Illuma Labs Closes $9M Series-A to Accelerate Innovation and Battle Emerging Fraud Threats Targeting Banking Institutions

Rhea-AI Summary

Illuma Labs, a leader in voice authentication technology for banking contact centers, has secured $9 million in Series A funding led by LiveOak Ventures, with participation from several other investors. This investment will accelerate the development of Illuma's voice verification solutions, addressing threats like fraud, voice cloning, and deep fakes.

The funding will also help expand Illuma's reach to more credit unions and banks nationwide. Early adopters TDECU and Connexus Credit Unions have reported significant benefits, including shortened call times by one minute on average and improved member service experience. Illuma has been recognized for its innovations in fraud prevention and AI technology, winning the CreditUnions.com award and being listed in Dallas Innovates' AI 75.

Positive

• Secured $9 million in Series A funding to accelerate product development and expansion
• Recognized for innovations in fraud prevention, winning the CreditUnions.com award
• Listed in Dallas Innovates' AI 75 for pioneering work in artificial intelligence
• Early adopters report shortened call times by one minute on average, reducing operational expenses
• Hired Amy Travers, former Regional VP of Security and Biometrics at Nuance, to scale sales efforts

Negative

• None.

Financial Analyst

Illuma Labs' $9 million Series A funding is a significant milestone for the voice authentication technology company. This capital injection will fuel their R&D efforts in fraud prevention and deep fake detection, potentially positioning them as a leader in the fintech security space. The involvement of notable investors like LiveOak Ventures and Forefront Venture Partners adds credibility and brings valuable industry connections. Key financial implications:

• Increased market reach to more credit unions and banks nationwide
• Potential for revenue growth through expanded customer base
• Improved operational efficiency for clients, with Connexus Credit Union reporting average call time reduction of one minute, translating to significant cost savings

While the funding round is promising, investors should monitor Illuma's ability to scale operations and capture market share in the competitive fintech security sector.

Tech Expert

Illuma Labs' focus on voice biometric authentication addresses a critical need in the banking sector. Their technology tackles emerging threats like voice cloning and deep fakes, which are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Key technological aspects:

• State-of-the-art voice biometrics accessible to financial institutions of all sizes
• Integration of AI for fraud prevention, as evidenced by their AI 75 recognition
• Streamlined authentication process, eliminating traditional out-of-wallet questions

The addition of Amy Travers, with her experience from Nuance, could accelerate Illuma's sales efforts and technology adoption. However, the rapidly evolving nature of AI and fraud techniques means Illuma must continually innovate to stay ahead of threats.

Market Research Analyst

Illuma Labs is positioning itself well in the growing voice authentication market for financial institutions. The $9 million funding round indicates strong investor confidence in their technology and market potential. Market insights:

• Increasing demand for fraud prevention solutions in banking, especially against sophisticated threats like deep fakes
• Growing adoption of voice biometrics in customer service to enhance security and user experience
• Potential for market expansion beyond credit unions to larger banking institutions

The company's focus on making advanced technology accessible to smaller financial institutions could be a key differentiator. However, competition in this space is likely to intensify as larger tech companies also develop similar solutions. Illuma's success will depend on their ability to maintain technological edge and expand their client base rapidly.

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Illuma Labs, a leader in voice authentication technology for banking contact centers, has secured $9 million in Series A funding led by LiveOak Ventures, with participation from Forefront Venture Partners, Curql Fund, UsNet, Capital Factory, Connexus, and TDECU. This investment will accelerate the development of Illuma’s voice verification solutions, addressing threats like fraud, voice cloning, and deep fakes and expanding its reach to more credit unions and banks nationwide.

Illuma founder and CEO, Milind Borkar, recognized the significance of the latest additions to the list of investors committed to the company’s growth. “While we are excited about the capital infusion to accelerate our development of fraud prevention and deep fake detection tools, we are equally excited about bringing in new partners to fuel Illuma’s continued commercial growth. LiveOak Ventures and Forefront Venture Partners bring invaluable operating expertise and industry connections to help Illuma scale to the next level. And we are deeply appreciative of the continued support from Curql Fund, UsNet, Capital Factory, Connexus, and TDECU.”

With a diverse career that stretches over 27 years, Jeremy Whittington, CTO, has excelled in roles ranging from developer and architect to journalist, advisor, and serial entrepreneur. Under Jeremy’s leadership, the Illuma team has successfully converted innovations in voice biometric authentication into state-of-the-art products that are easy for financial institutions of all sizes to operationalize. “My career started in customer service, and that has been a primary driver for the past 20 years. It’s exciting to work on technology that can reduce fraud and improve the customer experience at the same time. A rare achievement.”

Venu Shamapant, Founding Partner at LiveOak Ventures, offered his perspective on the benefits of partnering with Illuma. “With Illuma’s position in the Fintech sector as a provider that delivers state-of-the-art voice biometrics accessible for financial institutions of all sizes, there is a clear growth path to becoming the preferred provider of voice authentication and fraud prevention solutions in this space.”

TDECU and Connexus Credit Unions were early adopters of Illuma’s Fintech solution. Both are continuing their support in this latest round of funding. Chad Rogers, Executive VP and COO at Connexus, spoke about the long-term benefits of having voice authentication in place. “Too often, adoption of increased security measures results in less convenient, less pleasant member service interactions. That said, our collaborative four-year Illuma partnership and our strong track record with their innovative Illuma Shield voice biometric technology have proven just the opposite. Not only are we doing more to mitigate fraud while ensuring the safety of our members’ data and assets, but we’ve streamlined their member service experience by eliminating traditional, often burdensome, out-of-wallet authentication questions. With Illuma Shield, we’ve shortened individual call times by one minute on average, significantly reducing our operational expenses, and affording our members and employees a much more engaging, efficient, and secure experience.”

The Illuma team was celebrated in 2024 for Innovations in Fraud, winning the CreditUnions.com award in the fraud category. This accolade was followed by recognition of the company’s leadership in the inaugural list of AI 75 by Dallas Innovates for pioneering work in artificial intelligence.

The latest addition to the Illuma team, Amy Travers, is another significant win for the organization. Travers, formerly Regional VP of Security and Biometrics at Nuance, joined Illuma this year to systemize and scale the sales effort across the U.S. “It’s an exciting move to be embedded with a team that is innovating so rapidly to address emerging threats in fraud, and making voice biometric technology affordable for community banks and credit unions,” said Travers.

About Illuma Labs

Illuma Labs is a Fintech company headquartered in Plano, Texas. The organization’s flagship product, Illuma Shield™, replaces traditional knowledge-based authentication practices with an effortless and secure real-time voice authentication solution to enhance caller experience, improve operational efficiency, and prevent fraud in credit union and community bank contact centers. For more information, visit https://illuma.cx.

About LiveOak Venture Partners

LiveOak Venture Partners is a venture capital fund based in Austin, Texas. With over 23 years of successful venture investing in Texas, the founders of LiveOak have helped create nearly $5 billion of enterprise value. While almost all of LiveOak’s investments begin in the early stages, LiveOak is a complete life cycle investor focused on technology and technology-enabled service companies. With nearly $500M under management, LiveOak Venture Partners has led investments in 60 high-growth Texas-based companies, including DISCO (NYSE: LAW), Eventus, OJO Labs, AmplifAI, Homeward, Take Command Health, and Osano. Recognized as the Venture Capital Firm of the Year in Austin at the 2022 inaugural A-List awards by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, LiveOak is dedicated to supporting local founders, fostering the next generation of leaders, and building category-dominating companies. To learn more, visit https://liveoak.vc/.

About Forefront Venture Partners

Forefront Venture Partners was co-founded by Phil Nadel in 2014 and has invested more than $100M in more than 200 startups. The fund invests in high-growth, revenue-generating, early-stage companies led by amazing founders. To learn more about Forefront, visit https://forefrontvp.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240910032614/en/

Milind Borkar

1-972-217-7106

info@illuma.cx

Source: Illuma Labs

FAQ

How much Series A funding did Illuma Labs raise in 2024?

Illuma Labs raised $9 million in Series A funding in 2024, led by LiveOak Ventures with participation from several other investors.

What technology does Illuma Labs specialize in for banking contact centers?

Illuma Labs specializes in voice authentication technology for banking contact centers, focusing on fraud prevention, voice cloning detection, and deep fake detection.

What benefits have early adopters of Illuma Labs' technology reported?

Early adopters like TDECU and Connexus Credit Unions have reported shortened call times by one minute on average, reduced operational expenses, and improved member service experience.

What recent awards or recognitions has Illuma Labs received?

Illuma Labs won the CreditUnions.com award in the fraud category and was listed in Dallas Innovates' inaugural AI 75 for pioneering work in artificial intelligence.