San Francisco: Online rental marketplace 2nd Address is partnering with identity verification specialist Onfido to build an even greater sense of trust in its booking experience.
The former, an Airbnb-style startup, provides furnished, long-term rental accommodation for business travellers in the US. With the news emerging of this latest partnership, Onfido’s facial recognition and document verification technology will enable the company to verify the identities of new renters when they book and protect hosts against fraud.
The verification process works by renters taking a selfie and a photo of their relevant identity documents, while Onfido’s technology checks to see if they are legitimate and not fraudulent.
Onfido CEO and co-founder, Husayn Kassai, said: “As the rentals market gets ever more popular, with millions of online transactions happening every month, it’s hard to know if your customers are who they claim to be. We bring trust to digital interactions worldwide and pride ourselves in delivering an experience that’s as rapid as it is robust.”
2nd Address CEO Chung-Man Tam said: “2nd Address is committed to making sure that not only do our guest have a modern booking process, but that our hosts receive high-quality guests. Onfido helps us deliver a smooth user experience while also creating the trust and safety that’s crucial to our community.”
The news comes a matter of weeks after Onfido announced a partnership with France-based identity solutions company Idemia as part of its expansion plans in Europe.
It has also partnered with firms such as Zipcar and Revolut; the latter providing verification checks in over 190 countries around the world.
Onfido has also raised a total of $60.3 million in funding, with Crane Venture Partners, Microsoft Ventures and Salesforce Ventures among its most recent investors.
Meanwhile, Airbnb-style business traveller startup 2nd Address received $10 million in funding from GV and Foundation Capital at the start of the month.
