adesso ventures invests in passkeys start-up Hanko
Venture capital: adesso ventures supports early stage start-up
Berlin/Kiel, 15 May 2023 – adesso ventures, the venture capital arm of the adesso Group, is investing in passkeys start-up Hanko. A new way to sign in that works completely without passwords, passkeys enable easy and secure access to apps, accounts and websites.
Passkeys are considered to be the authentication method of the future. They use 2-factor authentication, which combines a biometric feature (fingerprints, facial recognition) and proof-of-possession (mobile phone, hardware token). As such, this technology does away with cumbersome and risky passwords. The use of passkeys is becoming more and more widespread. At the beginning of May this year, Google announced that passkeys can now be used as a way to log into Google accounts.
adesso ventures sees tremendous market potential in passkeys and is investing a single-digit million figure in the start-up Hanko, together with existing investors High-Tech Gründerfonds, Smart Infrastructure Ventures, PAYONE founders Carl Frederic Zitscher and Jan Kanieß, as well as Intershop co-founder Roland Fassauer. Hanko specialises in login and authentication solutions such as passkeys, passcodes, FIDO Security Keys, mobile app biometrics and OAuth login. The company offers an open-source solution that is particularly developer-friendly and can be integrated in a matter of minutes. The Kiel-based start-up is a member of the FIDO Alliance, the industry association dedicated to the development of authentication standards, whose members include the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), Google and Apple.
The stake in Hanko is the latest investment by adesso ventures in B2B technology start-ups. “We are constantly scanning the start-up scene for interesting companies that are still at an early stage,” says Malte Unger, Managing Director at adesso ventures GmbH. “Our focus is on promising European tech start-ups that are deeply integrated in the industries relevant to adesso. The strong team and the promising solution are turning the vision of a passwordless internet into reality.”
“In adesso ventures, we have found an investor that is a perfect fit for us for many reasons,” says Felix Magedanz, founder and CEO of Hanko. “adesso is an established player in the IT business. It is considered a technology pioneer and also boasts a high-calibre customer base and an excellent partner network including tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and AWS. Together, we can take passkeys technology to the next level.”
The press release is available at www.adesso.de/en/news/presse.
adesso
adesso is one of the leading IT service providers in the German-speaking area and focuses its consulting and software development activities on the core business processes of companies and public authorities. adesso’s strategy is based on three pillars: the comprehensive industry-specific know-how of its staff, extensive expertise in technology that is independent of manufacturers and the application of reliable methods in software implementation projects. adesso delivers the right IT solutions to increase the ability of companies and organisations to compete in the core sectors of insurance/reinsurance, banking and financial services, healthcare and life sciences, energy supply, public administration, automotive and manufacturing industry, trade, transport, media, entertainment and lottery.
adesso was founded in Dortmund in 1997 and the adesso Group currently employs more than 8,000 people (full-time equivalents). adesso’s shares are listed on the Prime Standard/SDAX. The Group has key customers in the banking segment (including Commerzbank, KfW, DZ Bank, Helaba, Union Investment, BayernLB and DekaBank), the insurance segment (including Munich Re, Hannover Re, DEVK, DAK, Zurich Versicherung, Medizinischer Dienst der Krankenversicherung (MDK-IT)) and numerous other sectors (Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, Westdeutsche Lotterie, Swisslos, DZR Deutsches Zahnärztliches Rechenzentrum, TÜV Rheinland, REWAG, the Procurement Agency of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Beschaffungsamt des BMI) and the Bavarian State Ministry of Justice (Bayerisches Staatsministerium der Justiz).
More information is available at www.adesso.de and:
Company blog: https://www.adesso.de/en/news/blog/index.jsp
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adesso_SE
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/adessoSE
adesso ventures
adesso ventures is the venture capital arm of the adesso Group focusing on early-stage B2B startups. In addition to financial resources, adesso ventures brings in the strength of the adesso Group and supports startups with development capacities as well as market access. The portfolio of adesso ventures currently comprises 14 startups and covers various verticals, such as cyber security, health and sports, among others.
For more information, visit https://www.adesso-ventures.com and:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/adesso-ventures
Press contact
adesso SE
Eva Wiedemann
Munich office
Streitfeldstr. 25
81673 Munich
Germany
Tel.: +49-162-2921282
eva.wiedemann@adesso.de
www.adesso.de
adesso PR agency
PR-COM GmbH
Jessica Hocke
Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 6
80336 Munich
Germany
Tel.: +49-89-59997-764
jessica.hocke@pr-com.de
www.pr-com.de