Veritas Expands Anti-Counterfeit Chip Technology to Jewelry, Trophies, and Fragrance Bottles

The proliferation of counterfeit luxury items presents a significant challenge for fashion brands. As counterfeiters refine their techniques to produce near-identical replicas, a startup named Veritas aims to confront this issue by introducing a verification chip for authenticating products.

Founded by Luci Holland, a former technical product manager at Tesla with a strong background in design and art, Veritas has developed a chip that can be seamlessly integrated into products without causing any damage. This innovative chip allows brands to confirm the authenticity of their items, while also enabling customers to access a certificate of ownership via the company’s mobile app.

Holland noted that traditional methods of verification, such as QR codes and static NFC links, are often easy to replicate and thus less reliable. “Our solution merges secure chip responses with direct integration into the product,” she explained. “Each tap generates a secure response and includes a tamper-detection wire, linking the physical object to its digital identity as part of the verification process.”

Recently, Veritas launched an advanced version of its chip designed to function on metal surfaces and be scanned through glass. “The next-generation chip supports a wide range of applications, including jewelry and fragrance bottles, in addition to our existing garment solutions,” Holland stated, emphasizing the versatility offered to brands for embedding authentication directly into their products.

This week, Veritas also announced a partnership with ATHLOS, a women’s track-and-field competition founded by Alexis Ohanian, who is also an investor in Veritas. As part of this collaboration, all championship crowns will feature Veritas chips for easy verification.

In another notable project, Veritas incorporated its chip into a pair of LeBron James’ first Nike shoes, which were redesigned by artist Adam Port. Scanning the chip with a smartphone reveals the shoes’ history and narrative, providing a unique storytelling element.

So far, Veritas has secured $1.75 million in pre-seed funding, led by Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six venture firm. Additional contributions came from Stanley Tang, co-founder of DoorDash, and others, including former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine.

Following its funding success in February, the company has released an iOS app for consumers and a brand portal that allows businesses to manage product records and create unique owner experiences. Through these platforms, brands can offer exclusive perks such as club memberships, event access, and early product launches.

Veritas also participated in this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield, which took place earlier this week, with winners announced on Thursday.