Promotional image of ANDOPEN’s SnapPass | Image provided by ANDOPEN
Jayden Lee from ANDOPEN (right) answering questions at the interview
“Our On-Device AI Architecture Eliminates Hacking Vulnerabilities by Keeping Personal Biometric Information Securely in the Hands of the Individual.”
PANGYO, GYEONGGI-DO, SOUTH KOREA, July 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — With rising fears linked to recent cloud server breaches and large-scale data leaks, a security technology startup revolutionizing biometric authentication is capturing significant interest. That company is ANDOPEN Co., Ltd. (CEO Jayden Lee), based in Pangyo Techno Valley, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. Moving away from traditional approaches that store biometric data on centralized servers, ANDOPEN unveiled ‘SnapPass,’ a privacy-first multi-factor biometric authentication solution built on the principle that personal data must belong to and be managed directly by the user, not a server.
Conventional biometric systems, which hold large volumes of personal details on centralized servers accessed via cloud networks, naturally carry a threat of enormous data exposure if compromised. Additionally, when biometric data is stolen, the fallout is severe and permanent, since it cannot be reset like a typical password.
To tackle these systemic weaknesses, ANDOPEN created SnapPass. This all-encompassing solution includes ‘SNAPPIN’ (also referred to as the card-style token ‘Snap’), a physical token carried by the user; ‘SNAPCHECK MOAI’ (also known on-site as SnapCheck), an on-device facial verification terminal; and the integrated SPMS management platform. Users encounter no complicated sign-up or operational steps; they simply look at the terminal and tap their token, captured by the concept “JUST LOOK & TAG.” Once the token is tapped, the terminal instantly performs a 1:1 comparison and analysis between the compressed, encrypted facial data stored inside the token and the live facial images taken by the terminal’s camera.
The key benefit of SnapPass is its complete independence from networks during the authentication process, leaving no biometric traces on the terminal. The facial images captured solely for verification are erased entirely from the device immediately after the check finishes, removing any chance of personal data leaks. Furthermore, unlike conventional 1:N (one-to-many) biometric approaches, where the risk of mistaken identification grows as more users are added, SnapPass conducts exclusive 1:1 matching against the presented token, driving the possibility of false recognition to nearly 0%. ANDOPEN calls its proprietary technology an ‘On-Device AI Physical Access Control Solution.’
The company’s technical prowess has already earned international recognition. It achieved back-to-back CES Innovation Awards, earned an Outstanding Information Security Technology designation from the Ministry of Science and ICT, and became a GLOMO Awards finalist at MWC.
Pangyo Techno Valley met with ANDOPEN CEO Jayden Lee at the Startup Campus to discuss their decentralized security model, strategic business opportunities, and upcoming global plans.
Q1. Could you introduce your company and explain the vision behind it?
A. Our company, ANDOPEN, takes a fundamentally distinct approach to biometric recognition compared to traditional methods. When people think of biometrics, they often imagine a user’s personal data relying on or being housed in a cloud network or a device. In reality, every security weakness in biometrics comes from that exact storage approach. Since conventional systems store data in the cloud, your personal information sits outside your direct oversight, creating built-in vulnerabilities. Users have no way to know if their data is being handled properly or misused. Moreover, if biometric data is ever leaked, it cannot be changed like a password. Because it exists in such a high-risk form, we chose to create a physically separate system called ‘SnapPass’ where the user directly manages all of their personal information.
Q2. So the solution is to put the information back in the user’s hands instead of placing it elsewhere under someone else’s control. How exactly does that function?
A. Our integrated solution is named SnapPass. This system includes a device called ‘SnapCheck’ and a dedicated card-type token called ‘Snap’ that uses AI to compress, encrypt, and store the user’s personal data. To support mobile token scenarios, we also provide it as a QR code. Additionally, the system includes a management platform, SPMS, to oversee all operations. Every piece of personal data resides exclusively on this physical token. When a user taps this token onto the device, the system immediately runs the primary token authentication layer to check whether it is a valid token with access permissions. Once verified as an authorized token, the device starts the secondary authentication layer by capturing the user’s face with its camera and comparing the live camera image to the compressed, encrypted data stored in the token to confirm that the person holding the card is its genuine owner.
Q3. A critical point is that anyone can use a traditional physical key, but this token guarantees that only the rightful owner can use it. What is the advantage of that?
A. Because users always carry their biometric information in a physically separate format, the SnapCheck hardware device stores no personal data. Although it captures a facial image via the camera for face recognition, the process immediately deletes all acquired personal information after verification. Traditional biometric systems unavoidably see a rise in false recognition rates as the user base grows. With our model, the chance of false recognition is eliminated because it always performs a strict 1:1 local matching process. As a result, it avoids false acceptance errors, places no cap on the number of registered users, and requires no network connection. Never sending personal data across a network creates a strong differentiator. That is why we call our SnapPass solution an “On-Device AI Access Control Solution.”
Q4. What are your initial target industries or commercial spaces where you expect this solution to be deployed first?
A. Our main target market is physical access control—the physical security sector. We are concentrating our early efforts on this area. After establishing solid trust and a proven track record there, our aim is to branch into other verticals. A great example is membership management at Costco, which neatly resolves the problem of membership card sharing and unauthorized use with minimal effort. With backing from the Seattle Economic Development Office, we continue to engage with Costco about potential implementation. Additionally, we are already advancing on several fronts. Through our sales pipeline in the United States, we are currently progressing projects for casino memberships and patient registration cards for large-scale US hospitals. At the same time, we finalized a supply agreement to deliver our workforce management solution to a food manufacturing facility in the US, with deployment confirmed for this September.
Q5. That sounds like a major step. Are there any notable deployments or validation projects taking place locally in South Korea?
A. Yes, we are currently moving forward with a significant agreement. We were selected for a demonstration project run by the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) in Korea to apply sustainable development solutions to data centers. Data center security is obviously extremely critical. We are conducting a pilot project to upgrade their security infrastructure with our multi-factor authentication system, which will run until the end of this year. We are also planning a validation project with an international organization to verify the employment credentials of vocational trainees across South America, speeding up our global expansion.
Q6. You mentioned earlier that personal data is not managed in the cloud or on a server. How does the system handle overall management and administrative monitoring if the data is entirely decentralized?
A. Since we do not store personal data on a cloud or server, people often ask how administration works. We manage the system strictly through the token’s hardware serial numbers. A separate layer is built entirely within our SPMS management platform to handle these audit trails and management configurations without touching personal identities.
Q7. Can you share more about your upcoming international roadmap and where your solutions are launching next?
A. Right now, we are receiving partnership requests from a wide range of companies in the United States and in European countries such as Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Portugal. Most security tech firms in Korea tend to start locally, enter the Japanese market, and then gradually pursue global expansion. We took a slightly different route. By participating multiple times in major international platforms like CES and MWC, we proactively identified global partners. For instance, a partner company that bases its operations in Spain and runs parallel branches in Switzerland signed an MOU with us directly on-site at the MWC exhibition floor last March. They are actively promoting our solution across Europe, and we have been invited to present at their upcoming Partners’ Day in Switzerland this September.
Q8. What are your thoughts on Pangyo Techno Valley as an innovation hub for tech companies like ANDOPEN?
A. A few years ago, a Japanese buyer mentioned to me that Pangyo feels like a place where only geniuses gather. He was amazed at how many companies here are successfully commercializing advanced concepts. I strongly agree with that sentiment. The infrastructure, support agencies, and tech enterprises are tightly clustered here to foster rapid technology development. It offers a significant competitive edge over other regions. Furthermore, since the headquarters of South Korea’s leading IT giants are concentrated in the Pangyo and Bundang areas, it is geographically advantageous for recruiting top-tier technical talent.
Q9. What is the ultimate goal for ANDOPEN moving forward?
A. Our ultimate goal is to establish SnapPass as the global standard for secure identity and biometric access control. We are working to reach the global stage, and soon you will see our serverless authentication solutions deployed worldwide, returning data sovereignty to individual users.
Kim Seung Yeon
Gyeonggi Business & Science Accelerator
+82 31-776-4834
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