What HZO does

HZO, founded in August 2011 and headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, is a protective nanocoatings company that delivers custom thin-film coatings for electronic components. Its core technology centers on chemical vapor deposition (CVD), specifically Parylene CVD and plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD), which deposit ultra-thin, conformal polymer films onto printed circuit boards and components. Under its "Spectrum of Protection" portfolio, HZO offers two product families: the Guardian Series — Parylene thin-film coatings including Guardian Plus (Parylene C), Guardian EX (Parylene F-VT4), and Guardian Zero (Parylene N) — and the Sentinel Series (plasma-based nano coatings/PECVD). The company holds over 370 patent and patent-pending assets across the US, China, and Europe covering precursor materials, multi-layered coating methods, automated masking/demasking, plasma ashing, and laser-based material management.

HZO generates revenue through a hybrid services-and-licensing model: turnkey coating services performed at its 14+ worldwide manufacturing facilities, "factory-in-factory" placements of proprietary coating equipment and personnel inside OEM production floors, and licensing of its coating processes and IP to manufacturers. Pricing is quote-based, determined by part dimensions, masking complexity, annual volume, coating type, and use case, with multi-year contracts typical for enterprise engagements. The company sells directly to Fortune 100 OEMs and large contract manufacturers across consumer electronics (named customers include Rakuten Kobo, PocketBook, Deutsche Telekom/tolino, Motorola, Prismview/Samsung, Sarcos Robotics, RIDI Corporation), automotive (especially EV battery components such as BMS, busbars, and cooling plates), medical devices (USP Class VI / ISO 10993 biocompatible coatings), IoT, industrial, and aerospace/defense. Its go-to-market is sales-led, with collaborative engineering and applications engineering engagement at the customer's product design phase rather than at retrofit.

The company operates manufacturing and engineering locations in Morrisville, North Carolina (global HQ with 24,000 sq ft manufacturing plus expanded R&D); Shenzhen, China (Center of Excellence, 5,000+ m², opened March 2021); Bắc Ninh, Vietnam (80,000 sq ft campus, opened April 2020); Hungary; and Taiwan, plus offices historically in Draper, UT, San Jose, CA, and Japan. Certifications and registrations held include ISO 9001:2015 across major sites, UL Yellow Card Listing for Guardian Plus Parylene C (V-0 flammability rating), ITAR registration, REACH/RoHS/Prop 65 compliance, and USP Class VI/ISO 10993 biocompatibility. As of the most recent dataset (2022), HZO has raised approximately $225M in private capital across multiple rounds, including a $20M Series B in June 2014 and a $70M Series IV + credit facility in April 2019 led by Cathay Bank debt and Iron Gate Capital equity participation.

Name

HZO

Legal name

HZO Inc.

Website

https://hzo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HZO provides turnkey protective nano-coatings (Parylene and plasma-based) for electronics, serving Fortune 100 OEMs across consumer electronics, automotive, medical, IoT, and industrial sectors. The company operates 14+ global manufacturing locations and uses an embedded factory-in-factory service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protective Nanocoatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Protective nanocoatings
• Conformal coatings
• Parylene coating services
• Electronics waterproofing
• Thin film coating

Headquarters

HQ city

Morrisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Protective Coating Services (Turnkey): HZO provides end-to-end turnkey coating solutions delivered as a service. Customers can outsource coating to HZO's worldwide factory locations or use a factory-in-factory model where HZO equipment and personnel are embedded in the customer's manufacturing facility. Revenue is generated through coating service fees based on volume, part dimensions, masking complexity, coating type, and environmental requirements.
2. Licensing of Technology and IP: HZO licenses its patent-protected liquid proofing technology and coating solutions to OEMs and manufacturers. The company works with Fortune 100 organizations across multiple industries, licensing access to its proprietary coating processes, materials, and equipment.
3. Equipment Provision (Factory-in-Factory Model): HZO provides its proprietary coating equipment directly on customers' production floors, eliminating logistics requirements. This model embeds HZO's technology and capital equipment into OEM manufacturing environments, generating revenue through equipment licensing, service agreements, and material supply.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HZO delivers custom protective nano and conformal coatings for electronic components and devices using Parylene chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma-enhanced PECVD processes. The company offers turnkey coating services and embeds its coating technology into OEM manufacturing lines, serving Fortune 100 customers across consumer electronics, automotive, IoT, medical devices, and industrial markets.

Product overview

HZO is a protective nano-coating company providing end-to-end turnkey coating solutions for electronics protection. The company operates under the Spectrum of Protection™ framework encompassing two core product lines: the HZO Guardian Series™ (Parylene thin-film coatings, including Guardian Plus Parylene C and Guardian EX Parylene F-VT4 variants) and the HZO Sentinel Series™ (plasma-based nano coatings/PECVD). These coatings are applied via chemical vapor deposition to protect electronic components from water, corrosion, humidity, dust, and harsh environments across industries including consumer electronics, IoT, medical devices, automotive, and industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HZO Guardian Series: Parylene thin-film coatings considered the gold standard for protecting against harshest environments, enhanced with proprietary know-how and automation.
• HZO Sentinel Series
• HZO Protection

Products and services

• HZO Guardian Series A family of Parylene-based protective conformal coatings designed to safeguard electronic components and devices from moisture, chemicals, and environmental damage. Targeted at OEMs across consumer electronics, automotive, IoT, medical, and industrial sectors.
• HZO Guardian Plus (Parylene C) A Parylene C variant within the Guardian Series providing biocompatible, USP Class VI certified protective coating suitable for medical device and consumer electronics applications.
• HZO Guardian EX (Parylene F-VT4) A Parylene F-VT4 variant within the Guardian Series designed for higher operating temperatures and harsher chemical environments than standard Parylene C.
• HZO Sentinel Series A family of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) nano coatings delivering ultra-thin protective layers with controlled surface energy and tailored performance characteristics.
• Turnkey Coating Services End-to-end outsourced coating services in which HZO operates dedicated lines either at its own facilities or embedded within customer factories (factory-in-factory model) to apply protective coatings at scale.
• HZO Technology Licensing Licensing of HZO's proprietary Parylene CVD and PECVD coating processes, equipment, and know-how to manufacturers who want to bring coating capability in-house.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of PCBs and components coated with zero product returns due to coating issues
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, supporting and core.

• RIDI CorporationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022HZO partnered with RIDI Corporation to provide IPX8-rated protection on the RIDIPAPER 4 eReader — Korea's first waterproof eReader — enabling waterproof protection for up to 60 minutes in up to 2 meters of water.
• Underwriters Laboratory (UL)supportingOthers · 1 March 2021HZO achieved UL Yellow Card Listing for HZO Guardian Plus Parylene C coating following UL746E certification testing. The Yellow Card lists safety and performance properties for the coating material, with HZO receiving a V-0 flammability rating.
• Prismview (Samsung)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HZO partnered with Prismview (a Samsung company) to provide protective coatings for outdoor LED signage. HZO coated more electronic parts in 2019 than the previous eight years combined, with Prismview achieving 10% reduction in LED module weight versus potting.
• Sarcos RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HZO partnered with Sarcos Robotics to provide Parylene coating solutions for the Guardian S RVI inspection robot, achieving IP65 ingress protection with zero returns due to coating issues and 30% more units coated per hour versus alternative coatings.
• Rakuten KoboflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018HZO partnered with Rakuten Kobo to provide IPX8-rated waterproof protection on multiple Kobo eReader models including Kobo Aura ONE (2016), Kobo Forma (2018), and subsequent models. HZO's technology enables waterproof reading experiences without mechanical seals.
• PocketBookflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018HZO partnered with PocketBook to apply waterproofing and corrosion-resistant technology to the PocketBook Touch HD 3 eReader, achieving IPX7 rating without mechanical seals or port covers. PocketBook is one of the largest global eReader manufacturers based in Switzerland.
• Deutsche Telekom (tolino)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2015Deutsche Telekom selected HZO for the second consecutive year to protect the tolino Vision 3 HD eReader, following success with the original tolino Vision. By end of the production cycle, HZO had protected nearly one million tolino Vision eReader units.
• MotorolaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2015HZO partnered with Motorola to integrate water and sweat protection into the Moto Surround wireless earbuds, achieving an IP57 rating. HZO collaborated with Motorola's product designers to ensure seamless integration of the technology.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Plasma Ruggedized Solutions: Niche provider of plasma-based nanocoatings for harsh-environment electronics, directly mirroring HZO's Sentinel/PECVD value proposition in automotive, military, and industrial applications.
• Aculon: Specialty hydrophobic and oleophobic nanocoating developer serving consumer electronics, medical, and industrial OEMs. Comparable to HZO as an emerging nanocoating specialist targeting waterproofing and corrosion-resistance applications.

Others

• PVA (Precision Valve & Automation): Manufacturer of selective coating and dispensing equipment for conformal coatings. Sells equipment into the same EMS/OEM customers HZO serves, positioning PVA as an adjacent equipment peer rather than a direct chemistry competitor.
• Semblant (HZO acquisition): Plasma-applied nanocoatings specialist for electronics protection, acquired by HZO in October 2018. Now part of HZO's portfolio, but historically a direct/emerging competitor in plasma-based protective coatings for PCBs.

Broad incumbents

• Dymax: Specialty chemical manufacturer of light-cure conformal coatings, encapsulants, and masking materials for electronics assembly. Adjacent competitor to HZO in conformal coating chemistries used by OEMs and EMS providers.
• Henkel (Loctite brand): Global specialty chemicals giant offering conformal coatings, encapsulants, and potting compounds (Loctite, Henkel) for electronics protection. Competes with HZO at the materials level across consumer electronics and automotive.
• Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies: Division of Curtiss-Wright offering surface treatments including coatings, plating, and shot peening across aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Overlaps with HZO in specialty protective coatings but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Specialty Coating Systems (SCS): The leading global Parylene coating service provider, offering Parylene C, N, and HT variants and custom application equipment. SCS is HZO's closest direct competitor in conformal Parylene coatings for electronics and medical devices.
• Diamond-MT: US conformal coating services provider applying Parylene, acrylic, urethane, and epoxy coatings to electronics. Comparable to HZO in delivering turnkey outsourced coating solutions for OEMs in aerospace, defense, and medical.
• Para Tech Coating: A US-based Parylene and conformal coating services company with a long history in the space, serving aerospace, defense, medical, and electronics customers. Comparable to HZO in offering custom Parylene coating services to OEMs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hzo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEfv5u-h6iD13qnYX2Eu99w
• Facebookfacebook.com/HZOinside
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hzo-inc-

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors11 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about HZO