Enschede, 17 August 2026

20Face is accelerating the commercialization of its facial recognition platform with a new investment from 819 Capital Partners. The investment, made through 819 Evergreen Fund alongside our existing investors, allows us to further build out our go-to-market capabilities and take our technology into new markets and sectors.

Dutch technology, developed in-house

20Face develops its facial recognition algorithms entirely in-house, in the Netherlands. We do not source the underlying technology from providers based in China or the United States. Our software is used for access control in offices, logistics sites, healthcare facilities and high-security environments, and is deployed by customers including INEOS, Secure Logistics (including ECT and CTVrede), Sensire, Amstelring, Groupe Tranchant and World Port Centre Rotterdam.

Privacy-proof by design

20Face does not store photos. Instead, we convert a face into an encrypted vector that cannot be traced back to the original image. Users can grant permission to use that vector and revoke it at any time.

That is what makes our facial recognition privacy-proof: GDPR-compliant, unusable for blacklisting or surveillance, and designed to keep biometric data under the customer’s own control rather than routed through a third party.

What’s next

With 819 Capital’s backing, we are positioned to further develop our differentiators and scale our commercial footprint within and beyond the Netherlands.

Frank ter Kuile, CEO of 20Face: “With their network and experience in scaling start-ups and scale-ups, we are eager to take the next steps.”

Wim Smit, Partner at 819 Capital Partners: “Facial recognition technology developed entirely in the Netherlands that never requires customers to hand over raw biometric data to a third party is a real differentiator.”

About 20Face

20Face is a Dutch scale-up and spin-off of the University of Twente, specialized in privacy-proof facial recognition software developed entirely in the Netherlands. Our products, 20faceXS and 20faceSDK, are used for access control in sectors including offices, logistics, healthcare, leisure and high-security environments. More information: www.20face.com

About 819 Capital Partners

819 Capital Partners is an investment firm managing multiple funds with targeted investment strategies. This investment is made through 819 Evergreen Fund, an open-ended fund that provides financing to deep-tech companies turning breakthrough research into scalable, market-ready technology. More information: www.819-capital.com

Contact

For questions about this announcement: [email protected]

The original press release from 819 Capital Partners can be read here.