vividq: Holographic Displays from Normal Screens - $15M Funding

VividQ Secures $15 Million to Advance Holographic Display Technology

VividQ, a UK-based deeptech startup specializing in holographic rendering for existing screens, has successfully raised $15 million in funding. This investment will be directed towards the further development of its technology for use in upcoming digital displays and devices.

Funding Details and Investors

The funding round, designated as a Seed extension, was spearheaded by UTokyo IPC, the venture capital arm associated with the University of Tokyo. Additional participation came from Foresight Williams Technology, a collaborative effort between Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Engineering.

Further investors included Miyako Capital from Japan, APEX Ventures based in Austria, and the R42 Group VC, operating out of Stanford. Existing investors, namely University of Tokyo Edge Capital, Sure Valley Ventures, and Essex Innovation, also contributed to this round.

HoloLCD Technology and its Applications

The acquired funds will primarily facilitate the scaling of VividQ’s HoloLCD technology. The company asserts that this technology enables the conversion of standard consumer screens into holographic displays.

Established in 2017, VividQ has already forged partnerships with prominent companies such as ARM, Compound Photonics, Himax Technologies, and iView Displays to refine and implement its innovations.

The startup is concentrating its efforts on applications within the Automotive HUD (Heads-Up Display) sector, head-mounted displays (HMDs), and smart glasses. Their Computer-Generated Holography aims to project genuinely three-dimensional images with authentic depth of field, enhancing the user experience by creating more natural and immersive visuals.

Vision for the Future of Displays

“The scenes we’ve witnessed in science fiction films, like those from Iron Man and Star Trek, are drawing nearer to becoming a tangible reality,” stated Darran Milne, co-founder and CEO of VividQ. “Our mission at VividQ is to introduce holographic displays to the world for the very first time.”

“Our solutions are designed to foster innovation in display products for the automotive industry, elevate augmented reality (AR) experiences, and ultimately revolutionize how we interact with personal devices, including laptops and mobile phones.”

Industry Perspectives

Mikio Kawahara, chief investment officer of UTokyo IPC, commented, “Holography represents the future of display technology. The demand for enhanced 3D imagery in practical applications is steadily increasing throughout the display industry.”

“VividQ’s products have the potential to transform the aspirations of numerous consumer electronics businesses into concrete achievements.”

Hermann Hauser, advisor to APEX Ventures and co-founder of Arm, added, “Computer-Generated Holography allows for the recreation of immersive projections that mirror the 3D information present in our surroundings.”

“VividQ possesses the capability to fundamentally alter the way humans engage with digital information.”

Technical Details and Differentiation

During a discussion, Milne explained, “We’ve successfully integrated the technology into gaming laptops, enabling holographic displays on a standard LCD screen. The resulting image genuinely appears to extend beyond the screen’s surface.”

“We do not employ any form of optical illusion.”

“A hologram, fundamentally, is a set of instructions that governs the behavior of light. We calculate this effect algorithmically and then present it to the eye, creating an image that is indistinguishable from a real object. The experience is entirely natural, as the brain and visual system perceive it as reality, receiving the same information they would from a physical object.”

Should this technology prove successful, it could represent a significant advancement, and its integration with technologies like UltraLeap appears highly promising.