Clear is designed to help customers speed through airport security check-in by getting to the front of the line, but the tech company now sees much broader uses for it, including in retail, online and even in the healthcare industry.
“It just didn’t make sense to me to take a card out of my wallet and show who I am and what I have access to, when biometric authentication would be so much easier.” clear CEO Caryn Seidman Becker told the Post:
The Manhattan-based company operates kiosks in 57 airports around the world, including in the U.S., Germany, Italy, the U.K. and Canada, where customers can skip the usual driver’s license or passport check and opt for an iris or fingerprint scan.
Membership costs $189 per year and is offered as a benefit on some credit cards.
They also have bases in 15 stadiums and arenas across the country. Yankee Stadium, Barclays Center, Madison Square Garden (where MSG CEO James Dolan was controversial for using biometric technology to identify certain people he wanted barred from the venue), and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles County, for example, where members will be able to immediately enter and watch the Rolling Stones in concert next month. You do not need to show the physical ticket.
Clear started as a digital ID startup in 2003, but filed for bankruptcy six years later after its co-founders left. Seidman Becker and Ken Connick, who currently serve as president and CFO, bought the company and relaunched it as a biometric authentication company in 2012.
Seidman Becker said the technology would be easiest to deploy in settings like airports, where people already expect security screening.
“Travel was a natural place to start, especially in the post-9/11 environment – where customer experience, security and identity collide,” the CEO said.
The accelerated security program has already partnered with companies like LinkedIn to allow customers to take a selfie and instantly verify their identity, a process that typically takes nearly a week on other social media platforms.
Similar partnerships have been formed with retail intermediary Publix and online health portal Well Star.
In the future, Clear’s technology could be used in doctor’s offices, where cameras could scan faces and pull stored medical data. The company has already developed the technology and is now focused on applying it in as many ways as possible, the people said.
“Think about clipboards in a medical setting, where you’re filling out the same information every time to prove who you are in the electronic medical record,” Seidman-Becker says.
The company is also working to introduce the technology into retail stores as a way to prevent fraud and speed up the shopping experience.
“Instead of calling a sales associate, you’ll be able to use your face to unlock the glass door at the drug store, which will generate a QR code to pick up your Tylenol,” Seidman Becker said, adding that the company plans to announce retail partners later this year.
While the CEO envisions a future where biometric technology is widespread, the company faces challenges in its core business.
Seidman Becker says Clear’s customer satisfaction is More than 17 million people signed up for the service in 2023, overwhelming existing agents and processes, resulting in reduced demand at airports.
In the best case scenario, a Clear ambassador will greet you as you approach airport security, scan your retina or fingerprint at one of the company’s kiosks, and escort you directly to a TSA officer. You’ll skip all other lines and won’t need to show ID.
But customers have complained about being frequently asked to show identification.
Seidman Becker said those issues have been resolved and will prevent any disruptions to the customer experience. The next technology will scan customers’ faces as they go through the security line, eliminating the need to stop for fingerprints or retina scans.
“We’re moving to face-to-face technology so you don’t lose pace when you go through,” Seidman Becker said. “Your ID stays in your pocket and the system is faster.”
And the company is looking to expand beyond airports and entertainment. Airlines like Delta have introduced digital IDs to allow customers through security, so that will be important at venues too.
“We need to launch this innovation because in 2030, we’re going to have one million more people using the airport,” Seidman-Becker said.
This story is part of “NYNext,” a new editorial series showcasing innovations and those leading the way across industries in New York City.
