biometric-access
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Hirsch Group (fka Vitaprotech)
Hirsch Group (formerly Vitaprotech Group) is a France-based provider of premium, integrated physical-security systems for sensitive and high-security sites. Built by rolling up specialist companies - perimeter-intrusion pioneer Sorhea, access-control firm TIL Technologies, video-analytics maker Foxstream, UK detection specialist Harper Chalice, and others - it made its biggest leap in 2024 by acquiring the security business of U.S. firm Identiv for about $145 million, which brought the iconic Hirsch access-control brand into the fold. In 2026 the whole group unified under a single name, Hirsch, spanning command-and-control (PSIM), access control, video intelligence, credentials, door readers, and perimeter protection, with roughly $185M in revenue and 700+ employees.
Jerming Gu
Jerming Gu is the Taiwanese founder and CEO of CANDY HOUSE, the company behind SESAME, the smart lock that clamps onto an existing deadbolt and turns a smartphone into a key. He started the company as a Stanford mechanical engineering master's student in 2014 with co-founder Jongho Shin, then turned a 3D-printed dorm-room prototype into a Kickstarter phenomenon that raised roughly $1.4 million in 2015. After a decade building a dominant smart-lock business in Japan - including funding from ITOCHU and a strategic alliance with lock maker MIWA - he relaunched CANDY HOUSE in the US and Canada in 2025 with a lineup spanning SESAME 5, face recognition, palm-vein biometrics and Matter-compatible hubs.