Veritas rolls out next-gen anti-counterfeit chip for jewelry, trophies and perfume bottles

Veritas announced that its second-generation anti-counterfeit chip is now ready for production and can be embedded in metal items, glass containers and other hard surfaces. The move expands the company’s original focus on apparel and gives luxury brands a way to protect jewelry, trophies, fragrance bottles and similar high-value objects from “superfakes” that mimic brand markings.

Founder Luci Holland, a former technical product manager at Tesla with a background in design and art, says the chip is engineered to be inserted without harming the product. Each tap of a smartphone triggers a secure response that includes a tamper-detection wire, linking the physical item to a unique digital identity. Holland argues that static QR codes or simple NFC tags can be copied, whereas Veritas’s chip generates a fresh encrypted reply for every interaction, making replication far more difficult.

The new version of the chip can operate on metal surfaces and is readable through glass, allowing it to be placed inside jewelry settings, trophy plaques and perfume bottles without visible alteration. Holland explained that the broader material compatibility “gives brands more ways to incorporate authentication directly into their products” while preserving the look and feel of the item.

This week Veritas disclosed a partnership with ATHLOS, the women’s track-and-field series founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who also backs the startup through his venture firm Seven Seven Six. All 18 championship crowns awarded at the upcoming competition will contain Veritas chips, enabling athletes and fans to verify the authenticity of each trophy via the company’s app. In a separate showcase, a pair of LeBron James’s first Nike shoes, reimagined by artist Adam Port, were fitted with the chip; a phone tap reveals the shoe’s provenance and story.

Since closing a $1.75 million pre-seed round led by Seven Seven Six, with participation from DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang, Reys co-founder Gloria Zhu and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine, Veritas has launched an iOS consumer app and a brand portal. The portal lets companies upload product records, manage ownership certificates and design experiences such as exclusive clubs, event check-ins and early-access drops for verified owners.

Veritas also took part in this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield, where it presented its technology alongside other emerging ventures. While a winner was announced at the close of the event, the startup’s inclusion in the competition highlighted growing investor interest in hardware-based authentication solutions.

Looking ahead, Holland expects the metal-compatible chip to open doors for brands that have previously struggled to embed digital safeguards in non-fabric items. The company plans to scale production later this year and to pursue additional collaborations in sectors such as high-end watches and limited-edition collectibles, where provenance is a critical component of value.