University spinout goes global with security solution allowing circularity

Fake products are poison. Sometimes literally as in counterfeit medicines. Sometimes figuratively when they ruin the reputation of quality companies. Even the green transition is threatened because companies are reluctant to re-use, repair, or recycle if the product they take back might be tainted. Enter PUFIN-ID. This spinout from Innovation District Copenhagen-partner University of Copenhagen offers un-fakeable verification for any kind of physical product. This ability is rapidly taking them on a global scaling journey. By Jes Andersen.

Simple, secure and cheap fingerprints protecting any product

Very simply put, PUFIN-ID produces tiny tags, called O-KEYS, with patterns that are as unique as fingerprints. This might sound easy, but transforming this idea into a simple, secure and cheap product was anything but. The tags need to be easy to apply. They need to stick to any product and keep sticking despite mistreatment. They must be impossible to copy. Oh- And PUFIN ID need to guarantee, that their tags can be read and verified by anybody with a smartphone.

We are a deep tech company. Making our product durable requires that we look into several disciplines within materials science. In order to develop our verification-solution we have to train our own advanced computer vision based AI algorithms. Making tags that cannot be copied may sound simple, but making them sturdy, traceable and verifiable was hard and complex”: Line Klit Olsen, CEO, PUFIN-ID.

Training AI to identify bad photos

The company was established in 2019, based on research by University of Copenhagen chemistry professor Thomas Just Sørensen. In 2024 it employs 11 commercial and technical specialists, as well as three part time Masters-students and ten very young staffers, who create training data for the AI algorithms by photographing PUFIN tags in any kind of light with any kind of camera. Their work ensures, that any kind of end user can verify the product no matter what equipment and which conditions.

Our verification is based on us taking a picture of the tag for our database and then comparing that to a picture taken by the end user. But no user could ever take a picture identical to ours. That’s where our image recognition AI comes in. We have only one competitor who makes copy-proof markings like our O-KEYS and their end-users need special hardware for reading the tags. It is a point of pride for us, that our Neural Network has now been trained to the point, where it can guarantee effortless verification at any level the client needs”: Line Klit Olsen, CEO, PUFIN-ID.

Community supporting start-up growth

Since 2020 PUFIN-ID has been located in a start-up community operated by Innovation District-partner Symbion. Here, the proximity to other founders has been invaluable as have the various events featuring information on business relevant topics. A new network for CEOs at the community is something that Line Klit Olsen has especially high hopes for.

When you start growing a business you need to add new layers of complexity all the time. Being in a start-up community has made it easier to grow, because they take care of all the little things, like lunch, mail, and a professional reception. When it comes to the more strategic questions such as supply chains, staff-culture or funding, it’s immensely valuable to talk to someone who has faced the same type of problem”: Line Klit Olsen, CEO, PUFIN-ID.

Supporting entrepreneurial scientists central to mission

The non-profit start-up community Symbion operates five locations with more than 450 companies. According to the community’s CEO, helping science-based companies grow is central to the community’s mission.

The aim for the innovation district as well as for our start-up community is to provide opportunities for growth, regardless of the level of the founder and the company. Providing strategic advice is probably the most challenging task. We are delighted that the founders and CEO’s themselves are now assembling in the network we launched, so they can share meaningful insights”: Peter Torstensen, CEO, Symbion.

Looking for circularity partners

PUFIN-ID’s O-KEYS are already in use with several partners, but the company is eager to talk to anyone with a need to combat counterfeiting, ensure traceability or add digital information to a physical product. Especially if PUFIN can help partners develop green and circular business models. Unusually for a start-up, though, PUFIN-ID is not looking for investors.

Thanks to three Danish wealthy private investors with a long and ambitious investment horizon, the company is set to scale globally. None the less, we would welcome new collaborators or even investors, if these can open the doors to new industry verticals or geographical markets”: Line Klit Olsen, CEO, PUFIN-ID.

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