Stay up to date on our entrepreneurs, events, research and more. Read our December newsletter here.
During the 56th International Selection Panel in Miami, FL, Endeavor officially marked the selection of a thousand entrepreneurs since 1997. During an intense day of deliberations by groups of expert panelists, two entrepreneurs simultaneously emerged as the thousandth entrepreneurs to be voted in unanimously during their panels. Spain’s Shot & Shop, founded by Sira Pérez de la Coba, and Miami’s Kairos, founded by Brian Brackeen, had the honor of being the milestone selections. Endeavor has now selected and supported 1,030 entrepreneurs from 651 companies across 22 countries.
Founded in 2012, Kairos’ facial recognition API captures the depths and contours of a 2D facial image through 85 points of interest and renders the image as a 3D model to ensure 99% identification accuracy. Even if people change their appearance – by growing a beard or putting on glasses – Kairos’ software will recognize them. The software’s pricing model allows clients to use it for free (for up to 50,000 identifications), and scale the service to meet their specific use requirements and budget. The system delivers fraud management and work automation solutions to clients through 3D facial recognition, one-to-many identification, anti-spoofing, mood detection, gender analysis, security and compliance, mobile authentication and more. Brian and his team have succeeded in raising over $3 million in funding to support the Miami-based company’s growth.
Kairos’ Brian Brackeen during the Miami ISP
“The Endeavor story was intriguing to me from the start. The power of the network, the support, the mentorship, the help with accessing capital, are all a dream for any CEO,” Brian explained. “Endeavor pushes you forward, into markets that you did not before imagine. I’ve been an Endeavor Entrepreneur less than a month, and yet, it’s had a huge impact on our business.”
Across an ocean, Sira founded her Madrid-based company Shot & Shop in 2012 with the vision of inventing the first image recognition and retrieval technology able to identify accurate visual matches in real-time without previous image, pattern, or verbal tags. Shot & Shop’s proprietary technology has a host of commercial applications. In its first application, retail brands and digital advertisers are using Shot & Shop to better understand consumer preferences and improve the relevance and efficacy of targeted marketing, which drives online sales. The technology is especially equipped for real-time digital ad bidding, and is the only visual search technology able to make real-time digital ad recommendations based on a publisher’s visual content.
Shot & Shop’s Sira Pérez de la Coba demonstrating her product
“My experience at the Miami ISP was like a dream: amazing, intense, passionate, unique, exciting, and really rewarding. Meeting so many people with so much talent and global vision was an incredible privilege,” Sira said about her selection. “With Endeavor, I look forward to changing the world as a scientist and Endeavor Entrepreneur, and I look forward to helping future entrepreneurs continue with their legacies.”
Read more about all of the entrepreneurs selected at the 56th Endeavor ISP in Miami by clicking here.