Are You a Human hires 3 as it begins lining up advertisers

Are You a Human is a startup based in downtown Detroit but expects to be known by advertisers around the world, sooner rather than later.

The M@dison Building-based company makes software meant to eliminate CAPTCHA, the squiggly letters meant to authenticate human interaction online but is easily defeated. Are You a Human’s software, PayThru, uses small game to serve the same purpose. This game-based verification system is much harder for software bots to overcome.

PlayThru, which is now being broadly launched to advertisers, incorporates brand advertising in its online games as the way to commercialize the service. It has been working with a number of large consumer brands, such as Ford Fiesta, Xbox and Moosejaw.

"When we have a brand game, there is now drop-off in user experience," says Reid Tatoris, co-founder of Are You a Human. "They enjoy the branded game as much as non-branded game."

Tatoris adds that Are You a Human’s technology is now being used on 5,000 websites. The company, which recently opened a sales office in New York City, is now focusing on bringing on just as many clients.

"We want to grow that half of the business just as much as we have grown the first half," Tatoris says.

Are You a Human currently employs eight people. It has hired three people over the last year, including two software developers and a sales professional.

Source: Reid Tatoris, co-founder of Are You a Human
Writer: Jon Zemke

Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.