Possessing fast and accurate facial recognition technology, it can identify one in ten million people in just 0.06 seconds.
From financial institutions to mobile ID cards… Over 6 million people have experienced it.
Expanding business areas from non-face-to-face test supervision to unmanned kiosks
Mesacure Company is leading the digital identity verification market for financial institutions and public institutions, leveraging facial recognition technology. Global research firms predict that the digital identity verification market will grow to KRW 142 trillion by 2030.
Starting with Hana Bank, Mesacure Company has supplied facial recognition solutions to major financial institutions, securing the largest reference base in the domestic financial sector. In 2022, it was selected as a mobile driver's license provider by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, solidifying its position as a key player in the nationally recognized digital ID market. Since then, it has expanded into national merit certificates and resident registration cards, with over 6 million cumulative users experiencing Mesacure Company's facial recognition services. Currently, it is expanding its scope to include digital identity verification and mobile ID SaaS.
Mesacure Company has received the Minister of Science and ICT Award and the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Award, and was selected for SK Telecom and Hana Bank's "AI Startup Accelerator 2nd Round" in 2024. Since its establishment in 2020, the company has attracted pre-A investment from Hana Bank and others, securing an additional KRW 8 billion in Series A funding in 2022 and KRW 1.5 billion in a recent bridge round. Aiming for a pre-IPO in 2026, Mesacure Company is expanding its patent applications for facial and biometric authentication technologies and preparing to leap forward as a game-changer in the global facial recognition market.
CEO Lee Ji-hoon has worked in IT strategy planning at Sambu Group's Durunet Shopping, NHN Korea Cyber Payment, and CJ ENM, while co-founder and CTO Song In-mok is leading technology development as a facial recognition AI technology expert.
■World-class facial recognition technology
Mesacure Company's core competitive edge lies in speed and accuracy. It possesses world-class facial recognition technology, capable of identifying one in ten million people in just 0.06 seconds—more than eight times faster than leading global companies. It extracts 512 feature points from eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips as vectors for facial recognition, enabling accurate recognition even when someone is intoxicated or has a different facial expression.
The representative explained, “Facial recognition is a more complex technology than iris recognition, and many companies fail to commercialize it because it is particularly difficult to measure distances and infer changes in facial expressions.” He added, “It is a strategic technology being developed primarily by military powers such as the United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea.”
Mesacure Company has established a robust security system that effectively blocks fraud attempts using photos, videos, and fake biometrics. Instead of comparing facial images, it compares only feature points, and the data is compressed and unrecoverable. Video data is immediately destroyed, and only encrypted feature data is stored, ensuring personal information remains secure. Furthermore, a dual security system has been established: facial recognition templates are split and distributed across multiple servers, and then integrated only during authentication.
■ Used for identity verification in the financial sector
Mesacure Company's core business is a digital identity verification (e-KYC) solution that matches an ID card with a real-life face to verify identity. OCR technology extracts the ID text and compares it with the issuing agency's data to check for forgery. AI then compares the ID photo with a real-time face image to determine identity. Starting with Hana Bank, the solution is expanding to include Shinhan Bank and KB Kookmin Bank. The market is expected to expand further with the Financial Supervisory Service's mandatory biometric authentication policy.
The representative explained, "We have passed the rigorous performance testing of the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) and are participating in mobile driver's license, national merit certificate, and mobile resident registration card projects. We have completed compatibility verification on 13 mobile devices and are expanding our business beyond the financial sector into both the public and private sectors."
■ Participation in the mobile ID business
After being recognized for its facial recognition technology in the financial sector, Mesacure Company expanded its business into the mobile ID business in 2022 when it was selected as a mobile driver's license provider by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Mobile driver's licenses face a rigorous technology validation process. Because they are identification cards, they must undergo rigorous testing to prevent forgery and other counterfeiting. Mesacure Company's solution has proven stable compatibility across 13 mobile devices and a 0.85% forgery and counterfeiting prevention rate. Leveraging this technological prowess, Mesacure Company currently supplies solutions to 24 domestic electronic signature service providers, and has expanded its presence to include resident registration cards, following its work with driver's licenses and national merit certificates.
The representative emphasized the need for offline identity verification, saying, “Digital identity verification is essential online, but when visiting banks or after-sales service centers, we still visually check IDs.” He added, “This process can lead to moral hazard, so we need to expand the digital identity verification system to offline areas.”
Expanding business scope online… Non-face-to-face test monitoring service
Mesacure Company's facial recognition technology is also recognized online. The non-face-to-face exam monitoring service developed by Mesacure Company uses facial recognition to verify identity before the exam begins, and continuously tracks the test taker's face during the exam, detecting any signs of seat displacement, substitution, or suspected cheating in real time.
The non-face-to-face test monitoring service can supervise over 20,000 people simultaneously. It is used in KT's national coding test, the Hanja test, the KBS Korean language proficiency test, and other tests, and its scope is expanding to include university entrance exams and certification exams. Preparations are also underway for expansion into the Japanese and Southeast Asian markets.
Compared to the existing proctoring system, this system is being evaluated as reducing labor costs and enabling more accurate and fair test administration. In particular, it is being evaluated as significantly improving test reliability, with cheating attempts reduced by 75%.
The representative emphasized, "With the increase in remote testing due to COVID-19, preventing cheating has become a critical issue. Previously, proctors observed test takers via cameras, but it was difficult to supervise a large number of test takers simultaneously. Mesacure Company's system uses AI to detect all cheating in real time, enabling more efficient and accurate proctoring."
■ Expanding offline… Unmanned KIOSK facial recognition system
Building on its success in the financial sector and public institutions, Mesacure Company is expanding its business offline. Mesacure Company's unmanned KIOSK solution allows for unmanned access control by verifying identity with just an ID card and facial scan, eliminating the inconvenience of having to hand over your ID.
"Once a patient completes identification at the kiosk, their registration is automatically completed and their medical information is linked. This has the effect of increasing the hospital's operational efficiency and reducing waiting times," the representative explained, explaining the advantages of the unmanned kiosk facial recognition system.
Facial recognition technology is also being applied to construction site safety management systems that automate worker access control and attendance management. Mesacure Company plans to expand its application to unmanned stores and liquor and cigarette vending machines.
■ Growing into a digital identity verification platform
Mesacure Company plans to expand its business into various offline identity verification markets. It plans to enhance security by integrating with carrier pass authentication and develop features to prevent certificate theft. Furthermore, it plans to expand biometric authentication beyond the frontal face to include ear and palm recognition, further enhancing its technology. Starting with the Vietnamese banking sector, it also plans to actively expand into the Southeast Asian market.
This representative predicted that the digital identity verification market will expand further, saying, "As societal transparency increases, the digital identity verification market will expand to finance, public sector, healthcare, trade, and general business, in that order. Demand is particularly growing due to the introduction of telemedicine and the issuance of mobile ID cards. Kiosk-based identity verification is expected to expand its application to unmanned stores, adult verification, and access control. Automobiles will also likely replace smart keys with facial recognition in the future, providing personalized interior environments and linking with AI assistants and payment systems." He also predicted that the identity verification market will grow even further.
■ "I want to contribute to the IT ecosystem with AI technology."
The company's mission, "METSAKUUR," is a portmanteau of the Finnish word for "forest" (mesa) and the Dutch word for "to infuse energy" (kuur), embodying its commitment to contributing to the IT ecosystem through AI technology. CEO Lee explained, "Facial recognition is both an independent, complete technology and a key element that can be integrated with other services. This mission embodies the idea that facial recognition is an ecosystem industry that integrates diverse technologies." He also presented a vision of "growing into a transparent company through a future IPO."
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