Alcatraz Secures $50 Million Series B to Scale Privacy-First AI Access Control for Critical Infrastructure

New updates have been reported about Alcatraz.

Alcatraz, a Cupertino-based physical security startup, has raised $50 million in a Series B round to accelerate global deployment of its AI-powered access control platform that authenticates employees without storing facial images. The funding, led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital, brings total capital raised to over $100 million and positions Alcatraz to deepen its footprint across data centers, airports, and large enterprises.

The company’s flagship product, the Rock™, uses facial authentication at entry points to confirm identity as individuals walk past, eliminating badges and PINs while avoiding the surveillance-style facial recognition models that store photos and create breach-prone data repositories. CEO Tina D’Agostin and founder Vince Gaydarzhiev emphasize that the system is designed to be privacy-by-default, with no photographs stored, voluntary enrollment, and built-in compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and BIPA, addressing growing regulatory and workforce scrutiny.

Alcatraz reported in 2025 that data center deployments grew more than 300% year over year, enterprise customer additions rose 200%, and Fortune 500 rollouts expanded fivefold, underscoring strong pull from operators of the world’s largest AI data centers and other mission-critical facilities. These customers view physical access control as a strategic risk layer as AI infrastructure spending surges and regulators increasingly focus on both cyber and physical perimeter security.

The company is also moving aggressively into aviation and other regulated sectors; earlier this year, Safe Skies, funded by the FAA, certified the Rock™ as reliable and secure for high-security airport environments, opening a sizable new market segment. Proceeds from the Series B will fund expansion into new verticals and international markets, as well as team growth, with management signaling that 2026 is expected to be the firm’s strongest year yet in terms of deployments and revenue traction.

Strategically, Alcatraz is positioning itself as the “Face ID for physical spaces,” using on-device intelligence to continuously learn and adapt while avoiding long-term biometric storage that heightens legal and reputational risk for corporate customers. Investor Ray Stata notes that enterprises are shifting from plastic badges and static photos toward person-centric authentication that aligns with both modern threat models and tightening privacy regulation. For executives overseeing data center, airport, or critical infrastructure portfolios, Alcatraz’s model offers a path to upgrade legacy access systems, reduce fraud and tailgating risks, and mitigate exposure to biometric data liabilities.

The market backdrop is favorable: global AI data center buildout is driving sustained growth in physical security spending, and boards are increasingly treating access control as a compliance and resilience issue rather than a facilities line item. With over $100 million in total funding, rapid multi-sector adoption, and regulatory-aligned technology, Alcatraz is emerging as a key vendor in next-generation physical security, creating potential upside for investors and partners as it scales into new geographies and highly regulated industries.