#151: Facial Recognition SaaS for Casinos to Almost $10M in Revenue – Henry Valentino

36 snips

Jul 4, 2025

Henry Valentino, founder and CEO of EConnect, shares insights from his journey in creating facial recognition software for casinos. He discusses the innovative shift from traditional security to AI-driven solutions driven by the pandemic's challenges. Valentino emphasizes the importance of knowing your financials as a CEO, the intricacies of navigating funding in the tech space, and the critical need for compliance in an evolving privacy landscape. With nearly $10 million in revenue, he highlights how tech can enhance both safety and customer experiences in the casino industry.

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ANECDOTE

Ban List Led to Police Encounter

A man added his wife and her new boyfriend to the casino ban list out of anger.
Police met them immediately when they arrived at the property.

ANECDOTE

Moved to Nevada to Save Taxes

Henry sold previous businesses in telecommunications and internet in the early 90s.
A tax lawyer advised him to move to Nevada to save millions on capital gains and state taxes.

INSIGHT

COVID Accelerated Product Market Fit

COVID-19 forced casinos to rapidly adopt new technology for temperature checks and access control.
This led Henry Valentino's company to develop facial recognition solutions with immediate market demand.

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Henry Valentino is the founder and CEO of EConnect, a leading provider of facial recognition software for casinos and stadiums, ensuring venue security and compliance. He founded EConnect in 2009 and pivoted several times before focusing on a security platform utilizing AI for casinos during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Econnect platform offers facial recognition surveillance software that integrates with special cameras at venue entrances to identify known security risks and ensure compliance. Security teams get immediate identification of “known bad guys” in large venues.

Econnect is approaching $10 million in revenue with hundreds of customers as a profitable business, with no outside equity funding. EConnect secured a total of $2 million in venture debt in 2019 and 2020, repaid it, and is now a growing and profitable company.

Quote from Henry Valentino, CEO and founder of EConnect

“Make sure you know your financial numbers yourself as the CEO. It's great to lean on accounting or finance leaders, but if you don't know them yourself, that's a big hindrance to success.

“Cash is what it comes down to. If the bank account doesn't have enough cash, they're only calling one person to get that resolved and that's you. If you get into trouble, you'll be trying to cut costs, which is not a way to grow a SaaS business.

“To continue growing, you need to increase your spending and capacity to take on new customers. How much does it cost to keep these doors open every month? How much cash are we going to bring in? What do we need to billl to put us in a profit position every month?”

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