What VividQ does

VividQ is a Cambridge, UK-based deep-technology company that develops and licenses Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) — a display modality that engineers light to produce true 3D images with natural depth of field, eliminating the vergence-accommodation conflict that limits conventional stereoscopic AR/VR displays. Founded in 2016 from a breakthrough at the University of Cambridge Photonics Labs, the company has assembled a specialist team of approximately 40 engineers and scientists. Its technology stack centres on the VividQ SDK, which computes interference patterns in real time on standard and mobile GPUs (including Arm Mali) from game engine (Unity/Unreal), depth-camera, and CAD source data, paired with licensable optical-engine reference designs integrating partner LCoS spatial light modulators from JVCKENWOOD, Himax, Compound Photonics, and Forth Dimension Displays. Complementary sub-products include the Triton contrast algorithm, a patent-pending Despeckle Solution, and a compact laser-balancing hardware reference design, with two generations of headset prototypes (V1 in 2019, V2 in 2020) serving as OEM reference platforms.

The company organises its commercial offering under the CoReality product family — CoReality AR, CoReality VR, and CoReality HUD — targeting augmented reality headsets, virtual reality headsets, and automotive head-up displays respectively. VividQ operates a pure B2B licensing model: it sells no consumer product directly, instead monetising through SDK licences and licensable hardware IP to OEMs, ODMs, display manufacturers, and consumer electronics companies. Key commercial partners include JVCKENWOOD (4K LCoS for retina-resolution holograms), Arm (mobile GPU compute), and an unnamed world-leading consumer electronics company integrating the technology into a future product roadmap. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

VividQ has raised over $30M across multiple funding rounds, culminating in a £5.7M Series A in August 2024 led by Foresight Group LLP, following an £11M seed extension in 2021 led by UTokyo IPC. Earlier investors include Sure Valley Ventures, FluxUnit-OSRAM Ventures, and the University of Tokyo Edge Capital. The company has expanded its geographic footprint from Cambridge to include a US office in Palo Alto plus remote engineering and business development teams in Taipei and Tokyo, positioning itself inside the world's largest consumer electronics and display OEM clusters. The founding team — CEO Darran Milne, COO Aleksandra Pedraszewska, and CTO Tom Durrant — remains in place, with François Auque serving as Board Chairperson.

Name

VividQ

Legal name

VividQ Ltd

Website

https://vividq.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VividQ is a Cambridge-based deep tech company licensing computer-generated holography software (CoReality AR/VR/HUD product family and SDK) to OEMs, ODMs, display makers, and consumer electronics companies for integration into AR/VR headsets, automotive HUDs, and mobile devices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Holographic Display Technology

NAICS

Software Publishers (51321), Software Publishers (5132), Industrial Design Services (54142)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

VR/XR Hardware & Accessories (Headsets, Controllers, Trackers, Haptics) (MPAFAGAG), VR/AR Gaming Hardware (Headsets & Controllers) (HDACANAD)

Keywords

• Computer-generated holography
• Holographic display technology
• AR VR display SDK
• Automotive head-up displays
• Spatial light modulators

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Software Licensing (SDK): VividQ licenses its Software Development Kit to OEMs and ODMs for integration into their AR/VR devices. The SDK enables real-time hologram generation on standard GPUs and processors.
2. Hardware IP Licensing: Licensable hardware designs including optical engine designs and reference implementations for manufacturers wanting to create advanced CGH applications using off-the-shelf SLMs.
3. Technology Licensing: Licensing of holographic display technology to consumer electronics companies for integration into product roadmaps. Partnership with world-leading consumer electronics companies announced.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

VividQ develops and licenses a Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) software platform (VividQ SDK) that enables real-time generation of true 3D holographic images on standard and mobile GPUs, together with licensable hardware reference designs (Hardware Development Kit) including miniaturised optical engines and laser balancing modules. The portfolio is organised under the CoReality product family with three lines — CoReality AR, CoReality VR, and CoReality HUD — targeting AR/VR headset manufacturers, automotive head-up display makers, and consumer electronics OEMs.

Product overview

VividQ is a deep tech company specialising in Computer-Generated Holography (CGH) — a display technology that engineers light to project true 3D holographic images with natural depth of field. The company's primary offering is the VividQ SDK, a licensable software platform that generates real-time 3D holograms on standard and mobile GPUs from game engine content (Unity/Unreal), depth cameras, and CAD data. The SDK is complemented by Hardware Development Kits providing licensable optical engine reference designs for manufacturers. VividQ's product portfolio is organised under the CoReality brand family, encompassing three core product lines: CoReality AR (for augmented reality headsets), CoReality VR (for virtual reality headsets), and CoReality HUD (for automotive head-up displays). The company has also developed specific algorithmic and hardware sub-products — including the Triton algorithm (contrast improvement), a despeckle solution (laser noise reduction), and a laser balancing hardware reference design — all integrated into the SDK and hardware kits. Multiple headset prototypes (V1 and V2) have been demonstrated as reference platforms for OEM integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoReality AR Holographic display product line for augmented reality headsets that projects true 3D images with variable focal depth, world-locked content placement, and natural focus and defocus matching the real environment. Targeted at AR headset manufacturers and OEMs integrating immersive AR into their product roadmaps.
• CoReality VR Holographic display product line for virtual reality headsets that eliminates vergence-accommodation conflict (VAC) and enables comfortable, natural interaction with virtual objects at arm's reach without controllers. Targeted at VR headset manufacturers and OEMs building immersive gaming and entertainment devices.
• CoReality HUD Holographic head-up display product line for automotive and other applications that projects virtual images at correct perceived depth to enhance driver safety and navigation. Targeted at automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers building AR head-up displays.
• VividQ SDK (Software Development Kit) Licensable software platform that enables real-time generation of high-quality 3D holograms on standard and mobile GPUs from game engines (Unity, Unreal), depth-sensing cameras, and CAD software. Supports off-the-shelf LCoS micro-displays and phase modulators for AR/VR, automotive HUD, and consumer electronics applications.
• Hardware Development Kit (Optical Engine Reference Designs) Licensable hardware designs and optical engine reference implementations for manufacturers integrating holographic display into AR devices, including a miniaturised optical engine incorporating an LCoS Spatial Light Modulator, secondary optics, and integration with the VividQ SDK. Targeted at OEMs and ODMs building next-generation consumer electronics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Achieved >90% optical efficiency off display with ~300,000 nits to eye using microwatts of laser power
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• JVCKENWOOD (JKC)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Commercial partnership with LCoS manufacturer for high-performance 4K display hardware. JVCKENWOOD's LCoS displays are used to achieve retina resolution computer-generated holograms, enabling unprecedented image quality in AR/VR applications.
• Himax TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2019Partnership with Taiwanese semiconductor solution provider for LCoS display technology. Himax provides hardware components for holographic display systems powered by VividQ's software, targeting consumer applications in AR, VR, and automotive HUDs.
• Forth Dimension Displays (Kopin Corporation)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2019Partnership for fast high-resolution Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs). Forth Dimension Displays produces ferroelectric LCoS SLMs designed for phase modulation at speeds below 1ms, essential for real-time holography applications.
• Compound PhotonicscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for microdisplay technology platforms. Compound Photonics provides LCoS technology supporting VividQ's roadmap from current amplitude-modulating systems to future holographic systems.
• ArmcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration to power holographic display on mobile devices using Arm Mali GPU. Demonstrated real-time computer-generated holography on mobile GPU for the first time, enabling VividQ technology for smartphones and mobile AR.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Holoeye Photonics: Supplies spatial light modulators and holographic display components used in research and industrial CGH applications. Directly comparable to VividQ as a holographic display technology provider targeting AR/VR and optical system integrators.
• Looking Glass Factory: Builds true-3D holographic desktop displays using light-field and CGH techniques. Comparable to VividQ as a holographic display specialist, though focused on direct-to-consumer and enterprise visualization rather than OEM licensing.
• CREAL: Develops light-field display technology for AR/VR headsets with a focus on natural depth perception. Closely comparable to VividQ's CGH approach in targeting the vergence-accommodation conflict problem in next-gen AR/VR optics.
• Light Field Lab: Develops true-3D holographic display modules for immersive experiences without headsets. Comparable to VividQ in pursuing holographic / true-3D display technologies, though targeting larger-format installations.

Emerging players

• Dispelix: Designs and manufactures diffractive waveguide combiners for AR glasses. Comparable as an AR display technology supplier licensing to OEMs, though using a different optical approach (waveguides vs. CGH).
• DigiLens: Develops holographic waveguide displays for AR headsets and smart glasses. Comparable to VividQ in applying holography to AR displays and licensing to OEM partners, though the underlying approach (waveguides vs. CGH) differs.

Broad incumbents

• Magic Leap: Established AR headset maker pursuing mixed-reality enterprise and consumer applications. Comparable as an AR display platform competitor pursuing immersive 3D experiences, though Magic Leap uses waveguide + micro-display architectures.
• Microsoft (HoloLens / Mixed Reality): HoloLens established the enterprise AR headset category with waveguide-based displays. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the AR display market that VividQ's CGH technology must displace or complement.

Others

• Himax Technologies: Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company supplying LCoS and microdisplay components for AR/VR/automotive HUDs. Comparable as a partner and adjacent ecosystem participant in the AR/VR display supply chain that VividQ's SDK runs on.
• Compound Photonics: Develops microdisplay platforms (LCoS, microLED) for AR/MR applications. Comparable as a component supplier in VividQ's reference hardware ecosystem and as an adjacent enabling player in the holographic AR supply chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vividqltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vividq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VividQ