The counterfeit problem

Counterfeiters are getting better at replicating luxury brands and passing off fake goods known as superfakes as genuine items. Fashion houses face major losses from the trade.

Veritas and its founder

Veritas was founded by Luci Holland, a former Tesla technical product manager with a background in design and art. The startup built a chip to verify whether products are genuine.

How the chip works

The chip generates a secure response with each tap and includes a tamper-detection wire. Customers can show a certificate of ownership through Veritas' app to prove authenticity.

“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.”

Second-generation chip launches

Veritas introduced its second version, which works on metal surfaces and can be scanned through glass. It supports jewelry, trophies, hard-surface products, and fragrance bottles.

“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.”

ATHLOS partnership announced

Veritas partnered with ATHLOS, a women's track-and-field competition founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. All eighteen championship crowns will include Veritas chips for verification.

Funding and early traction

Veritas raised one point seven five million dollars in pre-seed funding led by Ohanian's venture firm Seven Seven Six. Investors include DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine.

Brand tools and next steps

Since its February fundraise, Veritas shipped an iOS app for consumers and a brand portal for companies to manage product records. Brands can offer clubs, event check-ins, and early access to product drops.