Unibeam secures $6 million in Seed to expand SIM-based authentication technology
The company has launched a SIM-based identity verification method that works with both physical SIM cards and eSIMs.
Unibeam, an Israeli startup developing cryptographic authentication technology, has raised $6 million in a Seed funding round. The investment was led by NFX, with participation from AnD Ventures.
The company has launched a SIM-based identity verification method that works with both physical SIM cards and eSIMs. Instead of passwords, apps, or one-time codes, Unibeam uses the secure chip in SIM or eSIM cards to cryptographically verify users’ identities.
“With AI making it alarmingly easy to impersonate people online, we’re seeing a surge in digital fraud that traditional authentication methods can’t handle,” said Gigi Levy-Weiss, Founding Partner at NFX. “What excites us about Unibeam is that they’re not just improving authentication—they’re redefining it. By anchoring identity to the eSIM/SIM and device, they’ve created a deterministic approach that’s virtually impossible to spoof, offering a level of certainty that’s urgently needed. It’s a powerful new line of defense in the fight against AI-driven impersonation, especially in a world of deepfakes and digital deception.”
The funding comes amid a rise in identity fraud, including a 1,000% increase in SIM swapping cases reported in the UK in 2024. Last month, the FBI and CISA issued a joint warning against SMS-based one-time passwords (OTPs), citing their vulnerability to phishing and interception despite being the most common form of two-factor authentication.
Unlike probabilistic models, which rely on variable signals and may require extensive data collection, Unibeam’s method uses a deterministic approach. It leverages existing phone identifiers such as SIM ID, device ID, and phone number to create a unique cryptographic key, aiming to verify identity with precision.
“The best security doesn’t just block threats; it gets out of the user’s way,” said Ran Ben-David, Unibeam’s Founder and CEO. “We’ve built Unibeam to be invisible to the user and invulnerable to attackers. There’s no app to download, no password to remember, no code to enter. Just instant, deterministic identity confirmation, even on the most basic phones or connected devices. That’s what the future of authentication should feel like: effortless and airtight.”
Unibeam was founded by Ben-David and joined by CTO Steve Harkins. Its advisory board includes Amos Genish, Stéphane Richard, and Michel Combes—former executives from companies such as Orange, Vodafone, and Telecom Italia. The system works across all types of mobile devices and operating systems, and is offered as a SaaS product via API. Use cases include logins, multi-factor authentication, transaction approvals, and identifying devices in IoT environments.
