Legitimate

Connected Products / NFC Engagement Platformlegitimate.tech

Legitimate is a New York-based NFC platform that lets brands embed smart tags in physical products to deliver dynamic digital experiences, track scan engagement, and support Digital Product Passport compliance. It serves enterprise and mid-market customers across music, sports, fashion, and food and beverage verticals.

Company typePrivate
Founded2019
HeadquartersNew York, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2B
OfferingSoftware

What Legitimate does

Legitimate is a New York-based connected products platform, founded in 2019, that enables brands to embed NFC tags in physical goods and deliver dynamic digital experiences when consumers tap the tag with a smartphone. The core technology combines tamper-proof NFC chips, one-time-use secure URLs that prevent cloning, a live content management system, and an analytics dashboard for tracking first-party scan behavior. The platform supports compliance with EU Digital Product Passport requirements and offers a Connected Autographs product that pairs video-verified signing moments with tagged merchandise for authentication.

Legitimate serves enterprise and mid-market customers across four primary verticals: music and entertainment, sports and athletics, fashion and luxury, and food and beverage. Named customers include Puma, adidas, Roc Nation, Timberland, PF Flyers, and multiple independent artists (Sango, Gillian, Justus West), with case studies reporting engagement metrics such as 16,000+ scans, 95% opt-in rates, and reach across 65+ countries.

The business model blends hardware sales (NFC tags, wristbands, patches, trading cards) with recurring platform subscriptions, white-label licensing for premium programs, and professional services for setup and ongoing support. Legitimate sells through direct enterprise sales, with a two-tier offering: a Quick Launch Collection enabling deployment in approximately four weeks for events and pilots, and a Custom White-label Collection for longer-term, fully branded programs under multi-year contracts. The company raised $4.3 million in seed funding in April 2024 led by Lemniscap, with participation from Draper Associates, Sfermion, and Factor Capital.

Legitimate firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Legitimate
Legal name: Legitimate, Inc.
Website: https://legitimate.tech
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2019
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: Legitimate is a New York-based NFC platform that lets brands embed smart tags in physical products to deliver dynamic digital experiences, track scan engagement, and support Digital Product Passport compliance. It serves enterprise and mid-market customers across music, sports, fashion, and food and beverage verticals.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Legitimate industry classification

Industry

Product category: Connected Products / NFC Engagement Platform
NAICS: Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
SIC: Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)
akta.pro primary industry: Anti-Counterfeit & Authentication Packaging (Holograms, QR/NFC, Track-and-Trace) (IMALANAJ)

Keywords

NFC connected products
Digital product passport
Phygital fan engagement
NFC smart tags
Post-purchase marketing

Where Legitimate is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: New York
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Legitimate business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

NFC Tag Hardware Sales: Sale of NFC-enabled tags and wristbands embedded in physical products. Products include wristbands, iron patches, keychains, trading cards, and custom tag designs.
Platform Subscription: Ongoing access to Legitimate dashboard for tag management, analytics, content management, and digital experience hosting.
Professional Services: Setup, onboarding, custom development, and ongoing support for connected product programs.
White-Label Licensing: Fully branded, custom connected experiences for premium programs and long-term campaigns with enterprise pricing flexibility.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Hybrid	Multi-year contract	Quick Launch Collection - Fast deployment in 4 weeks with pre-built templates
Hybrid	Multi-year contract	Custom White-label Collection - Fully branded custom experience with longer setup

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Legitimate product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Legitimate provides an NFC-based connected products platform that enables brands to embed smart tags into physical goods and deliver dynamic, encrypted, one-time-use digital experiences to consumers. The platform includes proprietary NFC tags (wristbands, iron patches, trading cards, keychains, and custom designs), a live content management system, a real-time analytics dashboard, and supporting products like Connected Autographs and Digital Product Passport. Brands purchase the platform either via a Quick Launch Collection (4-week deployment) or a Custom White-label Collection (premium long-term programs).

Product overview

Legitimate is a connected products platform that enables brands to transform physical goods into interactive digital experiences using embedded NFC (Near Field Communication) technology. The platform consists of a core software platform for managing connected products, complemented by proprietary Legitimate Tags (NFC chips), two product collections (Quick Launch Collection for fast activation and Custom White-label Collection for premium customization), and specialized features including Connected Autographs for verified signatures, Verify Experience for authentication, and Digital Product Passport for product traceability. The offering includes platform tools for tag programming (Mobile Tag Programmer and Desktop Tag Programmer apps) and a Tag Management Dashboard for SKU and content management with Builder.io content integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Legitimate Platform An all-in-one SaaS platform for connected products that enables brands to transform physical goods into digital experiences using embedded NFC technology. Includes tag management, digital experience delivery, analytics, and user account tracking, sold to enterprise brands and mid-market customers via direct sales and self-serve.
Legitimate Tags (NFC) Proprietary smart NFC tags embedded into physical products that deliver dynamic, encrypted, one-time-use scan URLs. Tags work across any surface and update content in real-time without requiring app downloads. Sold as hardware to brands alongside the platform subscription.
Quick Launch Collection A pre-built connected product solution enabling fast activation in 4 weeks. Offers wristbands, iron patches, keychains, and trading cards with pre-built templates. Designed for pilots, quick drops, events, and short runs at an affordable starter price point; intended for mid-market and event-driven brands.
Custom White-label Collection A fully customized connected experience built from the ground up for enterprise brands. Includes access to the full tag catalog and custom NFC solutions with tailored UX and custom flows. Designed for premium programs and long-term campaigns with enterprise pricing flexibility.
Connected Autographs A verified autograph service for artists and brands. Legitimate films the signing of merchandise (posters, tees, etc.), tags the item with NFC, and delivers an authenticated video of the signing moment to fans within 24 hours when they scan the tag.
Verify Experience A digital verification experience that confirms product authenticity and unlocks exclusive content or benefits tied to a user's identity or wallet. Used by brands to give consumers proof of authenticity for collectibles, memorabilia, and limited-edition goods.
Digital Product Passport A digital ID card for products containing information about origin, materials, manufacturing journey, sustainability practices, and ownership history. Supports EU regulatory initiatives like Digital Product Passports and helps brands prepare for mandatory compliance starting in 2026.
Mobile Tag Programmer An iOS and Android application for encoding and verifying NFC tags in the field. Supports iPhone models from 2018 onwards (iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, SE 2nd/3rd Gen) and Android devices on the latest OS. Enables batch encoding with template IDs and automatic token ID incrementing for operational tag programming at scale.
Desktop Tag Programmer A desktop application for programming NFC tags using compatible USB hardware. Requires an NFC Type 4 compatible reader/writer (ACS ACR1252U recommended; ACS ACR1552U as alternative). Capable of batch processing 6,000-8,000 tags per day with a two-person workflow for high-volume enterprise deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

65+ countries reached with connected products
+5 more outcomes

Companies that use Legitimate

Customer profile

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Legitimate technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: Yes
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature10 records

Legitimate partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered preferred vendor, core platform partner and design integration.

GoToTag.compreferred vendorOthersRecommended supplier for NFC tag readers and writers compatible with Legitimate's desktop programmer software. Recommends ACS ACR1252U, ACR1552U, or ACR122U readers.
Builder.iocore platform partnerTechnology or IntegrationCMS integration partner allowing brands to customize digital experiences with text, images, video, and oEmbed content. Supports YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud integrations. Enables Figma-to-builder design workflows.
Figmadesign integrationTechnology or IntegrationDesign tool integration via Figma-to-Builder.io plug-in allowing brands to convert mobile designs to Legitimate digital experiences using Figma's auto-layout feature.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Legitimate competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Blue Bite: Blue Bite is a connected products platform that uses NFC, QR codes, and BLE to enable brands to deliver digital experiences from physical products. Directly comparable to Legitimate in phygital/NFC marketing with similar target customers in fashion, sports, and consumer goods.
Scantrust: Scantrust provides secure QR codes and NFC solutions for brand protection, anti-counterfeiting, and supply chain traceability. Directly comparable authentication-led technology with overlap in product authentication and Digital Product Passport use cases.
Certilogo: Certilogo offers authentication and digital identity solutions for fashion and luxury brands using QR codes and NFC. Directly comparable in fashion authentication and consumer-facing product verification experiences.
Kezzler: Kezzler provides serialization and traceability solutions for product authentication and supply chain transparency. Comparable in Digital Product Passport and brand protection use cases, serving similar enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

Avery Dennison (Smartrac/Evrythng): Avery Dennison, through its Smartrac and Evrythng acquisitions, is a large incumbent in NFC/RFID inlays and connected products platforms. Offers overlapping capabilities but as part of a broader portfolio including labels, materials, and packaging solutions.
Digimarc: Digimarc provides digital watermarking and product authentication technology for brand protection and supply chain integrity. Broader incumbent with overlapping authentication capabilities but uses a different underlying technology (watermarks vs. NFC).
Identiv: Identiv specializes in NFC and RFID solutions for IoT, security, and authentication applications. Broader incumbent with overlapping NFC tag capabilities but more focused on physical security and access control than consumer engagement.

Emerging players

YPB Group: YPB Group provides anti-counterfeit and brand protection solutions including NFC tags and authentication platforms. Smaller player with overlapping authentication use cases but primarily focused on anti-counterfeiting rather than fan engagement.
Originaal (formerly Authentic Feet / Sneaker authentication): Originaal provides authentication services for sneakers and streetwear collectibles using NFC and blockchain. Emerging player with partial overlap in the connected merchandise and authentication space, particularly relevant to Legitimate's fashion and music verticals.

Others

NXP Semiconductors: NXP Semiconductors is a major NFC chip manufacturer supplying the underlying silicon used in NFC tags. Acts as a key infrastructure/enabler for the entire NFC tag ecosystem including Legitimate's solutions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Legitimate financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Legitimate leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Legitimate funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors7 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Legitimate M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Legitimate

What does Legitimate do?

Is Legitimate a public or private company?

Legitimate is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.

When was Legitimate founded?

Legitimate was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is Legitimate based?

Legitimate is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.

How does Legitimate make money?

Four revenue lines are on record. NFC Tag Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are platform Subscription, professional Services and white-Label Licensing.

Who are Legitimate's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Blue Bite, Scantrust, Certilogo and Kezzler. Broad incumbents are Avery Dennison (Smartrac/Evrythng), Digimarc and Identiv. Emerging players are YPB Group and Originaal (formerly Authentic Feet / Sneaker authentication). NXP Semiconductors is listed as an others.

Does Legitimate have an API?

Yes. Legitimate provides a public API that allows users to access their data relating to the Application. Any use of the API, including use through third-party products/services that access data through the API, is governed by the Terms of Service. Users expressly understand and agree that the Owner bears no responsibility for any damages or losses resulting from API usage or use of any third-party products/services that access data through the API. Developer documentation is at docs.legitimate.tech/public-docs.

What industry is Legitimate in?

Legitimate's product category is Connected Products / NFC Engagement Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALANAJ, Anti-Counterfeit & Authentication Packaging (Holograms, QR/NFC, Track-and-Trace). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 3670.