ScanTrust and the EIC Accelerator: QR Codes That Cannot Be Copied

ScanTrust, founded in 2014 and led by co-founder and CEO Nathan Anderson, makes Secure QR Codes: QR codes with a hidden graphic that loses information when printed again, so a copy can be detected with a smartphone. Its EIC application said the codes "have intrinsic protection against counterfeit attempts" and integrate with standard printers, business software and consumers' phones, "to empower each user at any stage of a supply chain to instantaneously verify a product", according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,349,375 to ScanTrust B.V. in Amsterdam towards a €3.45 million project from May 2023 to January 2025. The final report explains how the technology works and says that "over the last 9 years" ScanTrust improved its machine learning authentication, broadened the range of supported phones and built integration tools with brands and printers. It does not list milestones reached within the EIC project, pilots, customers or sales. In February 2026 ScanTrust announced it had acquired the business and assets of Trust Codes Global of New Zealand.

Where ScanTrust Stands Now

ScanTrust now presents itself as an "all-in-one QR code solution for global brands". It is the official software provider for U-label, the wine industry's digital label system for complying with EU labelling rules, and says the Trust Codes deal adds customers in infant nutrition, food and wine in New Zealand and Australia. Its website says its codes have been scanned in 185 countries on more than a billion products, with a team spread across Lausanne, Berlin, Tallinn, Shanghai, Amsterdam and other cities.

The Technology: A Fingerprint Inside the Code

Ordinary QR codes can be copied perfectly. ScanTrust inserts a secure graphic that exploits the imperfections of printing: every reprint adds ink smearing and dot gain, so a counterfeiter's copy loses information even if the scan is flawless, the report explains. A phone app measures the pattern and returns an authenticity check, and scan data can alert brands to counterfeiting hotspots.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The application promised to scale the technology so anyone in a supply chain could verify products. The final report reads as a product description. It credits nine years of company work, not the 21-month project, and gives no numbers on phones supported, codes printed, customers won or revenue. What the €2.35 million specifically produced cannot be established from CORDIS.

1. Better authentication AIUnverifiedNo project metrics.
2. Wider phone supportUnverifiedNot quantified.
3. Printer and brand integrationPartialTools described.
4. Market expansionDeliveredU-label, Trust Codes.

The Money

ScanTrust has not announced a funding round since the EIC award. The price paid for Trust Codes Global, ScanTrust's revenue, and how the Dutch beneficiary relates to the Swiss operating company are not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Counterfeiting costs brands and misleads consumers, and ScanTrust points to Digital Product Passport compliance as a growing reason to put codes on products. ScanTrust offers a way to make those codes harder to fake. The EIC funded it; the public report does not say how the grant moved the company forward.

The Verdict

ScanTrust and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.