TECHNOLOGY

Biometric security company Clear opens North Austin office

Nicole Cobler
ncobler@statesman.com
Austin, Texas, on Saturday May 12, 2018. JAY JANNER / AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Clear, a New York-based biometric identity company, opened a new hub in North Austin on Monday, promising to bring 30 new jobs to the area.

Clear provides security screenings at sports venues and airport security checkpoints in 26 cities, including Austin, using a fingerprint or iris scan. The company is a partner of Major League Baseball, which allows sports fans to use their fingerprints to enter a ballpark, according to Clear's website. The company also operates two checkpoint lanes at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Opportunity Austin, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce’s economic development initiative, announced plans for the new hub in a Monday news release.

"With its innovative use of biometric technology, Clear is a natural fit in Austin's tech-friendly environment," Charisse Bodisch, the chamber’s senior vice president for economic development, said in a written statement. "Clear joins a multitude of companies that are attracted to our region's talent and potential.”

Clear’s Austin hub is its first corporate development office outside of New York and will develop new technologies for airport and stadiums.

The company, which currently has more than 25 employees, expects to bring 30 new jobs to Austin, according to the chamber. Clear's Austin office will be near the Domain development in North Austin.

"Clear uses biometrics to get members past lines with just the touch of a finger or blink of an eye, reflecting the growing demand for our innovative technology and consumers' desire for safer and easier travel throughout their lives," Clear president and co-founder Ken Cornick said. "The opening of our hub office in Austin allows us to deepen our roots in this vibrant and leading technology community and to build our team to help us create the future."