy Framework, GDPR, and CCPA certifications and reports 99.989% platform uptime.
Founded in 2021 and operating as Cerebrum, LLC in Pennsylvania with 11-50 employees, the company is led by founder and CEO Sebastian Mellen. The mobile vID application is rated 4.8 on the App Store (3.4K ratings) and 4.7 on Google Play (1.1K ratings), with a 98.7% positive feedback rate on the verification experience. Notable disclosed integrations include TazWorks/InstaScreen (MeridianLink), where Cerebrum Synapse delivers measurable throughput and cost improvements for consumer reporting agencies. Specific revenue, funding, and headcount figures are not disclosed in available source material, representing a data gap for investors.
Cerebrum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cerebrum
- Legal name
- Cerebrum, LLC
- Website
- https://cerebrum.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cerebrum is a Pittsburgh-based identity verification and background screening platform that combines biometric ID authentication, liveness detection, and AI-driven screening adjudication into a single API for enterprise customers in healthcare, staffing, financial services, youth protection, and enterprise hiring, distributed through a 39-partner channel network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cerebrum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Identity Verification
- NAICS
- Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)
- SIC
- Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Identity Verification & Proofing (IDV, KYC, Biometrics) (HDADAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC) (BPAMAEAI), Identity Verification (ID, SSN Trace, KYC-lite) (BPACALAD), Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)
Keywords
Where Cerebrum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pittsburgh
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cerebrum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Identity Verification API: Revenue generated through API usage for identity verification services, including document verification, biometric authentication, and liveness detection. Customers pay based on usage volume through the platform's API infrastructure.
- Background Screening Integration: Revenue from integrating Cerebrum's technology with background screening platforms and consumer reporting agencies. The platform processes orders through its middleware and facilitates screening searches.
- Enterprise Solutions: Dedicated support and customized solutions for high-volume, global organizations including tailored implementations, dedicated infrastructure, and SLA-backed performance guarantees.
- Integration Services: Expert guidance, custom architectural planning, and white-glove engineering support to accelerate customer launches and optimize efficiency.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Solutions with dedicated infrastructure and SLA guarantees |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cerebrum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cerebrum operates a unified identity verification and background screening platform that authenticates government-issued IDs, matches selfies against ID photos via biometric comparison, and uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing and deepfake attacks. The platform combines vID for identity verification, Synapse AI for automated screening decisioning, and The Wallet for portable verified credentials, exposing these capabilities through a single REST API for enterprise customers across healthcare, staffing, financial services, youth protection, and enterprise hiring verticals.
Product overview
Cerebrum is a unified identity verification and background screening platform structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core Cerebrum Trust Stack includes three integrated products: vID (identity verification with biometric authentication and liveness detection), Synapse (AI-powered screening automation and decisioning), and The Wallet (portable digital credential storage). Databeam AI supports data processing within the platform. These core products are accessible via a single unified REST API. Enterprise Solutions and Integration Services provide dedicated implementation support. Industry-specific solutions (Healthcare, Youth Protection, Staffing, Financial Services, Enterprise Hiring) layer additional compliance and verification features atop the core platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- vID: Identity verification platform that verifies identity at the source, binding a real person to their digital profile with cryptographic certainty. It authenticates government IDs, compares selfies, and uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing.
- Synapse
- The Wallet
- Databeam AI®
Products and services
- vID Identity verification platform that authenticates government-issued IDs, compares selfies against ID photos, and uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing and deepfake attacks. Supports 140+ countries with IP address verification and anti-spoofing technology. Designed for enterprises requiring identity verification at onboarding.
- Synapse AI-powered decisioning engine that automates the review of SSN Trace and National Criminal Search data. Pre-processes records, identifies jurisdictions, suppresses irrelevant results, and flags relevant information while enabling human processors to focus on complex cases.
- The Wallet Portable digital credential wallet that stores verified credentials sealed with cryptographic certainty, turning one-time identity checks into lifetime assets for instant, trusted access anywhere via QR codes from the vID app.
- Databeam AI AI-powered data processing and automation tool within the Cerebrum trust stack that processes verification and background check data for credential generation.
- Cerebrum Trust Stack Integrated suite of verification, screening, and compliance tools accessible via a single unified REST API. Combines Identity Verification across 140+ countries, Screening Automation with automated risk flagging, KYC Solutions with global watchlist screening, and Compliance & Security tools including SOC2 and ISO-compliant audit trails with data localization.
Quantifiable outcome
- 35% faster processing times for background screening workflows
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Cerebrum
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Cerebrum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability7 records
Feature5 records
Cerebrum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- TazWorkscoreTazWorks integrated Cerebrum Synapse, an AI-powered decisioning engine, into its InstaScreen platform for background screening companies. The integration delivers measurable operational improvements including 35% faster processing times, 30-50 times fewer adjudication errors, and 20-30% operational cost savings for consumer reporting agencies.
- MeridianLinkcoreCerebrum and TazWorks (owned by MeridianLink) partnered to integrate vID-based biometric identity verification for background checks, streamlining user experience, improving data integrity, and combating fraud in the screening process.
- Shield ScreeningcoreShield Screening integrated digital identity verification as the initial phase of its background screening process, deploying Cerebrum's vID platform for biometric authentication of government-issued IDs and liveness detection to counter spoofing.
- Screening Provider NetworkcoreNetwork of 27 screening providers including AB Global, Accudata, Acranet, Alliance 2020, CheckPoint, Command Investigations, DataFacts, DataScreening, DataSource, First Choice, Imperative, InCheck, iProspect Check, JDP, Ministry Brands, NCSI, OneSource, RentPrep, RSI, SimpliVerified, SmartHRCheqs, SRA, Sutton Associates, Thuro, Veritable Screening, and Victig reselling Cerebrum's technology.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cerebrum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Sterling: Sterling is an established background screening and identity services incumbent serving enterprise HR, with adjacent IDV capabilities that overlap Cerebrum's staffing and enterprise hiring verticals.
- Okta: Okta is a broader identity and authentication platform with MFA, biometrics, and identity governance — an incumbent whose expanded IDV-adjacent capabilities increasingly overlap with Cerebrum's authentication layer.
Direct peers
- Persona: Persona offers an identity verification platform with biometric authentication, document verification, and liveness detection for KYC and onboarding, directly competing with Cerebrum's vID across enterprise and consumer use cases.
- Onfido (Entrust): Onfido provides AI-powered identity verification with document authentication, biometric facial comparison, and liveness checks — a closely matched direct competitor serving financial services, hiring, and platform customers.
- Jumio: Jumio is an established IDV vendor offering biometric verification, document authentication, and KYC/AML compliance solutions that compete head-on with Cerebrum's enterprise IDV and KYC offerings.
- Veriff: Veriff provides AI-driven identity verification with document and biometric authentication across 230+ countries, serving similar enterprise onboarding, hiring, and compliance use cases as Cerebrum.
- Checkr: Checkr is a leading background screening platform with integrated identity verification for the gig and enterprise hiring market, directly overlapping Cerebrum's screening + IDV positioning.
- ID.me: ID.me provides identity verification with biometric authentication and liveness detection for government, healthcare, and financial services — a comparable competitor in regulated vertical use cases.
Emerging players
- iDenfy: iDenfy offers AI-powered identity verification, document authentication, and biometric checks, overlapping with Cerebrum's vID for SMB and mid-market KYC and onboarding use cases.
- Plaid Identity: Plaid's identity verification product competes in the KYC and onboarding space for fintechs and digital platforms, addressing similar customer verification needs as Cerebrum's financial services vertical.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cerebrum social profiles
Digital presenceCerebrum compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Cerebrum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cerebrum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cerebrum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cerebrum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cerebrum
What does Cerebrum do?
Cerebrum operates a unified identity verification and background screening platform that authenticates government-issued IDs, matches selfies against ID photos via biometric comparison, and uses liveness detection to prevent spoofing and deepfake attacks. The platform combines vID for identity verification, Synapse AI for automated screening decisioning, and The Wallet for portable verified credentials, exposing these capabilities through a single REST API for enterprise customers across healthcare, staffing, financial services, youth protection, and enterprise hiring verticals.
Is Cerebrum a public or private company?
Cerebrum is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cerebrum founded?
Cerebrum was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cerebrum based?
Cerebrum is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cerebrum make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Identity Verification API is the primary driver. The others are background Screening Integration, enterprise Solutions and integration Services.
Who are Cerebrum's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Sterling and Okta. Direct peers are Persona, Onfido (Entrust), Jumio, Veriff, Checkr and ID.me. Emerging players are iDenfy and Plaid Identity.
Does Cerebrum have an API?
Yes. Cerebrum offers a RESTful HTTP API for creating and managing identity verification and background screening orders. The API enables organizations to create invites, add searches to orders, retrieve order details with expanded data (ID verification data, selfie, verification check results, credentials, signed disclosures), manage webhooks for real-time notifications, and submit/dispute disputes. Authentication uses API keys. The base URL is https://api.cerebrum.com/v1/. Supported via Cognition platform for API key management at cognition.cerebrum.com/api-keys. The API includes endpoints for: creating vID invites (POST /v1/vid/invites), order management (GET/POST /v1/orders), adding searches to orders (POST /v1/orders/{orderId}/searches), webhook simulation, dispute management (submit, update status, retrieve details). Developer documentation is at docs.cerebrum.com.
What industry is Cerebrum in?
Cerebrum's product category is Identity Verification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAAAF, Identity Verification & Proofing (IDV, KYC, Biometrics), with a secondary code of BPAMAEAI, Fraud Prevention & Identity Verification (IDV/KYC). Its NAICS code is 561611 and its SIC code is 7381.