What Halion Displays does

Halion Displays is a Canadian nanomaterials company that has developed a proprietary liquid ink technology capable of rapidly switching between colours when actuated by an electric field. The ink uses charged particles carrying custom colour-changing molecules and combines three layers in a subtractive cyan, magenta, and yellow (CMY) architecture, enabling full-colour switching in milliseconds while consuming approximately 20x less power than LCD. The platform can be applied between simple conductive films or patterned TFT substrates, allowing selective absorption on both opaque and transparent surfaces. The technology is the basis for the company's entire product portfolio.

Halion's commercial offering spans four interconnected product lines. Reflective Displays target wearables, smartphones, and tablets with full-colour, daylight-visible, video-capable (60Hz) output. Switchable Glass is a film that can be laminated to flat or curved windows and sunroofs, with switching speeds under one second and any-colour capability including neutral grays and blacks. Transparent Displays (HUDs) deliver highly transparent, low-haze films for automotive windshields and helmet visors. Colour Changing Films target architectural elements and vehicle wraps. Target segments include consumer electronics, automotive, architecture and building, and smart city infrastructure.

The company operates a partnership-driven, pre-revenue business model. Halion engages enterprise customers through three structured programs — Proof of Concept development, Pilot Projects for small-scale production, and Joint Development partnerships — with direct outreach from its Kitchener, Ontario partnership office. Distribution is exclusively via this direct partnership channel, supported by a minimal digital presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, and the company website. Halion is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario and was founded in 2013 by Ryan Marchewka (Co-founder and CEO) and Matt Lavrisa (CTO), with a current headcount of 1–10 employees.

Name

Halion Displays

Legal name

Halion

Website

https://halion.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Halion Displays is a Canadian nanomaterials company developing proprietary low-power colour-changing ink technology for reflective displays, switchable glass, HUDs, and colour-changing films, serving enterprise customers in consumer electronics, automotive, and architecture through a partnership-driven, pre-revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nanomaterial Display Technology

NAICS

Other Pressed and Blown Glass and Glassware Manufacturing (327212), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)

SIC

Glass & Glassware, Pressed Or Blown (3220), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851)

akta.pro primary industry

Display & Optoelectronics Chemicals (OLED/LCD materials, polarizer chemicals) (IMAEAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Display & Illumination Components (MicroLED/OLED Drivers/Backlight Optics) (HDAHALAN)

Keywords

• Colour changing nanomaterials
• Reflective display technology
• Switchable glass films
• Transparent HUD displays
• Electrophoretic ink materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Kitchener

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Halion Displays develops and licenses proprietary colour-changing nanomaterial (liquid ink) technology that switches between colours via applied electric fields. The company packages this core ink technology into four product families: Reflective Displays, Switchable Glass films, Transparent Displays (HUDs), and Colour Changing Films for surfaces, serving consumer electronics, automotive, architecture, and smart-city customers through Proof of Concept, Pilot Projects, and Joint Development partnerships.

Product overview

Halion Displays is a nanomaterials technology company that has developed a novel liquid ink material which rapidly changes between two colours when actuated with an electric field. The company's portfolio consists of four interconnected product lines: Reflective Displays (low power, full colour, video capable displays for consumer electronics), Switchable Glass (film technology for windows and sunroofs with fast switching and curved surface capability), Transparent Displays/HUDs (heads-up display films for windshields and helmets), and Colour Changing Films (thin films for architectural and automotive applications). All products are powered by the same core colour changing ink technology based on charged particles carrying custom colour changing molecules that switch colours in milliseconds when an electric field is applied.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reflective Displays Full colour, video-capable reflective displays using Halion's subtractive CMY ink stack. Designed for integration into wearables, smartphones, tablets, and similar battery-powered consumer devices where low power draw and daylight visibility are critical.
• Switchable Glass Films Laminatable switchable glass films for automotive windows and sunroofs (including curved surfaces), architectural glazing, and vehicle wraps, capable of producing any colour (including neutral grays and blacks) at sub-second switching speeds.
• Transparent Displays (HUDs) Highly transparent display films intended for heads-up display (HUD) integration on automotive windshields and helmet visors, providing daylight-visible information overlays using transparent Halion inks as tunable colour filters.
• Colour Changing Films Thin colour-changing films for architectural elements, vehicle wraps, and other surfaces, allowing any coated surface to mimic selective light absorption and change colour in real time without permanent modification.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20x less power than LCD
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• FlexEnable Limited: FlexEnable develops flexible organic LCD (OLCD) and OTFT-backplane technology on plastic substrates, directly comparable to Halion's flexible-film color-changing displays for wearables, automotive, and consumer devices.
• Kent Displays (Boogie Board / Reflex): Kent Displays develops cholesteric liquid crystal-based reflective and eWriter displays offering low-power, sunlight-readable color/monochrome output. It is comparable to Halion's reflective display line as another low-power bistable/reflective display technology targeting consumer and industrial uses.
• DigiLens Inc. DigiLens develops holographic waveguide-based transparent displays for automotive HUDs, aviation, and AR glasses. It directly competes with Halion's transparent display (HUD) product line for windshield and helmet-mounted heads-up display applications.

Direct peers

• E Ink Corporation: E Ink is the dominant provider of low-power reflective electrophoretic displays used in e-readers and signage, making it the closest direct peer to Halion's reflective display line. Both compete on outdoor-readable, ultra-low-power reflective color/monochrome displays, though Halion uses subtractive CMY ink chemistry rather than electrophoretic particles.
• CLEARink Technology: CLEARink developed full-color, video-capable reflective displays for wearables and signage using a different electrophoretic-like mechanism. It directly competes with Halion's low-power, sunlight-visible, full-color reflective display value proposition in the consumer electronics and signage markets.
• View, Inc. View manufactures electrochromic smart windows for architectural and commercial buildings, providing dynamic tinting to control glare, heat, and privacy. It directly overlaps with Halion's architectural switchable glass/film product line on dynamic-control window use cases.
• Gauzy Ltd. Gauzy is a leading developer and manufacturer of switchable smart glass films used in automotive, architecture, and consumer applications. It is a direct peer to Halion's switchable glass product line, competing on dynamic tinting, curved-surface compatibility, and OEM integration.
• Research Frontiers Incorporated: Research Frontiers licenses SPD-SmartGlass technology for automotive, architectural, marine, and aerospace applications, providing controllable tint on glass and film substrates. It is a direct peer to Halion's switchable film architecture across automotive and building verticals.

Others

• Heliatek GmbH: Heliatek is a deep-tech organic/oligomeric thin-film specialist producing novel functional films, comparable to Halion as a thin-film functional-materials innovator pursuing market entry across multiple end uses via partner channels.

Broad incumbents

• Gentex Corporation: Gentex is a long-established Tier-1 automotive supplier of dimmable rearview mirrors and smart-glass electrochromic products. It overlaps Halion's automotive switchable-glass and HUD ambitions as an incumbent with deep OEM relationships and high-volume manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HalionDisplays
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/halion-displays

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors9 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 Halion Displays