The financing was led by TeleSoft Partners and closed today with a final investment from Qualcomm Ventures, a leader in chipsets for mobile handsets.  Other key investors include: VentureTech Alliance, Ram Shriram (helped build Google, Netscape, and Junglee, which was acquired by Amazon), Marc Benioff (Founder, CEO and Chairman of SalesForce.com, and Atiq Raza (Founder, CEO and Chairman of Raza Microelectronics and former CEO of Nextgen, which was acquired by AMD).

“We were delighted the financing was over-subscribed with exceptionally high-quality investors,” said Jalil Shaikh, CEO of Validity Sensors.  “Our investors, including Qualcomm and VentureTech, are key business partners for Validity, as they bring significant knowledge, experience, and industry relationships.”

Validity’s line of durable LiveFlex(TM) fingerprint sensors eliminates the need to remember multiple usernames and passwords by allowing users to simply swipe their finger over a durable plastic surface.  The LiveFlex sensor overcomes the concerns associated with traditional silicon fingerprint sensors by protecting the silicon from the user.  The only exposed area is the durable surface of the Validity sensor providing superior resistance to ESD, harsh chemicals, abrasion, and impact; all of which are critical factors for notebook use in real world environments.

“Validity’s next generation sensors offer best-of-breed durability and convenient security,” said Karthee Madasamy, Senior Manager of Business Development at Qualcomm Ventures.  “Their sensors are poised to take off as mobile handsets standardize on biometric technology.”

“Validity understands how to productize high volume silicon based products while maintaining high yield”, stated Dr. Patrick Chang of VentureTech Alliance.  “We are excited to be involved with Validity.  We believe they are a world class technology leader in the emerging market of biometrics.”