What Lakota Software Solutions does

Lakota Software Solutions, Inc. is a Fairmont, West Virginia-based biometric software firm founded in 2007 by Aaron Wilson (President/CEO) and Phillip Merritt (VP/COO). The company develops ANSI/NIST-ITL compliant software and SDKs — including the Whorl platform (NIST file creation, editing, validation, and multi-modal livescan enrollment), ANI (EBTS translation at the front door of FBI NGI), IMAGE (WSQ compression), SEQUENCE (fingerprint sequence checking), and LIA (FBI Appendix-F certified card scanning) — that are integrated into the FBI Next Generation Identification (NGI), DoD ABIS, and DHS HART systems. The firm serves federal agencies (FBI, DoD, DHS, U.S. Army, NASA), international agencies (NATO, Interpol, EU ministries), state and local law enforcement, and — via the EFTCreator self-serve web platform — federal firearms licensees requiring ATF-compliant electronic fingerprint transmission files.

The company operates a deliberately lean, founder-led team of approximately 9 people and generates revenue through four distinct streams: Whorl software licensing (Standard and Pro annual subscriptions, pricing not publicly disclosed), EFTCreator transaction fees and subscriptions (pay-per-use from $30/transaction, volume subscriptions down to $20/conversion for 51+ per month), professional services and custom ABIS design/build, and hardware resale (certified reseller of fingerprint scanners from Integrated Biometrics, Jenetric, I3, HID/Crossmatch, Thales, and Suprema). Go-to-market is dual-mode: enterprise field sales with demo/consultation CTAs targeting government buyers, paired with a self-serve PLG motion via EFTCreator.com for FFL dealers. The company is bootstrapped and profitable under a profit-sharing model, with no institutional external funding.

Name

Lakota Software Solutions

Legal name

Lakota Software Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://lakotasoftware.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lakota Software Solutions is a Fairmont, WV-based biometric software firm (founded 2007, ~9 employees) that builds ANSI/NIST-ITL compliant products (Whorl, ANI, IMAGE, SEQUENCE, LIA, FIERCE) integrated into FBI NGI, DoD ABIS, and DHS HART, serving federal agencies, international bodies, law enforcement, and FFL firearms dealers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biometric Identification Software

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Authentication (MFA/Passwordless/Biometrics) Platforms (BPAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Biometric identification software
• Livescan fingerprinting
• ANSI/NIST-ITL file creation
• Facial recognition forensics
• Law enforcement biometrics

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairmont

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing - Whorl: Desktop/application software sales for Whorl Standard and Whorl Pro versions with livescan fingerprinting and EBTS editing capabilities. Multi-tier pricing for different capability levels.
2. EFTCreator Transaction Fees: Pay-per-use model for EFT file creation for firearms dealers. Also offers subscription plans for high-volume users and prepaid card conversion credits.
3. Professional Services - Consulting: Custom software development, system integration, and consulting services for government and commercial biometric programs. Supports CONUS and OCONUS clients.
4. Hardware Resale: Certified reseller of hardware including fingerprint scanners, livescan devices, tablets, and PC equipment from partners like Integrated Biometrics, Jenetric, and I3.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lakota Software Solutions develops and sells biometric identification software for government agencies, law enforcement, and firearms dealers. Its core product, the Whorl platform, creates, edits, validates, and transmits ANSI/NIST-ITL (EBTS) files across fingerprint, palm print, facial, and iris modalities, and is complemented by SDKs (ANI, IMAGE, SEQUENCE, LIA), the RIAC card-scanning application, the FIERCE facial image extraction/clustering tool, the rapID mobile identification platform, and the EFTCreator web service for ATF-compliant electronic fingerprint transmission. The company also provides consulting, custom application development, and ABIS design/build services.

Product overview

Lakota Software Solutions is a biometric software company offering a portfolio of specialized products organized around a core platform — Whorl — and multiple standalone SDKs, applications, and services. The core Whorl platform provides ANSI/NIST-ITL file creation, editing, and validation across multiple biometric specifications (FBI EBTS, DoD EBTS, NATO STANAG 4715, Eurodac, Interpol, RCMP), available in Standard and Pro editions with livescan fingerprint/palm/face/iris capture. Whorl's functionality is extended through a suite of SDKs: ANI (EBTS biometric specification translation), IMAGE (WSQ compression/decompression), SEQUENCE (fingerprint sequence checking), and LIA (FBI Appendix-F certified card scanning). RIAC provides rapid document scanning and NIST conversion using Fujitsu fi-7600 hardware. FIERCE delivers forensic facial image extraction and clustering from multimedia via computer vision. EFTCreator is a separate web-based platform for firearms dealers to create ATF-compliant EFT fingerprint files. Lakota also provides professional services including custom ABIS design/build, application development, and consulting. The product architecture combines standalone tools for specific tasks (card scanning, EFT creation, facial recognition) with a unified platform (Whorl) that serves as the foundation for biometric enrollment and EBTS management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WHORL: NIST File Creation, Editing, Verification, and Livescan Enrollment software for biometric data collection
• RIAC
• FIERCE
• ANI
• IMAGE
• SEQUENCE
• LIA
• EFTCreator
• rapID

Products and services

• Whorl Standard Standard edition of the Whorl biometric software application for creating, viewing, editing, and validating ANSI/NIST-ITL formatted files. Supports import/export of image formats (WSQ, RAW, JPEG, JPEG-2000, PNG, BMP, TIFF), real-time compliance feedback, and cross-platform support.
• Whorl Pro Professional edition of Whorl with advanced features including an EBTS file creation wizard, simultaneous multi-transaction comparison, fingerprint and palm print card segmentation with custom templates, integrated image editor, built-in quality scoring and sequence checking, and batch EBTS editor/reader.
• FIERCE Forensic Image Extraction, Clustering, and Export software. Automatically extracts facial images from multimedia (photos, documents, CCTV video), clusters them into identities, and generates compliant EBTS submissions for DoD ABIS, FBI NGI, and DHS HART. Supports demographic extraction and background redaction.
• RIAC Rapid Image Acquisition and Conversion tool for document scanning and image conversion. Uses the FBI-approved Fujitsu fi-7600 scanner to read both sides of fingerprint cards, applies OCR, and automatically converts scanned documents to NIST files via a Whorl plugin.
• EFTCreator Web-based platform for creating compliant Electronic Fingerprint Transmission (EFT) files for ATF Form 1 and Form 4 applications. Offers pay-per-use and subscription plans, supports multiple FBI-approved fingerprint scanners, and provides FD-258 fingerprint card conversion to EFT format.
• rapID Mobile biometric platform for rapidly identifying potentially high-risk individuals, designed for field use by law enforcement.
• Biometric Examination Workstation Fully customizable forensic workstation providing law enforcement teams with tools to make positive identification on fingerprints, latent prints, and faces.
• Identity History Summary Checks (FBI Channeling) FBI-approved fingerprint channeling service for identity history checks, enabling agencies to submit biometric data and receive criminal history responses through official channels.
• FD-258 to EFT Conversion Service Service to convert paper FD-258 fingerprint cards into compliant EFT files. Converts scanned 600 dpi PNG images, with a standard fee of $30 per card and volume subscription discounts available.
• Application Development Services Custom software development services creating fast and reliable products that provide customers with accurate information for real-time decisions on the front lines.
• Consulting Services System and software engineering consulting for CONUS and OCONUS clients since 2007, supporting the development and deployment of biometric systems.
• ABIS Custom Design and Build Custom biometric database design and build services for agencies, partnering with leading biometric hardware and software companies to create identification systems tailored to specific requirements.

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Integrated BiometricscoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing FBI-certified fingerprint scanners including Kojak and Five-O models. Recommended scanner partner for EFTCreator platform customers. Lakota provides software solutions that integrate with their scanning hardware.
• NECcoreTechnology or IntegrationFeatured as trusted biometric industry partner on Lakota Software website. Global biometric technology company providing complementary facial recognition and identification solutions.
• Contemporary Services CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecurity services company that has worked with Lakota on DoD contracts. Testimonial partner citing Lakota's ability to take projects from concept to delivery rapidly with minimal revisions.
• Tygart Technology, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner with long-standing relationship with Lakota founders. Testimonial partner noting Lakota's ability to see the big picture and produce quality work.
• Vertx PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense consulting partner working with Lakota on biometric solution delivery. Testimonial citing Lakota as advanced biometric solutions provider.
• JenetriccoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing Livetouch Quattro Compact and Livetouch Quattro fingerprint scanners supported on EFTCreator platform.
• I3 (International Identity Inc.)coreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing i3 DigID mini+ fingerprint scanners supported on EFTCreator platform for FBI-approved fingerprint capture.
• HID Global (Crossmatch)coreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing Lscan and Guardian tenprint scanner models supported on EFTCreator platform.
• ThalescoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing DactyScan84c fingerprint scanners supported on EFTCreator platform.
• SupremacoreTechnology or IntegrationHardware partner providing RealScan G-10 scanners supported on EFTCreator platform.
• NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA)coreTechnology or IntegrationFeatured as trusted partner. Lakota supports NATO STANAG 4715 specification in Whorl software for NATO biometric interoperability.
• CSC-USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured as trusted partner with collaborative presence on Lakota website. Security services company working on government contracts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NEC Corporation: NEC is a global biometrics leader, particularly in facial recognition and large-scale identification systems for law enforcement and government — directly overlapping with Lakota's ANI/Whorl and FIERCE product lines. Lakota already lists NEC as a featured trusted partner on its website.
• IDEMIA: IDEMIA is one of the largest providers of biometric identification solutions, including ABIS and livescan systems for federal agencies and law enforcement. It is a direct competitor in the same FBI/DoD program-of-record space where Lakota operates.
• Thales: Thales provides biometric identity and border management solutions, including fingerprint hardware (e.g., DactyScan) that Lakota resells and integrates with. Competes with Lakota on government biometric platform contracts internationally.
• HID Global (Crossmatch): HID Global, through its Crossmatch acquisition, provides tenprint scanners (Lscan, Guardian) that EFTCreator supports and broader biometric identity solutions. Competes with Lakota in livescan hardware-software integrated offerings for law enforcement.
• Aware, Inc. Aware provides biometric SDKs and software components for fingerprint, face, and iris processing — closely aligned with Lakota's ANI, IMAGE, SEQUENCE, and LIA SDK suite. Aware targets similar government and law enforcement integrators.

Emerging players

• Integrated Biometrics: Integrated Biometrics manufactures FBI-certified fingerprint scanners (Kojak, Five-O) and is a core hardware partner for Lakota's Whorl and EFTCreator. While primarily a hardware vendor, it competes in adjacent integrated biometric capture solutions.
• Daon: Daon provides biometric identity verification platforms (IdentityX) for government, financial services, and border management. It competes in the digital identity/biometric authentication space adjacent to Lakota's authentication and identity-checking offerings.
• Cognitec Systems: Cognitec specializes in facial recognition technology used by law enforcement and government agencies — overlapping with Lakota's FIERCE product line for forensic facial image extraction and clustering.
• Suprema: Suprema manufactures fingerprint scanners (e.g., RealScan G-10) that Lakota supports in EFTCreator and broader biometric access solutions. While primarily hardware-focused, it intersects with Lakota's livescan and FBI-certified capture workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Idemia (Public Sector): Idemia's public security division operates broader identity and biometric programs at national scale, including border management and civil ID. Provides a useful reference for what a scaled public-sector biometric platform looks like.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lakota-software-solutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Lakota Software Solutions