Veritas has raised $1.75 million in pre-seed funding to embed authentication chips in luxury goods, founder Luci Holland told TechCrunch by email. The second version of its chip is now ready for production.

The round closed in February, the source confirmed. Seven Seven Six led the round. Alexis Ohanian, Reddit co-founder and an early investor in Veritas, runs the firm. DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang, Reys co-founder Gloria Zhu, and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine also participated.

What does the chip actually do?

Holland described the mechanism in a written statement. The chip pairs a tamper-detection wire with a per-tap cryptographic response. Brands authenticate items by reading the response on a backend system. A tap on a phone reveals a certificate of ownership to the consumer.

"Our approach combines secure, authenticated chip responses with integration into the product itself," Holland said. "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 is a former Tesla technical product manager. The founder also has a design and art background. The chip inserts into products without damaging them, Holland said, though independent test data on insertion impact was not cited in the source.

How does Veritas differ from QR or NFC?

Holland argues static links are easier to defeat. A copied QR code or static NFC tag returns identical data on every scan. Veritas claims each tap produces a fresh cryptographic response that resists simple duplication, according to the founder's statement to TechCrunch.

The source did not cite independent benchmark results against forged chips. The claim is a vendor assertion, not third-party evidence. No security audit by an external lab was referenced in the source material.

What can the second-generation chip reach?

The new chip works on metal surfaces, the source confirmed. It also scans through glass. Production is ready, Holland said. Applications include 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," Holland said. Shipment volumes and a ship date were not disclosed.

Where will the chip appear first?

Veritas announced a partnership with ATHLOS this week. ATHLOS is a women's track-and-field competition founded by Alexis Ohanian. All 18 championship crowns will carry Veritas chips, the company said. Each crown can be verified by tapping.

The startup also embedded a chip in a reimagined pair of LeBron James' first Nike shoes. Artist Adam Port designed the shoes. Tapping the shoe brings up its history and story, the source confirmed.

What software has shipped since February?

The company shipped an iOS consumer app since the February round. A brand portal also went live. Companies can manage product records and build owner experiences. Brands can offer clubs, event check-ins, and segmented early access to drops through the platform.

Veritas competed at TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield this week. The competition ran Tuesday through Thursday. A winner was announced Thursday afternoon. The startup's final placement in the competition was not stated in the source.

What remains undisclosed?

No fashion-house customer names appeared in the source. No unit volumes were given. No foundry partner was disclosed. No unit cost estimate was cited. The $1.75 million pre-seed round signals early ambition, not commercial traction.

Holland founded the company, the source confirmed. The founder's Tesla background is the only prior industry credential cited. The skeptic's caveat follows every promise: production-ready chips, pilot partnerships, and seed funding are not revenue.

Forward-looking view: Veritas will need named retail customers, disclosed unit volumes, and a confirmed foundry to convert the ATHLOS pilot and Disrupt visibility into recurring chip orders.