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Arkami Racks Up Over $300K For Secure USB Drive MyIDKey

Technology veterans Tareq Risheq and Mark Thacker are no strangers to the world of high tech startups and angel and venture capital--Risheq was formerly CEO of Celllynx, Thacker was co-founder at Datallegro--but the way they're funding their newest startup is unusual, and a testament to the growing popularity of crowdfunding. The firm has now raised over $300,000 in funding via online crowdfunding site Kickstarter, for their project, MyIDKey, according to the project's status page. The project--which has been up for less than two weeks--has raised far more than it had initially been looking for to create its voice-activated, fingerprint secure Bluetooth / USB Drive that displays passwords and personal info.

The firm initially set a goal of $150,000 to help create its new product, easily surpassing that goal last week; the project now lists over 2,600 backers who have chosen to contribute everything between $1 and $2000. The firm has promised early versions of its product to supporters, T-shirts, and listings of backers on a "thank you" page on its website. Arkami is part of the OCTANe LaunchPad Accelerator. Both Rhishew and Thacker are veterans of the Orange County high technology startup world.