Ireland-based tech company opening R&D office in Edgewater
A company whose anti-theft technology is used by retail giants including Walmart and Kroger is opening a research and development office in Miami.
Ireland-based Everseen confirmed it has leased space at 167 NE 26th St. in Edgewater. It plans to bring in as many as 30 workers.
In an interview, Everseen Chief Strategy Officer Huw Lloyd said the company chose Miami for its arts culture, talent base and so that its workers would not be “drowned out” by competing industries.
“We wanted an area where the best mind can focus on cracking big problems,” Lloyd said.
The move is the latest in a string of tech-related announcements for Greater Miami. Earlier this month, private equity giant Blackstone said it would open a new Miami office, most likely downtown, that would house as many as 215 tech workers.
Meanwhile, Papa, which provides visits to older Americans, and Miami-based robotic surgery company Neocis both recently announced expansions of their existing Miami-area workforces following fresh investment rounds.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez released a statement through Everseen welcoming the company to the city.
“Miami has worked hard to establish itself as a global tech-hub and Everseen’s announcement not only builds upon those efforts but it also serves as validation for what we’ve already accomplished,” Suarez said.
Everseen’s software scans surveillance footage from cameras at checkout aisles to spot shoplifting. In May, Wired Magazine reported that an anonymous group of Walmart employees had raised concerns about Everseen’s technology, including its rate of false positives.
In a statement, Lloyd denied the story’s allegations.
“Everseen’s technology is the most accurate on the market; in fact, we have an accuracy rate of more than 99%,” he said. “Everseen’s ability to optimize in-store processes and reduce errors that customers may experience at self-checkout by enabling them to self-correct those errors are just some of the reasons that retailers like The Kroger Company, America’s largest grocery retailer, chose Everseen’s technology.”
A Walmart spokesman confirmed to the Miami Herald that its stores still use Everseen. Kroger announced its partnership with Everseen in September.
