Kovio

About Kovio

Kovio Inc., a company with roots in the MIT Media Lab, was a venture-backed firm focused on developing printed electronics. The company was founded in 2001. Key individuals associated with the company included chairman and CEO Amir Mashkoori, who joined in 2008 and brought experience from companies like Spansion and AMD. The company's core technology revolved around using standard graphics printing processes to create thin-film silicon electronics, a method intended to dramatically lower the cost of producing components like radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags.

Kovio's primary business was the design and manufacturing of printed silicon products, specifically for the Near Field Communication (NFC) and Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) markets. The company aimed to replace traditional, more expensive silicon chip manufacturing with a high-throughput, low-cost printing technique. This process involved using proprietary silicon-based "inks" that could be printed onto flexible substrates. The target market included sectors that could benefit from low-cost intelligence on everyday items, such as retail for inventory management and brand authentication, mobile marketing, and ticketing.

The company's product portfolio was centered on RF Barcodes and NFC tags. A significant milestone was the announcement in 2012 of the first commercially available printed NFC Barcodes, which were designed to be integrated into products for brand-to-consumer mobile engagement. These tags were priced aggressively to compete with traditional barcodes while offering enhanced digital capabilities. Kovio secured substantial funding throughout its operation, raising over $200 million from investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Harris & Harris Group. Despite its technological developments and significant backing, Kovio ceased operations around 2014 and its assets were reportedly sold.