Counterfeits of luxury goods are a major problem for fashion houses. Counterfeiters are getting better at replicating brands’ marks and passing off dupes, known as “superfakes,” as genuine items. A startup called Veritas wants to tackle the problem with its own chip that verifies goods.
Veritas was founded by Luci Holland, a former Tesla technical product manager who also has a background in design and art. Its chip is built to be easily inserted into products without damaging them. Brands can use it to verify whether a product is the real deal, and customers can show a certificate of ownership through the company’s app.
Holland said other approaches are easier to defeat, because a digital record can be reproduced through a copied QR code or static NFC link.
“Our approach combines secure, authenticated chip responses with integration into the product itself. Our chip generates a secure response with each tap and includes a tamper-detection wire. We make the connection between the object and its digital identity part of the proof,” Holland said.
The Veritas founder told TechCrunch over email that the company has just introduced the second version of its chip, which works on metal surfaces and can be scanned through glass.
“The next-generation chip is ready for production and supports a broader range of applications, including jewelry, trophies, hard-surface products, and glass objects such as fragrance bottles,” Holland said. “Alongside our garment integrations, this gives brands more ways to incorporate authentication directly into their products.”
This week, the startup announced a partnership with ATHLOS, a women’s track-and-field competition founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is also an investor in Veritas. As part of the partnership, all 18 championship crowns will include Veritas’ chips so they can be verified.
The company also embedded a chip into a pair of LeBron James’ first Nike shoes, reimagined by artist Adam Port. Tapping a phone to the shoe brings up its history and story.
The company has so far raised $1.75 million in pre-seed funding led by Ohanian’s venture firm Seven Seven Six, with participation from DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang; Gloria Zhu, co-founder of skincare brand Reys; and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine.
Since its February fundraise, the company has shipped an iOS app for consumers and a brand portal that lets companies manage product records and build owner experiences. Through the app and the portal, brands can offer experiences such as clubs, event check-ins, and segmented early access to product drops.
Veritas competed in this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield, which ran Tuesday through Thursday. A winner was announced Thursday afternoon.