The history of
Voyantic
At the Helsinki University of Technology, Juho and Jukka were deeply involved in corporate collaboration projects that explored smart packaging technologies, with RFID as a central focus. It was exciting for the two young researchers that got to be a part of project in the forefront of a new technology. As these projects concluded, partnering companies started asking questions about the measurement technology applied during the research phase.
“That was when Jukka and I looked at each other, realizing we had stumbled on a possibly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” -Juho.
“Coming from a research background, I found it relatively easy to decide to start the company. I thought the worst that could happen was that I’d learn a lot in the process,” -Jukka.
Voyantic was established in 2004 in Finland.
Over the years, Voyantic has grown, new talents have, 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.
Now their vision has grown into a company with 50+ employees and 4000+ installed systems in more than 40 countries.
How it all started…
“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!
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 coffee talk, 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 of academia to launch Voyantic Ltd.
“We established Voyantic because we saw an opportunity to turn research-driven knowledge into a scalable and profitable business.” –Juho
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, “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 package complex RF measurements into a turnkey system. In 2007, this new Tagformance solution made tag sensitivity and frequency tuning tests accessible to everyone.
After a tedious zero-budget roadshow in the USA on a Thursday afternoon, a Xerox fax machine delivered a miraculous first order from the US East Coast. Direct deliveries to the USA started immediately. The first five systems were sold to four countries on three 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 significant 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.
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.
Voyantic has been actively following and supporting the development and growth of the RAIN RFID industry since 2004, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of RFID.
Tagformance has set standards for RFID and NFC technology ever since. It helps you gain visibility into tuning, sensitivity, and radiation patterns.
Tagsurance 3 gives full visibility into RFID tags’ performance. It’s a complete system for measuring the performance of UHF and HF RFID inlays, tags, and labels. Tagsurance 3 came as an all-in-one device to replace Tagsurance 1 and 2, Tagsurance HF, Tagsurance UHF, and Tagsurance lite.
We were ranked as the 8th best workplace in Finland in the small companies category. What an honor!
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 excel in RFID, now that it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Impinj.
We had the honor of celebrating our 20th anniversary with our incredible team. We are thankful for everyone who has helped shape Voyantic over the years to the way it is today. Onward to the next ten years!
In 2024, we also reached 50 employees milestone and became a midsized company.