Reflections on 10 years of ROC by Dr. Brendan Klare, Chief Scientist and Co-Founder.
For years, the identity technology market was locked in stasis. A few legacy vendors held most of the cards even as customers faced rising costs, slow service, and stalled innovation. ROC was built to change that.
Ten years ago, we saw a gap widening between what was possible in biometrics and what was actually being delivered in the real world. So we built a company to close that gap, with better technology, better service, and a business model that put customers first.
Research is in our DNA.
Research and engineering have guided us from the very beginning. Our earliest employees brought deep expertise in biometrics, computer vision, and machine learning. Their influence shaped the company’s direction and culture.
That mindset carries through to our leadership. Our CEO B.Scott Swann has spent decades fielding identity technologies across federal law enforcement and national security. Every decision we make is shaped by this foundation.
ROC is, and always will be, a research-first company. Our culture of continuous innovation and improvement is reflected in our persistent presence in the NIST evaluations, submitting annually since 2015. These independent benchmarks not only validate our progress, but push us to evolve and lead across all major modalities year after year.
A culture built for progress.
Our second key ingredient is a culture designed to move us forward. We empower our team members to solve problems logically, collaboratively, and with efficiency. We leave egos at the door and work together with a shared sense of purpose.
We believe in building long-term relationships, not just with our customers, but within our team. This includes supporting a healthy balance between work, life, and wellbeing, maintaining a workplace grounded in respect, transparency, and trust.
This culture helps us tackle tough decisions with clarity and focus. It’s helped us reach major business milestones while consistently retaining 96% of our team year after year, and throughout the decade.
Our long-term mindset has also helped us stay clear of the traps that slowed our predecessors: short-term thinking, complacency, and unnecessary complexity. We’ve built ROC to stay nimble, innovative, and aligned with our mission.
Shared ownership, shared mission.
From our newest hires to our most senior leaders, every team member at ROC has a meaningful stake in our success. That sense of ownership isn’t just financial. It reflects a belief in what we’re building and why it matters.
We’re not here to clock in and out. We’re here to build something that lasts. Something that makes a real difference for the people who depend on our technology. That belief fuels our purpose and guides every decision we make.
It’s been a wild ride. So what comes next?
At our ten-year mark, we’ve done more than prove a point. ROC has disrupted multi-billion dollar incumbents and earned the trust of customers across national security, law enforcement, and financial services. More importantly, we’ve built a resilient foundation for what comes next.
We’re entering a phase of rapid growth. Our team includes luminary engineers, experienced leadership, and a company-wide commitment to innovation. We’ve solved many of the industry’s hardest problems and are continuously evolving to meet the growing demands of enterprise and national identity systems worldwide.
Our next chapter is about expanding our impact while staying true to the values that got us here. The same focus, urgency, and technical excellence that built ROC will power the future of identity.
ROC at 10: built different.
ROC is a trusted partner to the U.S. Department of Defense, national security agencies, and enterprise teams that demand biometric solutions built for mission-critical speed, scale, and accuracy. If you’re ready to modernize your biometric systems with a partner that leads with integrity and science, let’s talk.
I look forward to shaping the next decade together.
Dr. Brendan Klare
Chief Scientist and Co-Founder