Digital identity specialist launches “best-in-class” service following £200k funding round

London based digital identity specialist Arbor Steel has raised £200k in a pre-seed funding round to bring its “digital identity citadel” to customers.

Developed following a £100k InnovateUK Grant, the platform provides a secure and efficient way to share personal data and interact with services whilst maintaining control.

This round will enable Arbor Steel to build revenues at pace as the product launches to market today, starting with the customers of professional and financial services firms for either personal use or as a member of a charity, board or trust.

Founder and CEO Edward Goodchild, a serial entrepreneur, wealth advisor and trustee of the UK Cyber Security Council, established the business following years of client frustration when sharing personal information to verify their identity, often over insecure, unencrypted emails.

Arbor Steel was developed in collaboration with the digital product development agency Orckid as one of Edward’s many problem-oriented entrepreneurial ventures that he has built through his Zendht Venture Studio. . The platform combines “best-in-class” technologies for identity verification and authentication, secure messaging and data storage into one easy-to-use platform, from which they can manage workflows online or on a mobile.

Edward Goodchild, founder and CEO of Arbor Steel commented: “Everyone who has been asked for identification documents when they engage with professionals and businesses has to share sensitive information.

“Whether you rent a flat, sell a house, write a will, apply for a loan, make a personal investment, or have been a board director, you need to communicate and safely share sensitive personal data. Email is high risk and low security but it is the current default option. Clients rightly demand more and so they should.

“Arbor Steel is designed to turn this broken process on its head, providing everyone with an affordable and secure platform from which to maintain authority and control over their sensitive data whilst getting things done efficiently. In an always-on, digital world no-one can leave their privacy to chance, so stay safe online with your own secure digital citadel.”