# Raul Popa

> Raul Popa is the co-founder and CEO of TypingDNA, a behavioral biometrics company that recognizes people by the rhythm of how they type. A self-taught coder turned sociology-and-statistics graduate, he turned keystroke dynamics into a commercial authentication API used in banking, finance, and online education. He started the company alone in 2016 in Romania, brought it through Techstars and a Google-AI-backed Series A, and relocated it to New York just before the pandemic. Beyond enterprise security, he shipped TypingDNA Focus, a free app that predicts your mood from your typing.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at TypingDNA
- **Organizations:** TypingDNA, Techstars (alumnus), Elastic Ad Inc, Mitix.com, Snacktools / Bannersnack, Jumpeye Components
- **From:** Romania
- **Nationality:** Romanian
- **Education:** BSc in Sociology (Statistics, Data Analysis, Quantitative Methods), Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Master's in Media Studies and Communication, Malmo University, Sweden, Certified machine learning courses, Stanford University (online)
- **Known for:** Built TypingDNA's typing-biometrics engine claiming 99%+ accuracy, reaching 99.9% with a sufficiently large user profile., Raised roughly $8.8M total funding across four rounds, including a $7M Series A led by Google's Gradient Ventures., Helped establish keystroke dynamics as a recognized factor for Strong Customer Authentication under Europe's PSD2.

## Career timeline

- **Pre-2016** — Head of product at Snacktools/Bannersnack and Jumpeye Components; co-founded Elastic Ad Inc and Mitix.com; built components used by millions, including Adobe.
- **2016** — Founded TypingDNA in Romania after a planned sabbatical that lasted only three days; started as a solo founder.
- **2016-2017** — Proved the typing-biometrics technology worked, then recruited co-founders Cristian Tamas and Adrian Gheara.
- **2019** — Raised a $1.5M seed round; named a 2019 Made in Romania award recipient; expanded typing biometrics to mobile authentication.
- **2020** — Closed a $7M Series A led by Gradient Ventures, Google's AI fund; relocated company to New York just before COVID.
- **2021** — Launched TypingDNA Focus, a free app predicting mood from typing patterns.

## Achievements

- Built TypingDNA's typing-biometrics engine claiming 99%+ accuracy, reaching 99.9% with a sufficiently large user profile.
- Raised roughly $8.8M total funding across four rounds, including a $7M Series A led by Google's Gradient Ventures.
- Helped establish keystroke dynamics as a recognized factor for Strong Customer Authentication under Europe's PSD2.
- Won early industry recognition including Best Newcomer, Best Startup, Best Fintech Startup, Disrupt100 and EUTop50.
- Techstars alumnus; featured in TechCrunch, Forbes, Financial Times and ProductHunt.
- Shipped ActiveLock (continuous endpoint authentication) and TypingDNA Focus (mood prediction from typing).

## Latest updates

- **2021-07** — Launched TypingDNA Focus to beta - a free app that predicts mood and focus from typing patterns.
- **2020-01** — Closed a $7M Series A led by Gradient Ventures and moved TypingDNA's base to New York.

## Links

- Website: https://www.typingdna.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raulpopa/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/raulpopa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/typingdna/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/raul-popa
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-03