Latest news with #authentication
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Self-Taught Ethiopian Developer Raises $5M For ‘The Best Authentication Tool' Better Auth
Ethiopian startup Better Auth is being labeled the 'best authentication tool' after its creator, Bereket Engida, raised roughly $5 million in seed funding from top investors, TechCrunch reports. Better Auth is an app providing an open-source framework, committed to simplifying how developers manage user authentication. Engida, a self-taught developer from the African nation, raised the hefty amount for his startup from Peak XV, formerly known as Sequoia India and Southeast Asia, Y Combinator, P1 Ventures, and Chapter One. The beauty behind Engida's genius is that the app was created in Ethiopia before he set foot in the U.S. It all started at 18, when he began programming after a friend declined to assist him in building an e-commerce search app. However, after landing numerous software jobs and building a web analytics platform that enables developers to monitor website user behavior, he continued to notice that authentication was a problem. In the world of apps, each one has to be able to manage how users sign in and out of the system and reset passwords. After realizing that existing tools had extensive limitations or were too expensive to scale, allowing administrators to handle permissions and user roles, Engida took matters into his own hands. 'I remember needing an organization feature. It's a very common use case for most SaaS applications, but it wasn't available from these providers,' the developer said. 'So I had to build it from scratch. It took me about two weeks, and I remember thinking, 'This is crazy; there has to be a better way to solve this.'' Engida and Co-Founder Kinfe Michael Tariku believed from the start that developers should be able to own their authentication systems rather than being committed to expensive platforms. It's one of the various reasons why investors are celebrating it. The Addis Ababa native started working on a TypeScript-based authentication framework, making it fool-proof for developers to build secure login, verification, and session management workflows without overthinking efforts, according to Addis Insight. Peak XV partner Arnav Sahu said the product is the 'next generation of AI startups.' With their investment, Better Auth is the firm's first direct investment from an African founder. 'We first heard about the product from numerous startups we've worked with,' Sahu, who is a former principal at Y Combinator, said. 'Their auth product has seen phenomenal adoption among the next generation of AI startups.' As a recent graduate of YC's spring batch of startups, Engida is still thinking of ways to improve the free app. With Better Auth being the third Ethiopian startup to pass through the accelerator, the developer is focusing on ways to improve its core features and implement a paid enterprise infrastructure to plug into the open-source base. He also wants to scale the startup without getting rid of the community-built feel of the product. Building a team is also on the radar, as Engida is currently writing most of the code himself. 'Building this feels important not just because people love the product, but because of what it represents,' he said. 'There aren't many Ethiopian founders building global products. For many, it feels almost impossible. So seeing that traction gives hope for other people to try to be more ambitious.' RELATED CONTENT:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Michael Jordan "I'm Back" Game Worn Sneakers Discovered Using Artificial Intelligence
MESA, AZ / / June 27, 2025 / Medical Care Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK:MDCE), through its groundbreaking sports memorabilia authentication subsidiary Real Game Used, is proud to announce one of the most significant discoveries in modern sports collectibles. By leveraging a proprietary AI-driven authentication system and the deep historical expertise of CEO Marshall Perkins III, Real Game Used has identified a monumental artifact from basketball history. The item - a pair of game-worn sneakers from Michael Jordan's historic home debut in his 1995 return to the Chicago Bulls - was originally purchased at public auction for just under $16,000, overlooked by major authenticators due to the complexity of verifying the imagery and video of the event. Now, after extensive video and photo-matching analysis and AI-enhanced research, the shoes are being unveiled and listed online next week for $1,500,000 on the Infinite Auctions platform, an owned MDCE subsidiary. "This discovery validates everything we've been building with Real Game Used," said Marshall Perkins III, CEO of MDCE and Real Game Used. "By combining decades of industry knowledge with our patent-pending AI, we're able to uncover what others miss. These shoes are not just memorabilia-they are a defining piece of sports history." Real Game Used continues to differentiate itself by pushing the boundaries of AI technology to enhance photo-matching, identify unique wear patterns, and draw connections previously undetectable through conventional means. This Jordan artifact underscores the power and profitability of this approach. The shoes will be featured in Infinite Auctions' upcoming elite sale event, with bidding set to begin next week. This revelation not only elevates MDCE's visibility in the collectibles market but also demonstrates the company's ability to monetize innovation with precision. Contact Information: info@ CEO Profile About Medical Care Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK:MDCE)Medical Care Technologies Inc. is a publicly traded company undergoing a strategic evolution into the collectibles and memorabilia industry. Through its subsidiaries, Real Game Used and Infinite Auctions, MDCE is building a brand that celebrates legacy, authenticity, and the passion of collectors worldwide. Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements subject to risks, uncertainties, and regulatory outcomes. Actual results may differ materially. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. SOURCE: Medical Care Technologies Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Private sector urged to move away from using NRIC numbers as means of authentication
The authorities have urged private sector organisations to move away from using NRIC numbers as a means of authentication. The Personal Data Protection Commission and Cyber Security Agency of Singapore are also working with regulated sectors — such as finance, healthcare and telecommunications — to provide sector-specific guidance in the coming months. Nicolas Ng reports.
CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Authorities issue formal advisory for private sector to stop using NRIC numbers as passwords, authentication
SINGAPORE: Private sector organisations should stop using National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) numbers to authenticate individuals or as passowords, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information of Singapore (MDDI), citing risks of impersonation and data breaches. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) issued a formal advisory on Thursday (Jun 26), guiding companies to stop using NRIC numbers to prove a person's identity. 'While organisations may use NRIC numbers to identify who a person is over the phone or when using digital services, NRIC numbers should not be used to prove that a person is who he claims to be … for the purposes of trying to gain access to services or information meant only for that person,' said MDDI. The ministry noted that currently, private sector organisations may require people to use their NRIC numbers as passwords to access information intended only for them, such as in insurance documents. 'It is unsafe for organisations to use NRIC numbers in this manner because a person's NRIC number may be known to others, permitting anyone who knows his NRIC number to impersonate him and easily access his personal data or record.' Hence, companies that are using full or partial NRIC numbers for authentication purposes should move away from this practice as soon as possible, said MDDI. This includes not setting NRIC numbers as default passwords in password-protected files sent via email. and not using the full or partial numbers together with other easily obtainable personal data, such as date of birth. 'If it is necessary to authenticate a person, organisations should consider alternative methods, for example requiring the person to use strong passwords, security token or fingerprint identification,' said MDDI. The ministry added that the government is also working with regulated sectors, including finance, healthcare and telecommunications, to develop sector-specific guidance in the coming months. The government has been working to ensure the proper use of NRIC numbers in the private sector since January to better protect citizens, said MDDI. In January, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said in a ministerial statement that private sector organisations that are using NRIC numbers as authentication factors or default passwords should stop this practice as soon as possible. Mrs Teo said at the time that those organisations which collect partial NRIC numbers to identify people can continue to do so, and that the ministry would only consider how the guidelines on NRIC number usage in the private sector should be updated after consulting the public. The move followed public backlash in December 2024, over the launch of a new Bizfile portal
TechCrunch
4 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Better Auth, an authentication tool by a self-taught Ethiopian dev, raises $5M from Peak XV, YC
It's rare to see a solo founder building a widely adopted developer infrastructure tool. Even more so, if the founder happens to be from Africa. Bereket Engida, a self-taught programmer from Ethiopia, is quietly building what some developers say is the best authentication tool they've ever used. Engida's startup, Better Auth, offers an open-source framework that promises to simplify how developers manage user authentication, and it's caught the attention of some big name investors. It recently raised about $5 million in seed funding from Peak XV (formerly Sequoia India & Southeast Asia), Y Combinator, P1 Ventures, and Chapter One. But the most interesting part here isn't who's on the startup's cap table: Engida says he built the entire product back home in Ethiopia before he set foot in the U.S. Engida told TechCrunch that he started programming at 18 after a friend declined to help him build an e-commerce search app, and he started working on the project himself. He went on to land some remote software jobs and eventually built a web analytics platform that lets developers monitor user behavior on their websites. But throughout his various jobs, Engida says he kept seeing an issue popping up everywhere: authentication. Every app needs to manage how users sign in and out, reset passwords, and sometimes administrators need to handle permissions and user roles. But he found existing tools were either too limited or rigid — companies like Auth0, Firebase and NextAuth offer managed services, but they store user data externally, limit customization, and are expensive at scale. 'I remember needing an organization feature. It's a very common use case for most SaaS applications, but it wasn't available from these providers,' Engida told TechCrunch. 'So I had to build it from scratch. It took me about two weeks, and I remember thinking, 'This is crazy; there has to be a better way to solve this'.' He then scrapped that project and began working on a TypeScript-based authentication framework that would let developers access user data via open-source libraries, support common permissions use cases — like teams and roles — out of the box, and scale with plug-ins. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW 'The idea was that you could add advanced features in just two or three lines of code,' Engida said. Why developers love it Over six months working mostly from his bedroom in Ethiopia, Engida built the first version of the library that would go on to become Better Auth. When he posted it to GitHub in September 2024, developers quickly saw the potential. Since then, Better Auth has clocked 150,000+ weekly downloads, 15,000+ GitHub stars, and a community of over 6,000 Discord members, the startup claims. Better Auth's pitch is simple: Let developers implement everything from simple authentication flows to enterprise-grade systems directly on their databases and embed it all on the back-end. Unlike hosted services, Better Auth is an open-source library that developers can integrate directly into their codebase, keeping all user data on premise, in their database. For companies wary of handing over critical user information to third parties, this feature alone is a major point. The library has also found unexpected traction among early-stage AI startups, which need to build custom authentication flows that integrate with proprietary APIs, manage tokens securely, and be able to scale without racking up high costs. 'We first heard about the product from numerous startups we've worked with,' said Arnav Sahu, partner at Peak XV and former principal at Y Combinator. 'Their auth product has seen phenomenal adoption among the next generation of AI startups.' Better Auth marks Peak XV's first direct investment in an African founder. Engida says Better Auth, currently free to use, will focus on improving its core features and launch a paid enterprise infrastructure that plugs into its open-source base. This will give developers the flexibility to self-host or opt for Better Auth's cloud add-ons as needed. He's also thinking about how to scale without trading away the product's community-built feel. On the roadmap, therefore, is hiring a small team to help maintain the codebase, expand documentation, and support enterprise users. For now, though, Engida is still writing most of the code himself. Better Auth, which just graduated from YC's recent Spring batch, is the third Ethiopian startup to pass through the accelerator, following drone-based digital health platform Avion, and food delivery platform BeU Delivery. 'Building this feels important not just because people love the product, but because of what it represents,' said Engida. 'There aren't many Ethiopian founders building global products. For many, it feels almost impossible. So seeing that traction gives hope for other people to try to be more ambitious.'
