Kili

Kili Technology Corporation, founded in 2013, specialized in developing secure and cost-effective solutions for the payment processing industry. The company originated as a divestiture from SecureKey, a provider of identity and authentication services. Greg Wolfond, the chairman of SecureKey, founded Kili Technology, which was led by Afshin Rezayee, SecureKey's former vice president of hardware engineering. The new entity acquired all relevant hardware patents and the engineering team from SecureKey, establishing its core upon this foundation.

The firm's business model centered on providing patented technology through system-on-chip (SoC) integrated circuits, firmware, reference designs, and hardware modules. This approach enabled clients, such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and original design manufacturers (ODMs), to rapidly bring to market certifiable mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) terminals. Kili's solutions were designed to support all primary payment methods, including magnetic stripe, EMV contact smart cards, and contactless payments via Near Field Communications (NFC). The flagship product, the K409B secure processor, featured a dual CPU architecture and an integrated NFC transceiver, aiming to reduce the cost and footprint of mPOS devices. The company also offered firmware modules to help developers achieve EMV L1 and L2 certification.

In November 2014, Kili Technology merged with DeviceFidelity, a company known for plug-and-play NFC and mobile security solutions, to broaden its portfolio in mobile payments. A significant milestone occurred in March 2015 when the company was acquired by Square (now Block, Inc.). The acquisition was a strategic move by Square to leverage Kili's expertise in silicon, electronics, and software to enhance its own hardware offerings amid the industry's shift towards EMV and NFC technologies. The Kili team continued its operations in Toronto, which became a Canadian office for Square.

Keywords: payment processing, system-on-chip, SoC, mobile point-of-sale, mPOS, EMV, NFC, secure payments, certifiable solutions, hardware modules, firmware, mobile security, DeviceFidelity merger, Square acquisition, Greg Wolfond, Afshin Rezayee, SecureKey divestiture, K409B processor, contactless payments, mobile payments