SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- deepidv, the AI-native identity verification and anti-fraud platform, today announced the close of its $1M seed round as the company simultaneously expands operations to San Francisco and launches a new suite of advanced fraud detection tools. The milestones mark a pivotal moment for the two-time-exited founding team as they scale a platform designed to protect businesses from deepfakes, synthetic identity fraud, and document forgery.
$1M Seed Round: Fueling the Next Phase of AI-Driven Identity Security
The seed round will accelerate deepidv’s product development, expand its go-to-market operations across the United States, and grow the company’s engineering and sales teams in Toronto, San Francisco, and Dallas. The funding comes as global demand for identity verification and fraud prevention technology reaches record levels, driven by the rapid proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic identities.
“This round isn’t just about capital — it’s about conviction,” said Shawn-Marc Melo, Founder and CEO of deepidv. “We’ve built a platform that doesn’t just verify identity — it actively detects and prevents fraud at every layer, from deepfake selfies to manipulated bank statements. The seed round gives us the runway to bring this technology to every business that needs it, from San Francisco to the rest of North America.”
San Francisco Expansion: From Toronto Startup to Cross-Border AI Company
deepidv’s expansion to San Francisco positions the company at the center of North America’s AI and fintech ecosystems. The move gives deepidv direct access to enterprise customers in financial services, proptech, hospitality, and iGaming — industries where identity fraud is accelerating fastest.
“The Bay Area is where the biggest identity and fraud challenges are being solved,” said Joey Chan, COO of deepidv. “Moving here puts us closer to the partners, customers, and talent that will help us scale. Toronto gave us our engineering DNA — San Francisco gives us the stage to compete globally.”
The company will maintain its Toronto headquarters as its primary engineering hub, with San Francisco serving as the center for business development, partnerships, and U.S. market expansion. deepidv also operates out of Dallas, giving it a tri-city footprint across two countries.
New AI Fraud Detection Suite: Combating Deepfakes, Synthetic IDs, and Document Fraud
Alongside the funding and expansion, deepidv is launching a comprehensive suite of AI powered fraud detection tools. The new capabilities include advanced deepfake and synthetic media detection, AI-driven document intelligence that identifies forged documents in real time, biometric liveness detection, real-time transaction risk scoring with sub-150-millisecond response times, and multi-agent AI compliance monitoring for AML, KYC, and CFT requirements.
“The fraud landscape has fundamentally shifted,” said Omar Tahir, CTO of deepidv. “Generative AI has made it trivially easy to produce fake IDs, synthetic faces, and manipulated financial documents. Our fraud suite is purpose-built to counter these threats with AI that’s trained specifically to detect AI-generated content. We’re not retrofitting old technology — we’re building from the ground up for a post-deepfake world.”
The platform also includes deepidv’s proprietary physical identity verification device, deepcam — an 8-inch tabletop unit that performs in-person identity verification and access control in under 3.2 seconds. The device is designed for small and mid-sized businesses including hotels, gyms, liquor stores, and casinos, and incorporates the same anti-deepfake and fraud detection capabilities as the company’s digital platform.
Building the Future of Identity Security
“Every line of code, every model, every piece of hardware — it’s all built in-house,” said Luka Piplica, Head of Development at deepidv. “That’s what allows us to ship faster, adapt to new fraud vectors in real time, and maintain full control over the security of our platform. We’re not dependent on third-party APIs or legacy infrastructure — we own the entire stack.”
With the seed round closed, the San Francisco office operational, and the new fraud suite live, deepidv is positioned to become a leading player in the AI-native identity verification and anti fraud space. The company is actively onboarding customers in fintech, proptech, hospitality, HR, and iGaming verticals across North America.
“We believe every person will eventually have a personal AI agent, and every AI agent will need a verified identity,” Melo added. “deepidv is building the trust infrastructure for that future. This seed round is step one.”
For more information, visit https://www.deepidv.com
About deepidv
deepidv is an AI-native identity verification, compliance, and anti-fraud platform headquartered in Toronto with offices in San Francisco and Dallas. Founded by two-time exited entrepreneur Shawn-Marc Melo, deepidv serves businesses in fintech, proptech, hospitality, HR, and iGaming with real-time identity verification, deepfake detection, and compliance automation.
Media Contact:
Deep Identity Inc. | press@deepidv.com | deepidv.com
Media Contact: Deep Identity Inc. | press@deepidv.com | deepidv.com
