BlackPeak Capital Leads $35M Series B Investment in Alcatraz - a Leader in Facial Biometric Authentication for Physical Access Control
The investment is part of a $35 million Series B round co-led by BlackPeak Capital, Cogito Capital, and Taiwania Capital, with participation from existing investors including Almaz Capital, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Ray Stata, and others. The company has also secured an additional $15 million commitment from other investors. With this transaction, Alcatraz has raised more than $100 million in total funding since its founding.
The investment is among the final commitments of BlackPeak Southeast Europe Growth Equity Fund I - a fund built around a clear thesis: backing fast-growing companies from Southeast and Central Europe with global potential and clear leadership in their category. The new funding will support the rapidly growing demand for secure, effortless biometric access and will be directed toward accelerating product innovation, expanding into new global markets, and scaling the team.
Alcatraz was founded in 2016 by Vince Gaydarzhiev, a former Apple engineer who led hardware prototyping for iPad and iPhone during the development of Face ID. The company replaces outdated access credentials — badges, PINs, and mobile passes — with privacy-first, AI-powered facial authentication. Alcatraz is the market leader in physical access control for AI infrastructure, trusted by Fortune 500 companies, including 7 of the top 10 U.S. AI hyperscalers.
said Ivailo Gospodinov, Managing Partner at BlackPeak Capital. "The company addresses a critical challenge for the modern digital economy — securing the physical infrastructure behind AI and cloud technologies. With its technology, strong team, and clear market positioning, Alcatraz is well placed to define the standards in this segment."
Gospodinov added that the investment aligns fully with BlackPeak Capital's strategy of supporting globally scalable companies from the region. "At BlackPeak, we look for exactly these kinds of companies — deep technological expertise, a validated product, and the ability to scale internationally. We are pleased to partner with the Alcatraz team in the next phase of their growth."
Data centers are the physical backbone of the AI economy, housing GPU clusters, proprietary models, and highly sensitive data. Global AI spending is projected to surpass $632 billion by 2028, while McKinsey estimates global data center capacity demand could grow to nearly six times 2020 levels as AI adoption accelerates. As this infrastructure scales, protecting it has become mission-critical.
said Tina D’Agostin, CEO of Alcatraz.
As AI infrastructure becomes more valuable, it also becomes a bigger target. Badges and PINs are easy to steal, share, or spoof. Security leaders need a stronger, seamless, and privacy-first approach to protecting the systems that matter most, and that’s why the companies building the AI economy are moving toward identity-based access.”
Research shows that 81% of data breaches involve compromised credentials. Unlike badges or phones that can be lost or stolen, or PINs that can be shared, a person's face is a unique credential that is always with them. Alcatraz verifies access in real time using anonymized, non-reversible templates, without collecting personally identifiable information (PII), and gives users full control through transparent, opt-in enrollment. Alcatraz is designed for enterprise scale, enabling rapid enrollment of tens of thousands of users and helping organizations meet global compliance requirements, including GDPR, CCPA, and BIPA.
The company is on track for its strongest year to date, highlighted by 200% year-over-year growth in new enterprise customers, more than 5x expansion across Fortune 500 deployments, and over 300% year-over-year growth in data center adoption during 2025. Alcatraz customers include Fortune 100 campuses, data centers, financial institutions, airports, universities, stadiums, R&D facilities, and other critical infrastructure.
With this investment, BlackPeak Capital reinforces its position as a partner for companies setting new standards on a global scale.