What Polyrise does

Polyrise (legal entity POLYRISE SAS) is a French specialty-chemical company founded in 2006 that develops and manufactures sol-gel thin-film optical coatings for industrial customers. The company operates from a headquarters in Canéjan (R&D, sales and administration), with manufacturing sites in Pessac (including a 700m² ISO 5–8 cleanroom) and Le Barp (Laseris Science and Technology Park) dedicated to ultra-clean photonics and defence work.

The technical foundation is a proprietary sol-gel wet-chemistry platform using inorganic-organic hybrid materials (nanocomposites), deposited via dip-coating, spray-coating, spin-coating, flow coating, and — under exploratory development — inkjet printing. Two flagship product lines anchor the offering: VIEWRISE®, a monolayer wet anti-reflective coating that reduces per-surface reflection loss from roughly 5% to under 1% across visible and near-IR wavelengths on PC, PMMA, glass and sapphire substrates, and HARDRISE®, a family of abrasion-resistant hard coatings for plastic substrates with pencil hardness up to 5H and oil/water repellency. Custom-design services provide tailored formulations with refractive index 1.3–2.9, layer thickness 10 nm–10 μm, and process-specific deposition. Two patents are filed-pending (electrostatic-spray VIEWRISE application and a new AR nanocomposite coating) and the VIEWRISE® and HARDRISE® brands are registered.

Polyrise serves four verticals — automotive (LIDAR sensors, adaptive driving beam headlights, lighting), defence and aeronautics (large laser optics, aircraft cabin windows), medical (diagnostic and surgical optics), and industrial photonics (outdoor lighting, laser systems, sensors). Named enterprise customers and partners include Valeo, Saint-Gobain Aerospace, Thales Avionics LCD, CEA (Laser Megajoule program), CILAS, SAMES, Nooz-Binoptics, and Lotus Nano (India/Asia channel). The revenue model combines contract coating services (customers ship parts to Polyrise for treatment) with sales of proprietary branded chemistries for in-house use, under quote-based pricing and multi-year contracts. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by trade-show presence (EPHJ Geneva, Photonics West, OPTATEC, DVN Munich, Aachen Polymer Optics Days) and strategic partnerships. The company holds ISO 9001, IATF 16949, REACH and RoHS certifications, and is privately held following a €700,000 seed round in September 2017 led by ADI Nouvelle Aquitaine with six regional business angel networks and the funds Dynalim and Expanso. Founders Fabien Rougé (CEO) and Dr. Vincent Gaud (CTO) continue to lead the company.

Name

Polyrise

Legal name

POLYRISE SAS

Website

https://polyrise.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

POLYRISE (POLYRISE SAS) designs and manufactures sol-gel thin-film optical coatings — anti-reflective (VIEWRISE®), scratch-resistant (HARDRISE®), and custom formulations — applied via dip-, spray-, and inkjet-coating. Founded 2006 in France, it serves automotive, defence, medical, and industrial photonics customers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Coatings

NAICS

Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Automotive Surface Materials & Coatings for Interiors/Exteriors Manufacturing (Upholstery Materials/Decor Films/Paints for Trim) (IMACAKAL)

Keywords

• Sol-gel coatings
• Anti-reflective coatings
• Scratch-resistant coatings
• Optical thin-film coatings
• Nano-composite coatings

Headquarters

HQ city

Pessac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sol-Gel Coating Services: B2B coating services for automotive, defense, medical and industrial customers. Provides anti-reflective, scratch-resistant, and functional coatings on optical components using dip-coating, spray-coating and other deposition methods. Revenue from processing fees per unit or contract manufacturing arrangements.
2. Proprietary Coating Products: Sale of branded coating solutions including VIEWRISE® and HARDRISE® product lines. Both standard and custom-formulated coatings sold to customers for their own manufacturing processes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Polyrise designs, formulates, and manufactures sol-gel-based optical coatings for industrial customers, marketed under the VIEWRISE® anti-reflective and HARDRISE® scratch-resistant brands. Beyond branded products, the company provides custom coating formulation and contract coating application services through dip-, spray-, spin-, and flow-coating deposition processes for automotive, defense/aeronautics, medical, and photonics markets.

Product overview

POLYRISE offers innovative sol-gel optical coatings designed for industrial applications, combining nanometric precision with high-volume production capability. The product portfolio centers on two main branded solutions: VIEWRISE® for anti-reflective functionality and HARDRISE® for protective surface hardness, both utilizing proprietary sol-gel wet chemistry processes suitable for polymers, glass, and sapphire substrates. These ready-to-use products are complemented by Custom-design services providing fully tailored formulations with specific refractive indices (1.3–2.9), thicknesses (10 nm–10 µm), and deposition methods (dip, spray, spin, flow coating) optimized for customer-specific environmental constraints and wavelength requirements across UV, visible, and SWIR ranges. The company serves automotive, defense, medical, and industrial photonics sectors with solutions for lighting, sensors, and optical components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VIEWRISE®: A unique wet antireflective coating for optical plastics and glasses using dip-coating process, designed to reduce light reflections and increase transmission.
• HARDRISE®

Products and services

• VIEWRISE® anti-reflective coating Sol-gel-based anti-reflective optical coating for plastic and glass substrates including 3D and curved optics, used by automotive, aerospace, medical, and photonics manufacturers to reduce glare and increase light transmission.
• HARDRISE® scratch-resistant coating Sol-gel-based abrasion- and scratch-resistant coating designed to protect optical surfaces in demanding environments, applied to automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial optical components.
• Custom coating design and application services Bespoke sol-gel coating formulation and contract coating application (dip-, spray-, spin-, and flow-coating) for industrial customers requiring tailored optical performance characteristics, conducted in ISO-class cleanroom facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Light transmission increase of up to 25% in optical systems
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Saint-Gobain AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-development of anti-scratch varnish for aircraft cabin windows, announced at Paris Air Show 2023. POLYRISE developed custom sol-gel solution with dip-coating process for protecting PMMA windows from scratches during manufacturing and flight conditions while maintaining optical performance.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, CEA entrusted POLYRISE and CILAS with operation of Sol-Gel deposition line for large-format optics in Laser Megajoule (LMJ) project. POLYRISE brings mastery of Sol-Gel processes and industrial coating capabilities; CEA provides strategic project and research framework.
• SAMEScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Partnership initiated in 2012 with SAMES (EXEL Industries subsidiary) for electrostatic spray application of VIEWRISE® anti-reflective coating. SAMES provides rotating bell technology for homogeneous deposition of sol-gel coatings on large flat or complex 3D surfaces. Enables processing speed of 1m² every 30 seconds. Patent filed end of 2023 for this spray application technology.
• CILAScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint partnership with CEA for industrial operation of sol-gel anti-reflective treatment facility for large laser optics in the Laser Megajoule project. CILAS provides expertise in handling large-scale optics in ultra-clean environments.
• RELIANCE ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon Europe project (18 months from completion) focused on developing antimicrobial nanocoatings. POLYRISE contributes expertise in repellent properties of sol-gel hybrid nanocoatings and scaling up nanoparticle formulations. Consortium includes 14 partners including Tekniker, universities, and industry partners.
• FISAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJoint exhibition at EPHJ Geneva trade show. FISA specializes in ultrasonic cleaning systems and surface treatment technologies, complementing POLYRISE's functional optical coatings for precision industries.
• Photonics FranceminorOthersPOLYRISE joined Photonics France in September 2018, a consortium bringing together key actors from optic/photonic sectors including industrials, research laboratories, and clusters.
• ALPHA-RLHminorOthersFrench pole of waves of innovation in photonics and electronics. POLYRISE participated in 'Du matériau au composant photonique' event hosted by ALPHA-RLH and organized factory tours for consortium members.
• Driving Vision NewsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry media partner for automotive innovation coverage, featured in POLYRISE's partner section for automotive lighting news and trends.
• Lotus NanominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partner for India/Asia region in photonics applications, extending POLYRISE's market reach in Asian markets.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Schott AG: Global specialty glass and optics incumbent with extensive anti-reflective and coated-glass product lines. Overlaps with Polyrise on AR coatings for optics, lighting, and aerospace window substrates at greater scale and vertical integration.
• Thorlabs: Broad-line photonics and optics manufacturer with in-house optical coating services (AR, dielectric, metallic). Competes with Polyrise in custom optical coatings for laser, photonics, and life-science customers at larger scale.
• IDEX Optical Technologies: Optical coatings and precision components platform (Semrock, CVI Laser Optics, etc.). Operates thin-film coating facilities serving laser, life sciences, and aerospace - directly comparable coating-service capabilities to Polyrise at larger scale.
• Essilor (EssilorLuxottica): Global lens and AR-coating leader including Nooz-Binoptics brand (already a Polyrise HARDRISE customer). Although primarily ophthalmic, scale and coating R&D resources make it a potential competitive threat if it expands into industrial plastic optics AR.

Direct peers

• Abrisa Technologies: US-based provider of custom thin-film optical coatings (AR, scratch-resistant, anti-fog) on glass and plastic substrates. Directly competes in optical plastics AR coating for industrial/automotive applications.
• CILAS: French laser optics company and co-partner with Polyrise on the CEA Laser MegaJoule project. CILAS produces precision optical components including AR-coated high-power laser optics, competing in the same sol-gel AR and large-format optics space.
• Andover Corporation: Custom optical coating service provider specializing in AR and hard coatings on glass and filter substrates. Similar niche-coating business model targeting medical, defense, and industrial photonics customers.
• HEF Group: French specialist in surface treatments and functional coatings (PVD, DLC, sol-gel). Comparable offering to Polyrise across automotive, optics, and industrial customers, with overlapping wet-chemistry coating capabilities.
• SAMES KREMLIN (EXEL Industries): Strategic partner for Polyrise's electrostatic spray application of VIEWRISE. While primarily equipment, SAMES also serves automotive OEM coatings integrators; the partnership places it in adjacent supply-chain position to Polyrise's chemistry.

Regional players

• Berliner Glas: German precision-optics and AR coating provider for automotive HUD, aerospace, and medical device applications. Closely comparable customer base and competitive geography in European OEM supply chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polyrise

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors8 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 Polyrise