NtechLab

Initially, NtechLab launched a consumer-facing service called FindFace in 2016, which allowed users to find people on the social network VKontakte using a photograph. The service rapidly gained over a million users but also generated controversy regarding privacy. By 2018, the company pivoted from this consumer application to focus on providing its technology as a B2B and B2G solution for security and commercial purposes. Both founders, Kukharenko and Kabakov, resigned from the company in late 2021 and early 2022, citing disagreements with management and investors over the company's direction.

The company's core offering is the FindFace Multi platform, a multi-object video analytics solution that processes video streams to recognize faces, human silhouettes, actions, and vehicles. This technology operates by detecting objects in video, extracting biometric templates, and comparing them against large databases in under a second. Key features include identifying individuals even when wearing masks, glasses, or headgear, and analyzing attributes like age, gender, and emotion. The platform also includes vehicle recognition, identifying make, model, color, and license plates, and a "Liveness" feature to prevent spoofing with photos or videos. NtechLab's business model is centered on selling its software and licensing its technology to a diverse client base that spans government and commercial sectors. Clients include government bodies for "smart city" security projects, transportation authorities for monitoring, and retail businesses for applications like shoplifter prevention and customer analytics. Revenue is generated through these contracts and partnerships, with projects implemented in over 30 countries.

NtechLab has secured significant funding, including a $1.5 million seed round in 2017 and a $15 million Series B round in 2020, with investors including the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Mubadala. The company's technology has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and has received numerous awards, including a G20 Innovation League award in 2021.