From Mass High Tech, May 31, 2005

John Mantera, left, BioSecurIT founder and president, and Steven OLeary, vice president of business development demonstrate the companys biometric ID system.

05/31/2005 08:42 AM
By Dyke Hendrickson

For a biosecurity company seeking to land its first customer, a contract with the Federal Aviation Administration is a good start.

BioSecurIT, a startup in North Chelmsford, recently shipped its first products to be used in some of the FAA’s regional outposts.

The company is a manufacturer w for high security environments and employs voice, video, RFID, and integrated biometrics to ensure unwanted individuals do not enter secure buildings.

The rollout represents a significant step forward for the company, which was founded a year ago and now has four employees.

“If you are going to get a first customer, a federal agency that is well known and well respected is a great place to start,” said John Matera, founder and president of the company.

“We were excited when they decided to use the technology. Actually, excited is a mild word for our response.”

Much of the early work was done by Matera, a veteran of the security industry. He was most recently president of Cobion Inc., a German-founded security vendor that was acquired by ISS, a tech security company based in Atlanta.

Before Cobion he was vice president of business development at Compulan, a CRM systems provider. He was previously vice president of sales for SilverBack Technologies and vice president of sales and marketing for Mystic River Software and Keyfile Corp.

His background also includes 11 years with McDonnell Douglas Information Systems.

Other employees include Steven O’Leary, vice president of business development, Frank Davis, chief scientific officer and vice president of professional services, and a temp employee.

BioSecurIT develops identification systems for entrances. Matera said he targeted this field because he saw a major economic opportunity based on face recognition.

Before developing the technology, though, he visited large organizations to find out what they needed.

“Rather than develop a technology and then looking for a use, we found out what executives wanted,” said Matera. “We pursued what potential customers said would be useful.”

The company used off-the-shelf tools to develop its first product, called SentryPort.

The photo-based technology, usually affixed to doors, confirms the identities of persons attempting to gain access to secure facilities.

SentryPort uses unique biometric traits to confirm the identity of individuals, eliminating the possibility that a lost, stolen, duplicated, or transferred ID card could be used for unauthorized access.

The FAA is deploying the units in New England buildings it supervises, such as air-traffic control towers and sophisticated radar and weather installations. SentryPort is not used in commercial airports, as such facilities are run by a different federal agency. The company is looking for funding.

“We’ve been impressed by the technology,” said Alan C.S. White, special agent for the civilian aviation branch of the FAA who is based in Burlington.

“A lot of companies have presented themselves in the past seven or eight years but we think BioSecurIT has a very good product. It is based on an access card with a smart chip and (a representation of) facial features.

“We think photos are easier to work with than applications dealing with the retina or palm prints.”

Greg Wertheimer, managing partner for the investment firm of CH Boston, said the company is targeting a large financial opportunity.

“We are the first capital into this company,” said Wertheimer, who is based in Chelmsford. “We liked the technology and the team, and then invested once they executed on the arrangement with the FAA.

“The team that started the company is strong, and having the FAA as a customer is a very big plus. Their technology can be used in a variety of different ways, and if the company can make deals with other federal agencies, the potential would be huge.”

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