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Eye-tracking technology that simplifies and predicts human intentions and actions

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smart eye technology

With everyone becoming more reliant on teleworking and technology in general, we need more reliable security for ourselves and our companies. Smart Eye Technology and it’s CEO Dexter Caffey are at the cutting edge of security, providing companies and individuals the ability to protect their information. Join Peachtree Corners Life podcast hosts Rico Figliolini and Patrizia Winsper as they explore the eye-tracking technology that simplifies and predicts human intentions and actions.

Resources:

Website: https://smarteye.se/technology/

Timestamp:

[00:00:30] – Intro
[00:02:45] – About Smart Eye Technology
[00:06:16] – Sharing Documents
[00:07:23] – In the Professional World
[00:09:38] – Ways to Recognize Users
[00:11:14] – Smart Phone Capabilities
[00:14:17] – Research and Development
[00:15:40] – Dexter’s Background
[00:16:37] – Financing
[00:18:13] – Development Team
[00:19:37] – In the Peachtree Corners Community
[00:20:37] – Working in the COVID Environment
[00:22:04] – Expanding
[00:23:53] – Information
[00:26:14] – Competition
[00:29:34] – Closing

“I said, what if we could create an app called Smart Eye Technology that will shut off if Patricia or Rico look at my screen. And at first everybody thought it was the craziest thing ever. And so I actually reached out to a group of Israeli software developers and they helped us create this amazing technology now that we have called Smart Eye Technology.”

Dexter Caffey

Podcast Transcript

Rico: [00:00:30] Hi everyone, this is Rico Figliolini host of Peachtree Corners Life. Appreciate you coming out to watch this as a live stream if you’re doing this or if you’re listening to this as a podcast or on YouTube as a video as well. So and of course if you’re on Facebook on our Facebook page, you may be listening to this later, but appreciate you coming out. We have a special guest today, but before we get there, we want to introduce our sponsor Hargray Fiber. They’re a cable fiber company in the Southeast. Really big. They’ve been expanding even further into the Southeast area, especially in Southeast Georgia and Southern Georgia and the metropolitan area here in Atlanta. You can get the services for your business, business-to-business to be able to use their wifi, their fiber optics, they have cable and the support that they give to small businesses and large businesses through bundled services. So they’re not the cable guy. They’re right in the community, they’re so involved in the things going on in the towns and cities, they go into that you’d be surprised. So check them out HargrayFiber.com and you might be able to even get 90 days worth of your internet service for free. Certainly you’ll be able to get some of their expertise. So check them out. Now to get to our show, today’s special guest, this is a followup to an article we had in our vibrant technology issue, and so we had that an issue or two ago, and now today we have a special guest. I’m going to let Patrizia introduce our guest. Go for it

Patrizia: [00:02:09] Good afternoon everyone. So nice to see you again. Dexter Coffey is joining us today from Smart Eye Technology and he is the founder and chief as he self-describes of this company. Hi Dexter.

Dexter: [00:02:26] Hey how are you Patrizia?

Patrizia: [00:02:28] I’m doing so well. Thank you. How are you?

Dexter: [00:02:30] Good. Thank you for having me on today.

Patrizia: [00:02:31] It’s our pleasure. It seems like a lifetime ago when we spoke last just a few months ago before this whole pandemic broke out.

Dexter: [00:02:38] Last time, I think I was in Israel when you spoke to me last.

Patrizia: [00:02:41] That’s right. We’ll have to meet in person at some point.

Dexter: [00:02:44] Exactly.

Patrizia: [00:02:45] Alright Dexter. So today we’re going to regale our listeners and viewers with screen privacy concerns for all of across all of their electronic devices. And that’s because of what you came up with and you had a brilliant idea. And I’d like you to take us through it because it actually really did happen for you organically. Why don’t you tell us how you started the whole idea of Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:03:10] Absolutely. Thank you so much Patrizia. So what happened, that was actually, in Israel about two and a half years ago, and I was at a cybersecurity event. And so I was sitting next to this speaker who was getting ready to speak. And he and I were just talking just like you and I are talking right now. And what happened, I noticed when I looked at his laptop, I could see documents, I saw word documents, I saw PDF documents, and I just said to myself, so why should I be able to see any document that’s on this cyber security experts laptop? It’s none of my business. I said, what if we could create an app called Smart Eye Technology that will shut off. If Patricia or Rico look at my screen. And at first everybody thought it was the craziest thing ever. And so I actually reached out to a group of Israeli software developers and they actually helped us create this amazing technology now that we have called Smart Eye Technology.

Patrizia: [00:04:03] And here we are. It feels like we’re living in an episode of the Jetsons the future is certainly here. And learning about these technology companies in the greater Atlanta area was such a joy and so exciting for me. So, Dexter, in order to protect our screen, so Rico, if you’re planning your next, birthday for your wife and you want to keep it secret. You don’t want her to come behind your back and look at your screen and see what all you’ve been planning, right? So Dexter, how is it that you protect our screens and how is it that they recognize only us.

Dexter: [00:04:38] Okay. What did you guys, it’s actually when you open up the Smart Eye Technology app, which will be out at the end of May this year, well that’s in 30 days from now, what happens is that when you actually open up Smart Eye Technology app and you upload, let’s say those secret documents, that Rico was planning for this amazing event, he’s going to put on for everyone in the family.

Patrizia: [00:04:57] No pressure Rico.

Dexter: [00:05:00] So once that document is actually inside the smart technology app. At that point, if his wife or his friends or whoever else walks in the room, that document when it’s open, only Rico’s face is recognized by the document, but then he put his facial recognition inside of smart technology app. As soon as another face comes in and looks at that document while he’s looking at it, it’ll shut it down, immediately, and block the screen and say warning multiple viewers.

Patrizia: [00:05:25] Isn’t that perfect? You get a warning message for multiple viewers. So your computer screen now recognizes both your irises, your face with a continual camera.

Dexter: [00:05:39] Yeah,absolutely. So, so what happens is that right now it’s facial recognition. So it recognizes just your face. You would have to actually register your face facial recognition by simply taking the picture inside of smart technology app. We also have voice recognition and we have fingerprint recognition. And so if you wanted to send, let’s say Rico, let’s just say Rico wanted to show you that document inside of Smart Eye Technology. You would download smart technology app and then he would send it to you cause you’re one of his contacts. And as
a result of that, then when he shares it with you, all you have to do is your face could be recognized, your fingerprint, or your voice before that document opens up to you.

Rico: [00:06:16] Does that document need to be shared through the same app? Like I would send it from my app to her app?

Dexter: [00:06:21] Absolutely. Everything stays with inside the technology app. So let’s say it goes from your app to her app, her Smart Eye Technology app.

Patrizia: [00:06:28] So both parties involved have to be signed on with Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:06:32] Exactly. Because we keep everything inside of the app for the security, for the sake of security. And so again, when Rico sent you that he can do two things, he could allow you to download that. Or he could allow you just to have the actual document and allow you to share it with somebody if he chose. So you can download it or you can share it with somebody if he chose. However if you download that document, if he gave you permission to download the document, security is off of it. It’s over, security is off.

Patrizia: [00:07:00] He also has the ability to choose for how long I would have access to that document, isn’t that right?

Dexter: [00:07:06] That’s a great point too. What happens Patrizia is that when, when Rico sends you that document. He can set the amount of days, like seven days or the amount of hours, let’s say 24 hours, 40 hours for you to have access to those secrets vacation documents that he has.

Patrizia: [00:07:23] It’s just perfection for those of us who value our privacy. Of course, taking it out of the personal context. This has tons of applications in the professional world where you have to maintain privacy within your company and within whatever organization you’re working for.

Dexter: [00:07:40] And you’re right. One of the big problems right now that’s going on is, let’s just say for example if you sent me an invoice for let’s just say $20,000.You say Dexter, here’s our service for $20,000. What would happen if you sent that by email, a hacker with, let’s say, is in your email, and so that hacker would then email me right back. Say, Hey Dexter, this is Patrizia you know that $20,000 it didn’t go through yet. Keep that the same, but just change our banking our wiring .banking instructions because we had a problem with our old bank, so go ahead and make those changes today and email me when you’ve wired the money. That was the hacker, that wasn’t you that said that, that was the hacker.

Patrizia: [00:08:19] No, that happens a lot in the real estate realm.

Dexter: [00:08:21] This happens in real estate, because a lot of those closing attorneys, they have the wiring instructions so that they are a target for hackers. So whenever a closing attorney sends those wiring instructions through emails hackers say. Yes, we love it. Let’s go and change it up and email that person. Hey, listen, this is the wiring attorney. Don’t use my email that just sent to you first, use the new wiring instructions because we’re no longer using that old bank anymore.

Rico: [00:08:47] Does the system allow for, let’s say I want to keep my documents up on the cloud with you. Can I continue adding to that account?

Dexter: [00:08:56] Absolutely. You can continue to add it to that account that will never, we’re not a storage facility, so you really don’t want to store things in Smart Eye. It’s more like really just we’re sending it off or, let’s say if you want to choose, you have to sign a document. You will send it to her to sign a document so she could sign with her finger inside of Smart Eye Technology. She does not have to download the app to print anything out, she would just simply sign with her finger and then you can now verify it was Patrizia because that document only opened up to her face. She’s the only person who could see that document. So you can verify now that she’s the only person who signed that document. Right now, when somebody sends you a document through one of those companies that allow you to sign online, what happens is that you can’t verify that person who actually signed it. I don’t know, somebody else could’ve signed it.

Patrizia: [00:09:38] Right. I wanted to walk it up just a little bit here, because it’s easy enough to understand the facial recognition and the fingerprint and even the voice, but how is it that your computer now can recognize your handwriting? I understand handwriting is also one of the ways in which you can make sure it’s the person you want to receive the document and no one else.

Dexter: [00:10:00] Absolutely. We have something called print behavior, and so what print behavior is, it analyzes exactly how you hold your physical cell phone. It analyzes how you move your hands in order to write the letters that we asked you to give. If we ask you to write letters, A, L, and P. Then it’ll analyze how you write it, and physically move your hands around. It’ll also analyze how much pressure you put on the screen to even write those letters with to understand, is this Patricia or is this Rico trying to access a document.

Patrizia: [00:10:29] Isn’t that something

Rico: [00:10:31] That is, can that be legally accepted also then I’m assuming?

Dexter: [00:10:35] Well that there’s not a signature, that’s just allowing you to actually access the document so that’s like your face or your fingerprint. And also print behavior is another access point so that you access the document through Smart Eye.

Rico: [00:10:49] But before you said, I can, if I send something for a signature. Can someone sign that form?

Dexter: [00:10:55] Absolutely. It’s just electronic signature. Absolutely.

Rico: [00:10:58] And send it back and then I’d have it.

Dexter: [00:11:01] Exactly, exactly. So you have a signature just like that. So it goes directly to the app. So again, you never have to worry about putting anything out and you can verify that Patrizia actually signed that document because that document only opens to just her face.

Rico: [00:11:14] So let me ask you something, because obviously there’s so many, there’s so many avenues here, because an iPhone has a GPS, has certain accesses that you have. You, can you verify if it’s allowed, I guess through terms and agreement. Can I verify then that number one I have a picture of Patrizia, can that be part of that evidence, if you will?

Dexter: [00:11:38] That’s a very good, very good point Rico, because what you just said, your profile picture is your facial recognition picture. So in our version one that’s coming out in about 30 days, your profile picture will be your facial recognition picture. So you can’t put another face in there let’s say of you and a friend it’s not going to work, it has to be your physical face.

Rico: [00:12:01] Okay. And what about GPS location?

Dexter: [00:12:05] We actually have inside a smart eye where we can, we can actually require, we can say, okay, I can set a physical location. Let’s say you’re located in Peachtree Corners. I can say only in Peachtree Corners can Rico open up my document? If you go to the city of Atlanta, the document will not open for you.

Rico: [00:12:22] Really? I could see so many things that could be done with. Actually fun things that the travel industry would love to have. For example, you are going to Atlanta? Well, let me send you this document and you’re not going to be able to open this up until you get to Atlanta and then you’ll know where you’re going to be.

Dexter: [00:12:42] Exactly. So then you can see exactly when they opened it up. So every time they touched that document, to open it up, you’ll see exactly that they opened it up in Atlanta. You’ll be able to see, you can actually even specify which wifi a person is using. So let’s say your home’s wifi or your office’s wifi by getting the IP address and saying only on that wifi. Can you open up my document.

Rico: [00:13:03] Wow.

Dexter: [00:13:04] If I chose, well actually it doesn’t matter, you could be on any wifi. It’s my choice, it’s my document.

Rico: [00:13:10] As many restrictions, or leave it loose if you want.

Patrizia: [00:13:15] It could be as specific as you like,

Rico: [00:13:17] Yes. So I can see bond services, I can see certain types of services wanting to use this because they have the ability to lock it around to where they want it.

Dexter: [00:13:28] Exactly. That person’s documents they control. What we’ve done was it really put control back into the hands of individuals and privacy. So it’s about control and privacy, and that’s what smart eye technology is really all about. Even inside of our B to B side, if you want to send somebody a document, we have it to where if Patrizia’s company wanted to send it to your company you could actually request to collaborate with Patrizia and she has to accept you or deny your organization. If she accepts your organization, you can communicate with everybody in her organization. If she denies you, no one in your organization can send anything through Smart Eye. So now we’ve created a private pond for you to be in. So you decide who you want to play in your private pond.

Patrizia: [00:14:17] I love it. Dexter you are the brain child behind this brilliant idea, which I know is going to be important to many people, even if they haven’t heard of you yet. It will be important to them at some point, but every startup technology company is only as good as its research and development. So please tell us why you chose to locate your research and development center in Israel.

Dexter: [00:14:42] Okay. Well, as you know, Israel was one of the most advanced cyber security locations of the world. And so we, I, I created the team that I have in Israel to give us an edge because a lot of the people that we work with were, worked in security in government when they were in Israel, as they were the Israeli army and things like that. So we have a very specific team who we brought together to help us to create Smart Eye Technology. So our research and development took us initially, our research took us about 90 to a hundred days actually to create so that we could see exactly how smart eye would be created. So we’re very intense. When we created the actual software, as far as the process of it, there’s a big huge research paper that we have created that they created for us to show exactly how it works. So this is very detailed information.

Rico: [00:15:40] So let me ask you the, you know, what’s your background Dexter? Where’d you come from before Smart Eye Technology?

Dexter: [00:15:47] It’s funny that you asked me that question because my background is actually financial services. So I’ve done what’s called teching for major companies as an a Dowel Jones industrial laboratory owning my own business. And I’ve done that for 20 years. And so I’ve always loved technology like crazy. And when I just happened to see that opportunity that came up in my mind, it was just like I wanted to avoid it because I didn’t want to start another
business. I didn’t. And I tried to avoid the thought of Smart Eye Technology, but have you ever had something that was just nudging you day and night? Day and night and you couldn’t get it out of mind? Your talking with people and it’s coming out through your mouth. You go to sleep, you’re thinking about it. Well, that was Smart Eye Technology to me. It was something that just couldn’t get out of my mind. It was like, if I die, God would say, you know what you were supposed to do but you didn’t do it.

Rico: [00:16:37] How did you get your first initial financing to be able to do this?

Dexter: [00:16:40] That was great. I actually, I had an investor who was already a client of mine and I told him about my crazy idea. That’s a very good question. And I said, and I asked him. His name was Peter, and I said, Peter, I said, you know, I need to have lunch with you because I want to talk to you about some new things I think I want to step into. He said, okay. So we got together for lunch, and I told him exactly what I wanted to do as far as starting Smart Eye Technology. He said, okay, so what do you want from me? And I said, I need $50,000 today. And he said, so you want me to be the first sucker? And I said, absolutely. I mean, investor. So that’s how it all started from there. And we were able to raise substantially millions of dollars from investors who we work with now to bring this vision to life. And so, like I said, the app will be out at the end of may. And people will be able to download it on the app store originally, and it will be available for download in Android store probably in mid-July, in the Android store.

Rico: [00:17:46] Are you going to be looking for another round of financing at some point?

Dexter: [00:17:49] We are but not actively seeking a large amount. Right now we still have some available, but not actively seeking a large amount, we already have a proof of concept major. A company that does over $20 billion a year. That’s looking to be our first proof of concept company when we start in June. So we’re off to the races already.

Rico: [00:18:12] Wow.

Patrizia: [00:18:13] Dexter, I’ve heard your company referred to as a team of Avengers because you’re all so diverse from diverse backgrounds. Someone looking at you working together would have no clue how you all wound up together and what on earth you have in common. Why don’t you talk to us a little bit about the climate of your company, Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:18:33] Absolutely. We have many different, we’re a diverse company from the very beginning. We have individuals who are different. We have several types of minorities with inside the organization. I think we’re probably about 50, 60% women, and it’ll probably climb higher over the next couple of months. As far as Women is concerned. So we’re very different when it comes to a technology startup. We’re not a traditional startup where it’s predominantly men. And so we’re really taking a completely different approach to how people view, the screens that they actually have. So, and the individuals that we have working with us are passionate about the things that we’re doing, and they come from different backgrounds. So
therefore, they’re able to give us different opinions, which makes an amazing group of people to be associated with because they have their own opinions because of the different backgrounds that they come from. And everybody looks at the world a different way. And so that’s what’s really unique about it. And it’s something that I didn’t realize initially, but now I see extreme value in that.

Patrizia: [00:19:37] Absolutely. And I know you’re located in the city of Atlanta, your company is, but you do have ties to Peachtree Corners, so why don’t you tell us about how you came to be part of the Peachtree Corners community as well?

Dexter: [00:19:49] Absolutely. Smart Eye Technology is a member of the Atlanta Tech Park. And actually the Atlanta Tech Park is one of the most special places I’ve had the pleasure of being in because actually that’s where we did our first launch of our prototype. May 7th of last year showing our prototype for the very first time to the public. So, Robin and Ashley at the Atlanta Tech Park have been amazing partners with us. They helped us out in many ways that I can’t even explain. And so, they have a very special place in my heart, Atlanta Tech Park.

Rico: [00:20:26] Cool. How’s it been working? Obviously you may be, are you at Atlanta Tech Park now, I’m assuming?

Dexter: [00:20:32] No right now we’re in Buckhead, right now as we speak. We’re at our location in Buckhead.

Rico: [00:20:37] Okay. So how has working in this COVID-19 environment then?

Dexter: [00:20:42] Actually, you know, one of the surprising things is, actually, this has been one of the, I’ve been busier than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m getting Emails and phone calls from people who want to secure their screens for their employees, because they say we’re sending very delicate and very specific information, very highly sensitive information. And we’re trying to figure out a way, how do we gain control over that, over those pins that we’re sending out? So this is why it’s been, I’ve been talking to companies in Thailand, I’ve been talking to companies in Canada, I’ve been talking to companies here in the US. Companies in Portugal, we’re talking to. So it’s been extremely busy. I mean, it’s, it’s been a very busy period because people are trying to figure out how do I secure when I send Rico a document, I don’t want Rico, since it’s outside of our work environment, I don’t want them having access and doing whatever he wants with this. How do I control that? So we’re getting phone calls, emails coming in and it, it’s really amazing to see how many people are actually looking at this right now. It’s amazing.

Patrizia: [00:21:46] Yeah, it does make sense now that everyone’s leaving their companies in droves to resort to tele-working. More and more people are at home with this secure and private information that really should be protected.

Dexter: [00:21:59] Absolutely. And that’s why we’re getting the phone calls that are coming in right now. This is, I wasn’t expecting this, but I’m happy.

Rico: [00:22:04] As you’re getting more people involved, more companies coming on board, are you, obviously you’re going to be looking at expanding maybe the programming and doing some additional programming engineering into the app as well?

Dexter: [00:22:20] Yeah. Actually on our, on our first version, actually on our first version Rico, we’ll have the app on the App store, iOS version and we’ll have the web app version where you can actually use Smart Eye on your computer in the middle of July for a second version that comes out. So we’ll have a lot of new features that we’ll roll out every single month. There’ll be new features that we already have planned to roll out as we go every month.

Rico: [00:22:45] So as far as income goes then, revenue, that’s, it’s really based on corporate revenue, let’s say? Subscribers to this in a corporate environment?

Dexter: [00:22:54] Yeah, initially. But actually we have a huge demand from individuals, from individuals. We’re going to roll this out at the end of May. But everything that I’m hearing from individuals, people said, I’d love to have it for my personal information, because I don’t want the people seeing certain maybe pictures that they don’t want people to see, but just the person that you’re sending it to, their documents that they don’t want other people to see they’re sending it to. So initially, it’ll be on a per user basis, so in a way, anywhere from as low as $9 a month to $19.99 a month when it comes to the actual price of Smart Eye for use.

Rico: [00:23:31] Are you going to allow like a free download and then an upscale or premium step up?

Dexter: [00:23:37] That’s a great question. We’re going to have actually a two weeks free. So you’ll be having the full engine for two weeks free. And actually it will be anywhere between $9.99 to you know, probably less than $15 per person for the individuals per month.

Rico: [00:23:53] So my other question, that could be a little bit more sensitive maybe because you know, apps tend to collect information, right? Sometimes it’s, it’s not specific, right? It’s anonymous? Anonymized. Will, you know, are you able, or what do you even think about accumulating some data as far as the types of documents going out or, you know and accumulate some data like that that maybe over a period of time where you can address?

Dexter: [00:24:25] Well the good thing about Smart Eye Technology is that every single document that you said is encrypted, so we won’t be able to have access to that document because it’s encrypted. When you send it to somebody else? That document is encrypted, so it’s encrypted in transit, it’s encrypted when it sits on a cloud environment. So we can’t even look at any document that you send even if we wanted to, we have to, you know, we’d have to break it open and which would be hard to do because it’s encrypted. So absolutely.

Patrizia: [00:24:49] And how would you address people who are hyper sensitive about sharing their personal ID information, like their irises, their face, their fingerprints, how can you assure them that that will be kept safe?

Dexter: [00:25:01] Well, all of our biometrics are also encrypted as well. And one of the things that I tell people about, you’re probably more at risk to invoice fraud, and that’d be probably a little bit more worried about that because, like I said, there was over two billion dollars that was lost in 2019 to invoice fraud. So there are more, companies are losing more money from invoice fraud than they are from, you know, other areas when it comes to cyber attacks.

Rico: [00:25:29] Cool. Do you have any, any upcoming announcements you’d like to share here? Like things that you’re working on?

Dexter: [00:25:38] Well, actually, yeah, we’re actually, like I said, we’ll be launching the app at the end of May and we’re also actually starting our first proof of concept with a major company that is over $20 billion a year. So you guys are the first to hear that. And we’re also working with a potential other company in Portugal that is looking to use smart technology for some of their things as well. So we’ve got a lot of, a lot of companies right now who are interested in this technology because of what it does as far as protecting documents inside of your screen.

Rico: [00:26:14] Cool. Let me ask you one other, one other question. I mean, I think we covered quite a bit here. It’s a great technology. Certainly, I think that, you know, competition is the problem, right? Do you see that being an issue in your, in your arena, the competition that’s out there, that you need to get this out fast and need to be able to adjust as you go? Are there competitors you’re worried about? I know you wouldn’t be worried about being acquired by someone that might want this, a bigger company. You know these, Google and all these other companies acquiring things right and left. Would you welcome that at this point even?

Dexter: [00:26:54] Well, right now, the thing that we’re focusing on right now is number one, getting users using the app. That’s our key focus right now. And so that’s where our energy is being spent right now. As far as competition, competition is always a good thing. You want competition because it keeps you sharp. It makes you, I used to run track when I was in high school. And I love it. And so it’s a good thing. And what was built inside of smart eye technology, we’re still at the very heavy engine. So when you want to compete, it will cost a lot of money and a lot of time, and again. Most major organizations have employees at the organization. So we’re not really worried about major organizations doing exactly what we’re doing because you know, you have a lot of competition when it comes to, you know, since seniority in different things inside an organization with that, they want to do things they don’t want to do. So, so, but yes, you always have to be concerned about it, but never worried. I think it’s a good thing. I think it’s a very good thing.

Patrizia: [00:27:54] Right? So let’s get users using Smart Eye Technology.

Dexter: [00:27:57] That’s all we’re looking for.

Patrizia: [00:27:59] You can find it.on the Android.

Dexter: [00:28:02] Yes, it will be in, in mid July. You’ll be able to access it on Android, but within 30 days you’ll be able to access it at the end of May, on the app store.

Patrizia: [00:28:10] On the app store. Okay. And if I’m an individual, I’m looking at two weeks free and then about $9.99 a month.

Dexter: [00:28:20] Right.

Patrizia: [00:28:20] It’ll

Dexter: [00:28:20] be between $9.99 a month, depending on your usage at $14.95 a month in that range.

Patrizia: [00:28:25] And how do you determine the pricing for packages? Say for you personally to a company using it.

Dexter: [00:28:32] Yeah. We actually have, when you get it, when you first get inside the app we’ll ask you, are you an individual user or are you a business user? So business users will pay about $9.99 a month because they received that, what’s called a control panel. So they can add all the employees on that control panel and add employees or delete employees. They got full access to see exactly which documents those employees set. They’ll be able to see which companies that they’re interacting with as well. They’ll be able to see if they have a problem as far as trying to verify the biometrics because we have something called biometrics failure rate. So if you see an employee who’s failed a hundred percent of the time using all the biometrics, the employer can pick up the phone and say, Hey, listen, this may not be Patrizia trying to get into this app. Is this you or is this somebody else trying to access this. So we’ve got things in place, so it’ll give the system admin a early indication that, Hey, this is not that person trying to access the data because they’re failing 100% of the time. The access, this can’t be that person.

Rico: [00:29:34] You know I’ve been enjoying this Dexter. I think we want to possibly get back to you at some point a few months from now,to see how things are going.

Dexter: [00:29:44] That’d be great.

Rico: [00:29:45] Cool. Good. So, Patrizia do you have any more questions for Dexter? Otherwise, we’re going to be letting him go.

Patrizia: [00:29:52] I think we’re good to go. Rico, thank you so much, Dexter, for taking the time to speak with us today.

Dexter: [00:29:57] Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate this.

Rico: [00:29:59] Thank you, Dexter. Thank you everyone for listening. And again, this is Peachtree Corners Life with your host Rico Figliolini, Patrizia Winsper and CEO, disrupter, founder, Dexter Coffey from Smart Eye Technology. Thank you guys. Appreciate it.

Patrizia: [00:30:16] Have a good afternoon everyone.

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The Forum Gives Sneak Peek of New Eateries and Community Spaces

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If you’ve been to or near the Forum in the past few months, you’ve probably noticed cranes and construction crews. The anticipation of the first phase of renovation of the 22-year-old retail center has left a lot of Peachtree Corners residents as well as nearby patrons excited to see changes.

The Forum administration invited the media for a hard hat tour on July 17. The event showcased the redevelopment progress ahead of The Plaza’s grand opening on Aug. 8.

Photos by Sophie Gruber, Courtesy of The Forum

Scrumptious bites incoming

Executives from the development and leasing teams joined on-site management and led attendees around the new central gathering space, guest amenities and Politan Row, the newly created 10,000-square-foot food hall.

Dining concepts from veterans at Sheesh, Twenty-Six Thai and newbie Gekko Kitchen were the first food vendors announced for the space, which is expected to open in January.

“We can’t wait to introduce the Peachtree Corners community to our food hall experience,” said Politan Group CEO Will Donaldson in a news release. “Every detail from the design to the bar program to the cuisine is thoughtfully curated to inspire guests to not only mingle with one another but to connect with our incredible restaurateurs and discover new favorites.”

During the tour, Donaldson explained that eventually there will be seven different global cuisines in the Politan Row food court at the Forum featuring well-known and up-and-coming local talent. Once complete there will be a central bar, a private event venue and a covered outdoor patio.

“One of the things that we’re excited about is this unique design that we’ve come up with, that’s very specific to this area,” he said. “We’ll be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner. Whether you’re with a group for lunch or with your family, it works great for multiple settings.”

Twenty-six Thai owner Niki Pattharakositkul said the restaurant will work with local vendors to source the freshest meats and produce possible.

Photos by Rico Figliolini

“There are certain types of produce and protein we try to source locally, but sauces and the more exotic produce and herbs, we have to import from Thailand,” she said. “Our brand is trying to move towards doing things locally and sustainably.”

Working with organizations such as Georgia Grown limits the use of large food distribution companies. Since starting Twenty-six Thai in 2016, Pattharakositkul has launched seven locations across metro Atlanta, including at Politan Row’s Ashford Lane and Colony Square.

The eatery describes itself as an “authentic wok-fired Southeast Asia-inspired menu featuring items such as pad Thai, pad see ewe and classic drunken noodles.”

Sheesh, a Mediterranean concept that uses simple, wholesome ingredients prepared with unique spices and blends, is run by corporate executive chef Charlie Sunyapong and director of operations Raquel Stalcup. The two are also members of the group behind full-service restaurants Stäge at Town Center and Pêche at the Forum.

Photos by Rico Figliolini

The popularity of those suburban concepts has already taken off. With Sheesh, they’re looking to do something different.

“There are going to be some things that are unique to Sheesh that you’re not going to get at the other places,” said Sunyapong. “You’re not getting a whole restaurant; this is quicker fare.”

Gekko Kitchen, a former food truck transformed into a hibachi and ramen experience, will be serving fresh, fast bowls that are more colorful and lighter than traditional hibachi fare.

Photos by Rico Figliolini

Gathering spots

Development Manager Nick Lombardo explained that NAP is moving away from building big construction projects from scratch like Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta and Avalon in Alpharetta.

“As a company, North American Properties pivoted around 2020 from building big ground-up construction to more redevelopment with already existing properties,” he said. “With the thought of great assets that just need a little more attention Infused into them to create value, we bought the Forum in 2022.”

He said that value-add propositions done at The Forum will create a more walkable center.

Photos by Sophie Gruber, Courtesy of The Forum

“Trying to compete with the internet on convenience is a very tough task, so the way we differentiate is by experiences,” he said. “We host between 150 to 200 events every year. We have things like concerts, wellness and fitness events and we have child playtime events. Our marketing team does a great job and they’re the differentiator when it comes to what makes our property stand out.”

By the first week of August, a large gathering space will be unveiled in the central area of the property between Pottery Barn and seafood restaurant Pêche. It will have a nine-foot LED screen capable of hosting movie nights and sports viewing. There will also be musical performances featuring local artists.

“We’re not in competition with Town Center,” said Charlotte Hinton, marketing manager at The Forum. “Town Center has gates like a real music festival and we’re more like a ‘chill and enjoy the music’ vibe where you can grab a beer and hang out or maybe kind of walk around.”

The smaller space and artificial turf are unlike the Town Center space where attendees spread blankets and bring chairs. The Forum will have furniture and seating in the space so folks can just gather and either enjoy time with family or partake in events.

The Forum will also offer valet parking on a limited schedule at that end of the property.

More improvements

Although the construction equipment will have moved out, the jewel box building will house a yet-to-be-named restaurant that will open early next year.

“We’re pretty much done with what we’re doing as far as landlord work,” said Lombardo. “We ask our tenants to bring their brand and their design and their material pallet and put that on the building to express their brand identity. They know their brand better than we do. They know how to best design their building and how it functions and works.”

It’s the same process with retail stores, he added.

Photos by Rico Figliolini

“We always ask all of our new tenants to come in here when they’re building their storefront,” he said. “They’re not just selling their clothes; they’re selling a lifestyle in the brand so we ask them to push their brand out to the street.”

Even with the new spaces, there will be no shortage of parking, Lombardo added. “There’s plenty of parking behind these buildings,” he said pointing toward Pêche. “What we’ve done is enhance the connectivity to those areas. We’ve redone this breezeway and we’re adding lighting and connecting the parking lot to the main boulevard here. The goal is to replace cars with people and activity and bring a sense of community to the property.”

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Taste of Peachtree Corners: PCBA Showcases Local Restaurants

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Over the past 12 years, the PCBA has awarded 19 scholarships and donated more than $156,000+ back to the Peachtree Corners community.
Photos by Anna del Villar

The Taste of Peachtree Corners has been in the works for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic put many key events on hold for the Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA).

But luckily this year, the dedicated staff of volunteers successfully executed a memorable event and introduced a lot of local business owners to their neighboring restaurants and caterers.

As I walked up to the Community Chest Room at Peachtree Corners City Hall on June 27, there was a line outside the door. I later found out that over 100 people had registered to attend the event. I got checked in quickly and was faced with a “passport” of 10 Peachtree Corners restaurants serving everything from high-end bakery items to good old-fashioned barbecue, and modern twists on seafood and American cuisines.

Let’s talk about the food

The idea was to visit all 10 restaurants and collect stars while trying samples and small plates. My first stop was Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, and they had my favorite – homemade chips and queso. The queso was smoky and mildly spicy with a great depth of flavor. What a great start. Next up was Chopt. Creative Salad Co. I had never heard of this restaurant before, but they blew me away with a perfect amuse-bouche of cherry tomato, pesto, mozzarella, and olive oil. These guys understand simple and fresh Mediterranean flavors.

The folks from Marlow’s Tavern were also on-site serving shrimp and grits with jalapeno, spinach and tomato beurre blanc. This is definitely the style of elevated food I’ve come to expect from Marlow’s. And as a nice touch, they prepared a refreshing blueberry cocktail.

Another familiar face was set up on the other side of the room. J.R.’s Log House Restaurant served southern favorites like pulled pork sliders, baked beans and mac n’ cheese. I couldn’t pass this one up. The pulled pork was tender, tangy and saucy. Exactly what I want from a barbecue. Lazy Dog’s table really impressed me with its presentation. The tuna cup with rice, avocado and chili with chips on the side, was a real stunner.

Moe’s Southwest Grill was also on-site handing out tasty tequila lime chicken with rice, avocado, and black beans. This super hearty and comforting entrée was followed by a seafood course from PECHE Modern Coastal. Crab cakes with a croissant pinwheel, roasted garlic and lemon aioli and arugula were on the menu and the flavor combinations were simply fantastic.

PECHE’s sister restaurant STAGE Kitchen & Bar was next door offering a tuna and salmon tostada with avocado, eel sauce, spicy mayo, and cilantro. This was easily one of my favorite bites of the night. The tostada was crunchy and light with clean and bright flavors. No kidding, I could probably eat this every day for lunch.

I moved on the Smoke’s Family Catering and owner Phillip Smoke had whipped up enough barbecue to feed an army.  I had the pleasure of trying the smoked chicken with potato salad and it was the perfect pairing. Last but not least: dessert. I capped off the evening with a beautiful chocolate ganache-filled croissant with perfect lamination and flaky texture.

The inspiration behind the event

With a (very) full stomach, I caught up with PCBA President Lisa Proctor to talk about the event.

“We knew that COVID was really hard on a lot of our restaurants to get people back in,” said Proctor. “We wanted to do it in June because we wanted to celebrate our military. Everybody remembers them maybe on Memorial Day or different things, but June is the 80th anniversary of D-Day.”

“The military is always close to our heart,” she added. “We’re also very proud of our restaurants. They all have gone above and beyond.”

Tonight, the PCBA was honoring the Armed Forces and its brave veterans while bestowing two donation checks to very worthy causes.

The first check for $500 went to Folds of Honor. Since 2007, Folds of Honor has provided life-changing scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen or disabled military. And now, their mission expands to the families of America’s first responders.

The second check for $500 was given to Light Up the Corners, a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization with an annual glowing, flashing, blinking, shining, nighttime running party and fundraiser in one.  All proceeds from the event go to benefit less fortunate children and families in the Peachtree Corners community who are struggling by giving them the chance to participate in life-enhancing programs and activities at the Fowler YMCA.

Over the past 12 years, the PCBA has awarded 19 scholarships and donated more than $156,000+ back to the Peachtree Corners community.

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Local Resident Opens AtWork Location in Peachtree Corners

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AtWork, one of nation’s leading staffing franchises, has opened its third Metro Atlanta location in Peachtree Corners, Georgia at 6185 Buford Highway, Suite E-100.

AtWork Peachtree Corners is locally-owned by Kamal Bhatia, an immigrant from India with decades of experience in hospitality and as the Senior Vice President of Operations of Atlanta-based Action Bartending School.

AtWork, one of nation’s leading staffing franchises, has opened its third Metro Atlanta location in Peachtree Corners.
Kamal Bhatia

“There is an incredible need for AtWork’s services in Peachtree Corners,” said Bhatia. “Since migrating here in 1996, I’ve witnessed Atlanta evolve and sprout new communities north of the city, including my own. Peachtree Corners has become a hub for thriving businesses, and my goal with this location is to be a key resource between companies and job seekers to support the continued growth of our local economy.”

Bhatia’s son and daughter will assist him in the business.

“This is an opportunity to create a legacy company to ensure our community is supported for generations to come,” he said.

For more than three decades, AtWork’s mission has been to connect people with jobs and jobs with people. With more than 100 locations nationwide, AtWork puts nearly 40,000 individuals to work each year in administrative, light-industrial, accounting and finance, hospitality, IT and management-level positions at some of the nation’s largest and most recognizable companies.

“We’re proud to open our doors in Peachtree Corners and provide a common place for both job seekers and growing businesses to turn for staffing solutions,” said Jason Leverant, President and COO of AtWork.

“AtWork will serve as a key resource to help employees thrive, businesses prosper and communities flourish. Kamal is the perfect partner to champion our mission and be a servant leader in her local community,” he added.

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