Avery Dennison Aids in Funding Semiconductor Company

Avery Dennison, the Glendale company known for its RFID or radio frequency identification tags, is one of three businesses to raise an additional $30 million in Series B funding for Wiliot, a San Diego and Israel-based semiconductor company that is innovating a similar product. Funding was announced after Wiliot introduced its sticker-sized Bluetooth sensor tag at the National Retail Federation’s 2019 show in New York Jan. 13 to 15. “Wiliot’s strategy for battery-free Bluetooth transponders, which sense and communicate without needing specific action by consumers, is very relevant to Avery Dennison’s intelligent label strategy,” said Francisco Melo, vice president and general manager of Global RFID for Avery Dennison. “We believe in a future where every item will have a unique digital identity and a digital life, benefiting both consumers and brands, with relevant and contextual information.” He said Avery Dennison sees Wiliot’s innovation as an “extension to our world-leading RFID solutions.” It will allow consumers to connect with products through smartphone and Internet of Things devices. The tag, powered by scavenging energy from ambient radio frequencies, can be printed on plastic or paper and used to verify the proximity of a product via an encrypted serial number. Uses range from tracking a product in real time to allowing household appliances to communicate with other products. Avery Dennison, Amazon Web Services Investment Arm and Samsung Venture Investment Corp., joined companies from Series A funding for a total of $50 million. Series A organizations include Norwest Venture Partners, 83North, Grove Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures and M Ventures.