Invixium is a small-medium enterprise (SME) based in Toronto, ON. Founded in 2012, the company designs and manufactures future- focused biometric solutions to promote safety, security and wellness in the workplace. A collective experience of more than 200 years in biometrics, combined with a “Made in Canada” quality, makes Invixium the go-to brand for high- quality access control, workforce management and workplace wellness solutions.
The Problem
On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization announced COVID-19 a pandemic. This caused an overnight decline in the demand for the fingerprint biometric market but greatly accelerated the adoption of touchless technologies in offices across the globe.
For Invixium, the pandemic was a business game changer. In 2019, 90-percent of its revenues had come from fingerprint-based biometrics. If the SME was to survive the pandemic, it needed to pivot to a touchless solution, and fast. Invixium had already done early-stage research and development on facial recognition that it knew could help Canada and the rest of the world get through the crisis. The pandemic was the catalyst the company needed to re-prioritize its biometrics research and focus on developing relevant enhancements for its touchless biometrics portfolio.
The Pivot
Invixium had the foresight to know that locking the country down was one thing, but convincing folks to come back to work would also be a challenge. This meant that it needed to think beyond touchless access as a security measure. It needed to consider how the company could help employers adapt to new health regulations, while also assuring workers that their health and wellbeing would be protected.
Invixium connected with the Digital Supercluster through the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). BDC recognized that the collaborative innovation model of the Digital Supercluster would meet the SME’s requirements to:
- Mobilize investment to support rapid digital innovation
- Connect with strategic partners that could fill technology requirement gaps and expedite the global commercialization of their solutions
- Help Canada and the rest of the world adapt to the pandemic crisis
Led by Invixium in partnership with Invent Canada, MARA Technologies and Manawa Networks, the HEALTHYACCESS project was born.
The HEALTHYACCESS Solution
HEALTHYACCESS brings together industry- leading face-recognition technology, thermagraphical imaging, detection technology for vital signs like heart rate and respiration levels, and artificial intelligence to process the data. The HEALTHYACCESS scanning system replaces cards, PINs and fingerprints with touchless facial recognition and automated mask checks at critical entry and exit points in the workplace. Health data is also collected and logged through automated temperature screening, eliminating the need for manual temperature checks and helping employers meet health mandates. In addition to flagging people with potential COVID-19 symptoms before they enter the workplace environment, algorithms are also being developed to allow contact tracing.
“Invixium grew its revenues over 15-percent from 2019 to 2020 and is on track to continue this momentum. Our global headcount has grown by over 30-percent, and we’ll be at 80 employees before the end of the year, with 25 of those based in Canada. The strategic partnerships we have made through this unique collaboration opportunity helped us bring to market homegrown Canadian technology aimed at creating a healthy access solution for global businesses to ensure the safety of their workplace — we will continue to work together way beyond this project.”
– Shiraz Kapadia, CEO & President, Invixium
Measurable Results
The Digital Supercluster was able to help Invixium pivot quickly and take advantage of the business opportunity presented by the global pandemic. It provided a fast track to the funding and strategic technology partnerships the SME needed to successfully shift its business strategy from fingerprint biometrics to facial biometrics and automated health diagnostics in less than three months. 90-percent of Invixium’s revenues are now coming from the HEALTHYACCESS solution that is integrated into the building management systems of global companies such as Honeywell, Carrier Global and Gallagher.
HEALTHYACCESS has paved the path to creating a new category in the access industry, known as healthy access. There is no other product like this currently in the market. Nine new Canadian IP assets have been created through the project.
Next steps include making HEALTHYACCESS a mobile solution and migrating the software management platform to the Cloud. Invixium is currently exploring how HEALTHYACCESS can be further adapted to read various QR codes and make the management and tracking of large volumes of ticketed individuals found at airports, sports and entertainment venues safer and more efficient.