What VivoKey Technologies does

VivoKey Technologies is a privately-held identity and security platform company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, that develops NFC contactless smart card technology in subdermal, wearable, and embeddable form factors. Its core offering is the Apex platform — a Common Criteria EAL 6+ certified secure element architecture that powers consumer products including the Apex Flex subdermal security key ($349, professionally implanted), the Apex Ring zirconia ceramic smart ring ($249), and the Spark 2 MRI-conditional injectable cryptographic token, as well as OEM-licensed branded products such as the Novemm Cybertruck Bracelet. The platform supports a layered application ecosystem spanning FIDO2/WebAuthn and U2F authentication, OTP/TOTP, HMAC-SHA1, OpenPGP (RSA up to 4096-bit and ECC), Satochip BIP32/39 cryptocurrency wallets, Seedkeeper, and NFC data sharing, with companion Android apps including VivoKey Vault (AES-256-GCM file storage), NFC Passkey Bridge, NFC Passkey Manager, and Spark Actions. A free Verify API enables developers and enterprises to cryptographically confirm the authenticity and uniqueness of VivoKey NFC chips via JWT-signed tokens and challenge-response flows.

The company monetizes primarily through direct-to-consumer one-time hardware sales, supplemented by channel distribution via Dangerous Things LLC and OEM/white-label licensing of the Apex platform to partners such as Novemm and Fidesmo (the latter enabling EMV payment tokenization across 120+ financial institutions). Strategic integrations include Tesla keycard registration (Model 3/Y/S/X 2022+), Status.im Keycard for crypto messaging, and FIDO2 enterprise authentication workflows. The Verify API is currently free, suggesting a freemium posture aimed at ecosystem adoption ahead of potential monetization. Target customer segments span security enthusiasts and biohackers (primary), cryptocurrency self-custody users, Tesla owners, enterprise IAM buyers, and healthcare patient-identity use cases.

VivoKey operates as a small founder-led team (1-10 employees, CEO Amal Graafstra, COO William O'Neil) with a single disclosed funding event — an SOSV/RebelBio incubator investment in December 2017. No venture capital or institutional investor participation is documented, and revenue, ARR, and headcount growth figures are not publicly disclosed. The company competes in a niche intersection of secure element hardware, biometric/subdermal authentication, and open cryptographic standards, where its primary defensibility rests on certification (Common Criteria EAL 6+, MRI Conditional), physical switching costs inherent to implanted form factors, and a growing applet ecosystem.

Name

VivoKey Technologies

Legal name

VivoKey Technologies Inc.

Website

https://vivokey.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

VivoKey Technologies is a Seattle-area identity platform company that builds NFC secure-element chips in subdermal implant, smart ring, and OEM-embeddable form factors, serving biohackers, crypto self-custody users, Tesla owners, and enterprise IAM buyers through hardware sales and platform licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Identity & Access Management Hardware

NAICS

Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)

SIC

Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)

akta.pro primary industry

Card Readers & Authentication Tokens (Smart Card, NFC, OTP Keys) (HDACAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payment PIN Pads, Card Readers & NFC Contactless Devices (HDACAKAG), Secure ICs, Smart Cards & Trusted Hardware (HDAHAAAJ), Smart Rings (CRACAIAC)

Keywords

• NFC security hardware
• Subdermal implants
• Biometric authentication
• FIDO2 security keys
• Cryptographic identity

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Sale of physical NFC security devices including Apex Flex subdermal implants ($349), Apex Ring smart ring ($249), and related products. One-time purchase model with lifetime access to new features.
2. Verify API: Free API access for developers to verify authenticity of VivoKey NFC chips. No revenue directly generated; used to drive product adoption and ecosystem growth.
3. Platform Licensing: Licensing of Apex platform technology to partners for embedding in their products (wearables, bracelets) and bringing third-party applets (cryptocurrency wallets, etc.) to the Apex platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VivoKey Technologies designs, manufactures, and sells NFC-based subdermal and wearable identity and security products built around the Apex contactless smart card platform. Its finished goods include the Apex Flex subdermal security key ($349), the Apex Ring zirconia ceramic smart ring ($249), and the Spark 2 injectable cryptographic token, complemented by a free Verify API for developers and OEM licensing of the Apex platform to partner brands.

Product overview

VivoKey Technologies offers the Apex NFC contactless smart card platform as its core technology, enabling brands to embed secure contactless features into wearable and subdermal products. The Apex platform powers finished products including Apex Flex (subdermal security key, $349) and Apex Ring (smart ring for payments/security, $249), while the Spark 2 is a separate injectable cryptographic token ($249) working with the Verify API. A suite of applications runs on Apex including FIDO2/U2F authentication, OTP authenticator, NFC data sharing, SmartPGP, HMAC-SHA1, and Spark cloud services. Partnerships enable Tesla keycard integration, Fidesmo Pay (120+ financial institutions), and Satochip/Seedkeeper cryptocurrency wallets. The Verify API provides public cryptographic verification services, while companion apps include NFC Passkey Bridge, NFC Passkey Manager, VivoKey Vault (secure file storage), and Spark Actions for Spark devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Apex: NFC contactless platform designed to enhance products with features like payments, Tesla keycard, FIDO2/U2F security, NFC data sharing, OTP authenticator, and OpenPGP capabilities.
• Apex Flex
• Apex Ring
• Spark
• Verify API

Products and services

• Apex Platform Core NFC contactless smart card platform that enables brands and OEMs to embed secure contactless features — including payments, security key authentication, Tesla car key registration, NFC data sharing, OpenPGP, and multi-factor authentication — into wearable and subdermal products. Built on a Common Criteria EAL 6+ certified secure element microchip and serves as the underlying architecture for VivoKey's finished hardware and partner OEM products.

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FidesmocoreTechnology or IntegrationSmart card service provider partnership for secure application deployment to VivoKey Apex devices over NFC. Fidesmo handles payment tokenization (Fidesmo Pay supporting 120+ financial institutions), enabling contactless payments on Apex-powered products.
• Dangerous Things LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremier biohacking company and authorized distributor for Apex Flex subdermal security key. Provides marketplace access to the biohacking and body modification community.
• NovemmminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPartner that produced the Cybertruck Bracelet, embedding Apex platform technology into a wearable jewelry form factor.
• TeslacoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partnership enabling VivoKey Apex devices to register as Tesla keycards with Model 3, Y, S, and X vehicles (2022 or later), providing keyless entry and driving capability.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Yubico: Leading hardware security key vendor offering FIDO2/U2F, OTP, and smart card authentication tokens. Yubico competes directly with VivoKey's FIDO2/U2F, OTP, HMAC, and PGP applet set on the Apex platform, and is the most established mainstream competitor for security key use cases.
• Oura: Smart-ring form-factor peer that commercializes the Oura Ring for health/wellness. While focused on biometrics rather than payments and authentication, Oura directly competes with the Apex Ring for mainstream smart-ring mindshare and shelf/digital shelf space.
• McLear (RingPay): UK-based NFC payment ring company offering contactless payment rings linked to user accounts. McLear competes head-to-head with the Apex Ring's tap-to-pay functionality and is the most direct payment-ring competitor.
• Dangerous Things LLC: Premier biohacking company and VivoKey's authorized distributor for Apex Flex and Spark 2. Dangerous Things sells a broad portfolio of implantable NFC/RFID tags and chips, making it the closest direct peer in the implantable technology category.

Broad incumbents

• Feitian Technologies: Established hardware authentication vendor offering FIDO2/U2F security keys, smart cards, and OTP tokens. Feitian competes broadly with VivoKey's security key and smart card functionality, particularly in enterprise IAM deployments.
• Ledger: Dominant hardware crypto wallet vendor using secure element chips. Ledger overlaps with VivoKey's Satochip/Seedkeeper cryptocurrency wallet applets on the Apex platform, though Ledger focuses on standalone wallets rather than multi-application secure elements.
• Google (Titan Security Key): Google's hardware security key line competes with VivoKey's FIDO2/U2F use cases. As a broad incumbent with deep distribution, Titan represents both competitive pressure and validation that mainstream hardware security keys are an established category.

Emerging players

• OnlyKey: Open-source hardware authentication token supporting FIDO2/U2F, OTP, PGP, and password storage. OnlyKey overlaps heavily with VivoKey's multi-application secure element approach and is a niche but technically comparable peer.
• Token (Visa Token Ring): NFC payment ring that uses Visa tokenization for contactless payments. Token directly overlaps with VivoKey's payment ring use case (Apex Ring + Fidesmo Pay) and represents a competing smart-ring payments path.

Others

• Nymi / NXP Secure Element ecosystem: NXP supplies the underlying secure element chips and contactless platform technologies (including those used in VivoKey's Apex). As the upstream silicon/technology enabler, NXP is a thematic adjacent peer for the secure NFC identity category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vivokey
• GitHubgithub.com/vivokey
• YouTubeyoutube.com/vivokey
• Facebookfacebook.com/vivokey
• Instagraminstagram.com/vivokey
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vivokey

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about VivoKey Technologies