Veritas, a startup that builds anti-counterfeit chips for luxury goods, has released the second version of its chip. The new chip works on metal surfaces and can be scanned through glass. According to TechCrunch AI, that means Veritas can now go beyond clothing and into jewelry, trophies, hard-surface products, and glass objects like fragrance bottles.
Luci Holland founded the company. She’s a former technical product manager at Tesla who also has a background in design and art. Veritas is going after a problem that keeps getting worse for fashion houses: “superfakes,” which are counterfeits so good they pass as genuine.
Why QR codes and basic NFC tags fall short
Many brands already authenticate products with QR codes or NFC tags (NFC is the tap-to-read tech in contactless payments). Holland says those are easy to beat. A static code or link is just a digital record, and anyone can copy one onto a fake.
Veritas takes a different approach. “Our chip generates a secure response with each tap and includes a tamper-detection wire,” Holland told TechCrunch. “We make the connection between the object and its digital identity part of the proof.”
What stands out here is the idea of tying the chip to the object itself. A cloned QR code proves nothing. A chip that gives a new answer on every tap and can tell when someone has tampered with it is much harder to fake.
5 things to know about the Veritas launch
- The new chip handles harder materials. Version two works on metal and reads through glass. Holland says it’s “ready for production.” That opens up categories the first chip couldn’t reach, like rings, watches, perfume bottles, and trophies.
- The chip goes inside the product. Veritas built it to fit into items without damaging them. Brands use it to confirm a product is real, and owners can show a certificate of ownership in the Veritas app.
- Each tap gives a new response. The chip creates a fresh secure response every time it’s scanned, and a built-in tamper-detection wire flags interference. Copying it is a lot harder than copying a QR code.
- Brands get more than authentication. Since its February fundraise, Veritas has shipped an iOS app for consumers and a brand portal for managing product records. Brands can use them to run owner clubs, event check-ins, and early access to product drops for specific groups of customers.
- It already has high-profile customers. All 18 championship crowns at ATHLOS, the women’s track-and-field competition founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, will carry Veritas chips. The company also put a chip into a pair of LeBron James’ first Nike shoes, reimagined by artist Adam Port. Tap a phone on the shoe and you get its history and story.
Who’s backing it
Veritas has raised $1.75 million in pre-seed funding. Ohanian’s venture firm Seven Seven Six led the round. DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang, Reys skincare co-founder Gloria Zhu, and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine also invested.
One thing to keep in mind: Ohanian invests in Veritas and also founded ATHLOS, so the crown deal is partly a deal within his own network. It still works as a public showcase, but it isn’t the same as an independent brand picking Veritas over its competitors.
The startup also competed in this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield.
What’s still unclear
The announcement leaves a few practical questions open:
- Pricing: Veritas hasn’t said what brands pay per chip or for the portal.
- Scale: Its known deployments so far are small runs like championship crowns and one-of-one sneakers. Neither is mass-market manufacturing.
- Platform reach: The consumer app is only on iOS for now.
Why it matters
Authentication is turning into a customer relationship tool. When a chip proves ownership, the brand can keep talking to that owner long after the sale, through exclusive drops, events, and resale verification. That’s a big reason luxury houses are paying attention to digital product identity.
The second-version chip matters because it covers the categories where fakes do the most damage. Jewelry and fragrance are among the most counterfeited luxury goods, and until now, metal and glass made reliable chip authentication hard.
The big test is whether Veritas can move from showcase pieces to production volume with a major fashion house. If it can, chips built into products could become a standard part of luxury goods. You can find the full story in TechCrunch AI’s original report.