PopID Expanding Payment Service Nationwide

The consumer identity authentication service PopID has surpassed the 100-client mark, and has plans to go national.

The company announced on Tuesday (Sept. 7) that more than 100 restaurants and retail brands now accept PopPay, its payment product, on college campuses throughout Southern California. The Pasadena company says it has around 70,000 registered users and has performed more than four million facial authentications.

“Students first enroll for the PopID service in order to get into their housing facilities without needing a key card,” Yale Goldberg, chief operating officer of PopID, said in a news release. “Once those students learn that they can use the same service to purchase food and other goods without having to pay on the day of the purchase, they get addicted to PopPay as a more convenient, fun and financially flexible way to pay. Students that use the service repeatedly are floated larger amounts of capital, helping them better manage their cash flow and avoid overdraft fees on their debit cards.”

Based on its success in Southern California, PopID is planning to expand to campuses around the country over the next 18 months, deploying its PopEntry offering in student housing before rolling it out to nearby businesses.

The company says this quick spread was powered by the closing of a $10 million Series B earlier this summer. Investors included Cali Group, The Wasserstrom Company and the SoftBank subsidiary Japan Computer Vision.

“The PopID system is incredibly easy to enroll in, and makes face-based transactions for building entry and payment faster and more convenient. This convenience results in a very high frequency of use,” said Andrew Schwabecher, CEO of Japan Computer Vision Corp. “We are excited about the future and the opportunity to expand the system internationally.”

The company says PopPay can benefit small businesses and larger chains, helping to reduce processing fees, speed up transactions and give brands new ways to interact with customers. “For the first time, marketing teams can use payment as an interactive, branded experience that drives consumer engagement,” the company said.

Read more: Is Dining out at Risk of Dying out, at Least for the Time Being?

According to PopID, its product has also helped restaurants deal with the pandemic. As PYMNTS reported last year, the company has expanded the role of its digital face scanner by adding computer vision and a heat sensor to enable contactless temperature screenings for restaurant workers and customers.