Oficina de Comunicació

The Barcelona-based Catalan startup Silt has developed an artificial intelligence-based system that verifies a user’s identity in less than six seconds when accessing an app. It eliminates the need to take a photo or scan their ID each time. The aim is to prevent the drop-off of up to 50% of users who fail to register when asked to provide photos of their documentation.

Silt has been a beneficiary of ACCIÓ’s Startup Capital grant, awarded by the Agency for Business Competitiveness of the Department of Business and Knowledge. The startup has received €75,000 to fund activities related to the execution of its initial business plan, such as covering personnel costs, investing in materials and equipment, renting spaces, developing commercialization and communication strategies, and receiving guidance from an ACCIÓ-accredited mentor.

The Catalan startup offers its technology to other companies to act as “a secure verification gateway,” according to one of Silt’s founders, Marc Pérez. “Just as we wouldn’t share our credit card details with any website or app, we believe there should be a repository where data is stored securely. We are like the PayPal of identity verification,” he emphasizes.

Pérez explains that “the idea to create the startup came because, as users, we often found ourselves uploading personal documents to over 10 companies, leaving us unsure who held our personal information or how it was stored.” “Our goal is to ensure users trust a service because it relies on our technology,” he adds.

Users only need to take a photo of their ID and a selfie the first time they access Silt’s verification system. Afterward, they won’t need to repeat the process for any other app using its technology. The startup has developed machine learning algorithms that, using artificial intelligence, can determine through the mobile phone’s camera if the person being verified matches the photo on the ID.

From then on, users only need to log in, and the company can verify their identity in just six seconds without requiring a manual review, a process that can sometimes take over a day. Silt’s solution is aimed at industries such as finance, shared mobility, car rental, real estate, hotel check-ins, trade fairs, and home delivery services.

Founded in late 2019, the company completed its technological development in 2020 during the pandemic and is now in its commercialization phase. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the startup adapted its technology for the hospitality sector to streamline check-in processes and reduce queues. Additionally, it has developed a solution to verify freelancers and companies automatically.