How It All Started…

The History of Voyantic

About > History

Voyantic was established in 2004 in Finland. Two researchers, Jukka and Juho, were looking into smart packages and RF sensors at the Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University) when they came up with an idea of a system that would support RFID tag development.

Now their vision has grown into a company with 40+ employees and over 2000 installed systems in more than 40 countries.

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“Fellows, the Americans won’t buy anything from you!”

“Back in 2005 we were busy raising money with our business plan.

After hearing our complete pitch, followed by a lengthy conversation, one seasoned Venture Capitalist remarked that “Fellows, I like your business idea. I like the product. The team is OK. I actually believe you’re going to get the product done. But listen – the Americans won’t buy anything directly from you”…

Watch the video for the full story!

“Do, or do not. There is no try.”

2004 – Roots in Finnish University Research and Industry Connections

When the RFID fever was nearing its peak in 2004, two researchers, Jukka and Juho, were looking into smart packages and RF sensors at the Helsinki University of Technology (now Aalto University) in Finland.

One day, during a talk over coffee, they got the idea of a system that would support RFID tag development. Market research soon proved the need for a UHF tag performance test system. Excited, ambitious, and young, with absolutely zero business experience, these fellows rushed out from academia to launch Voyantic Ltd.

2005 – Freshmen in Business, Pioneers in Tag Performance Testing

From 2005 to 2006, it was a time of the start-up struggle with hair-thin invoicing, global financial markets collapsing, and a measurement system prototype giving utterly strange test results on the lab table.

A few seasoned venture capitalists added agony by educating the young team that “You boys are never going to sell any systems directly to customers in the USA.”

Jesse joined the company in late 2006 to improve the calibration procedure and to package complex RF measurements into a turn-key system. In 2007 this new Tagformance solution brought tag sensitivity and frequency tuning tests to everyone’s reach.

2007 – New Capabilities that Shifted RFID Engineering into Overdrive

After a tedious zero-budget roadshow in the USA, on a Thursday afternoon, it was a Xerox fax machine that delivered a miraculous first order from US East Coast. Direct deliveries to the USA started immediately. The first 5 systems were sold to 4 countries on 3 continents. This success with the early adopters in 2007 added much-needed air under Voyantic’s wings and encouraged the entrepreneurs to push forward.

The tag testing capabilities that Voyantic brought to market mark a major milestone for the whole UHF RFID industry. The number of qualified developers rapidly multiplied. This engineering power drove the performance and reliability of UHF RFID systems up to a level that made a wider adoption of RFID technology possible.

2010 – Customers Requested RFID Quality Testing

When the innovative RFID tag designers started applying the Tagformance system to sampling production testing, feedback started to pour in. A production tester was urgently needed, and in reel-to-reel label processes, the tester should be fast.

In 2010 Voyantic responded with Tagsurance and Snoop Pro antenna. This combo matched production speeds, brought visibility to smart label quality variations, and catalyzed continuous improvement to production processes.

2023 – Expertise and Global Service in Design, Manufacturing, and Deployment

Over the years, Voyantic has grown, new talents have joined the team, and partners have extended our global presence. NFC systems and product extensions have been added to the portfolio, and key software products have enjoyed constant engineering attention. Nowadays, over 90% of tag developers use Voyantic systems.

Voyantic has delivered hundreds of solutions around the globe. It is the only company in the world with a 100% focus on RFID performance.

In 2023 Voyantic was acquired by Impinj, a leading RAIN RFID provider and Internet of Things pioneer.

Voyantic will continue on its mission to help companies to excel in RFID, now as a wholly owned subsidiary of Impinj.