ATHLOS, the professional women's track and field competition founded by Alexis Ohanian, has partnered with authentication technology company Veritas to connect every Tiffany & Co. championship crown to a verified digital record. Announced on September 16, 2026, the initiative will debut at ATHLOS London on Friday, September 18, 2026, the first ATHLOS event staged outside the United States. Each winner will receive a sterling silver crown digitally linked to her athlete story, race, and victory.
Digital Records for Championship Crowns
Each crown will carry Veritas technology that can be accessed using a smartphone. The digital experience authenticates the physical crown and allows users to explore its craftsmanship, the ATHLOS competition, and the athlete and race connected to it. This approach creates a permanent record of the victory and the story behind the physical piece.
How the Technology Works
Veritas uses a secure chip that generates a unique authenticated response with each tap, alongside a tamper detection wire. According to the company, this method is harder to defeat than copied QR codes or static NFC links because the connection between the object and its digital identity becomes part of the proof. The second generation chip works on metal surfaces and can be scanned through glass, making it suitable for jewelry, trophies, and fragrance bottles.
Expanding Anti-Counterfeit Applications
The startup recently introduced the second version of its chip, which supports hard surface products and glass objects such as fragrance bottles. Veritas has also embedded a chip into a pair of LeBron James' first Nike shoes, reimagined by artist Adam Port, allowing a tap on the shoe to bring up its history and story. Under the ATHLOS partnership, all 18 championship crowns will include Veritas chips for verification.
Funding and Product Momentum
Veritas has raised US$1.75 million in Pre-Seed funding led by Alexis Ohanian's venture firm Seven Seven Six. Participants included DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang, Gloria Zhu, co-founder of skincare brand Reys, and former TechCrunch editor Josh Constine. Since its February fundraise, the company has shipped an iOS app for consumers and a brand portal that lets companies manage product records and build owner experiences.
Industry Recognition
Luxury goods counterfeiters are becoming better at replicating brand marks and producing superfakes that pass as genuine items. Veritas aims to address this problem with a chip that verifies goods and allows customers to show a certificate of ownership through its app. The company also competed in this year's TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield, which ran from Tuesday through Thursday.
Executive Perspectives
Kayla Green, Acting President of ATHLOS, said the crown is a powerful symbol of what the athletes achieve. She added that the partnership with Veritas will preserve the story behind every victory and create a lasting connection between each athlete, her crown, and the moment she earned it. Luci Holland, CEO of Veritas, said the technology allows a physical object to carry its own authenticated digital history.
The collaboration between ATHLOS and Veritas highlights how physical awards can now carry durable digital provenance and storytelling. ATHLOS London will be the first event to feature the integrated crowns, giving champions a permanent record of their success. For Veritas, the partnership demonstrates growing demand for authentication across luxury, sports, and cultural objects.