# Ajay Amlani

> Ajay Amlani is President and CEO of Aware, Inc., a Burlington, Massachusetts biometrics company. He co-founded the company that became CLEAR, founded YOU Technology (acquired by Kroger), helped launch the Defense Innovation Unit, served as a White House Fellow at the early Department of Homeland Security, and led the Americas for iProov before taking the top job at Aware in February 2025.

- **Role:** President and CEO at Aware, Inc.
- **Organizations:** Aware, Inc., iProov, IDEMIA, Defense Innovation Unit, Department of Homeland Security, CLEAR, YOU Technology, General Motors, PwC, Baxter International, CSX Transportation
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, University of Michigan, Master's degree, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan
- **Known for:** Co-founded the company that became CLEAR (12M+ members, 43 airports), Founded YOU Technology, acquired by Kroger, Helped launch the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for the Department of Defense

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Selected as a White House Fellow under President George W. Bush; Senior Policy Advisor to DHS Secretary Tom Ridge during the founding year of the Department of Homeland Security
- **2003-2010** — Co-founded the original company that became CLEAR, the airport identity-verification service
- **2010s** — Founded YOU Technology, a mobile-first retail loyalty platform later acquired by Kroger
- **2016-2019** — Helped launch the Defense Innovation Unit under Secretaries Ash Carter and James Mattis
- **2019-2021** — SVP Corporate Strategy and Development and GM of Commercial Business at IDEMIA
- **2022-2024** — SVP, Head of Americas at iProov
- **2025-02-04** — Appointed President and CEO of Aware, Inc., succeeding Robert Eckel

## Achievements

- Co-founded the company that became CLEAR (12M+ members, 43 airports)
- Founded YOU Technology, acquired by Kroger
- Helped launch the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) for the Department of Defense
- White House Fellow under President George W. Bush
- Led international identity-technology negotiations with G8, UN, OAS, and EU
- Testified before the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on AI and biometrics

## Latest updates

- **2025-02** — Named President and CEO of Aware, Inc., succeeding Robert Eckel
- **2025** — Signaled a strategic pivot at Aware toward government contracts

## Links

- Website: https://aware.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajayamlani/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/AwareBiometrics

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ajay-amlani
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-15