RFID Company Adds UPS And Unilever To Its Investor List

United Parcel Service, Unilever, and Mobius Venture Capital are three new investors in a recent $22 million round of funding granted to semiconductor company Impinj Inc., which has developed rewritable radio-frequency identification chips for a popular UHF band. Previous investors also participating in the most recent round are Arch Venture Partners, Madrona Venture Group, and Polaris Venture Partners.

UPS's Strategic Enterprise Fund, the private equity investment arm of the logistics provider, is focused on developing partnerships and acquiring intellectual property in return for its investment. That could come in handy as the company continues its tests of RFID services for customers seeking assistance with their RFID supply-chain applications.

Unilever Technology Ventures--the investment arm of Unilever, whose brands Lipton and Dove are household names--operates as part of the company's research and development team to increase its exposure to new technologies. Unilever is taking part in Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s live RFID test that began in May, along with Gillette, Hewlett-Packard, Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Kraft Foods, Nestle, Purina PetCare, and Procter & Gamble.