Holodesign

What Holodesign does

Holodesign, Inc. (株式会社ホロデザイン) is a Japanese deep-tech startup founded in September 2023 as a spin-off from Utsunomiya University's Optics Education Research Center. The company researches, develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and maintains holographic optical engines for laser micro-processing machines used in semiconductor manufacturing (glass substrate drilling, laser marking, semiconductor grooving) and battery / energy storage production (cell processing, material welding). Its core technology uses spatial light modulators (SLM) illuminated by lasers to display computer-generated holograms (CGH), producing arbitrary 2D and 3D multi-point beam patterns (super-Gaussian, ring, line, Bessel, Laguerre-Gaussian) with claimed simultaneous 10x precision improvement and 100x speed improvement versus conventional laser processing, with feedback control for intensity uniformization and aberration correction.

The company sells a modular Holographic Optical Engine that drops into existing laser processing machines without specialized optical or programming knowledge, and a companion cloud-based CGH Design Software hosted on AWS that computes holograms from CSV uploads via a web browser. Additional revenue streams include technical consulting and technical seminars on laser processing. GTM is direct sales (sales-led) via website inquiry form and phone, targeting enterprise semiconductor and battery manufacturers in Japan with a stated regional scope in the Kanto region. As of early 2025, Holodesign has 5 staff, JPY 4,000,000 in stated capital, and has secured four non-dilutive grants from Tochigi regional funds and the Iimura Heiwa Memorial Foundation, alongside multiple top prizes at regional and photonics business plan contests.

Name

Holodesign

Legal name

株式会社ホロデザイン

Website

https://holodesign.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Holodesign is a Utsunomiya University spin-off that develops and sells holographic optical engines and cloud-based CGH design software, enabling semiconductor and battery manufacturers to achieve 10x precision and 100x speed improvements in laser micro-processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Laser Optics

NAICS

Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (333242)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Support Generation & Lattice/Structure Design Tools (IMAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Holographic laser processing
• Laser micro-processing
• Optical engine modules
• Computer-generated holograms
• Precision laser equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Utsunomiya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Holographic Optical Engine Sales: Development, design, manufacturing, sales, and maintenance of holographic optical engines for laser micro-processing machines
2. CGH Design Software: Development, sales, and maintenance of hologram design software, provided via cloud server (AWS)
3. Technical Consulting: Technical consulting services related to laser processing
4. Technical Seminars: Planning and operation of technical seminars and research meetings related to laser processing

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Holodesign researches, develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and maintains holographic optical engines (modules integrating optical elements, cameras, and spatial light modulators) that insert into existing laser processing machines to enable simultaneous high-precision and high-speed material processing. The company also offers a cloud-based computer-generated hologram (CGH) design software delivered via AWS, and provides technical consulting on laser processing.

Product overview

Holodesign offers a dual-product system centered on holographic laser processing technology. The Holographic Optical Engine is a modular hardware device that integrates into existing laser processing machines to enable simultaneous high-speed and high-precision processing. The CGH Design Software is a cloud-based companion service that computes optimal computer-generated holograms for the engine. Together, these products allow manufacturers to upgrade their laser processing capabilities without replacing entire systems. Additional services include laser processing technical consulting and seminar hosting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Holographic Optical Engine (ホログラフィック光学エンジン)
• CGH Design Software (計算機ホログラム設計ソフトウェア)
• Laser Processing Technical Consulting

Quantifiable outcome

• Precision improvement of 10x compared to conventional laser processing
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meadowlark Optics: US-based manufacturer of SLMs, liquid crystal optics, and holographic beam-shaping components used in research and industrial laser systems. Closely comparable in component-level technology to Holodesign's CGH-driven optical engine.
• DISCO Corporation: Japanese leader in precision dicing, grinding, and laser processing equipment for semiconductor wafer singulation. A direct downstream equipment maker that could either adopt Holodesign's holographic engine or compete with internal laser optics R&D.
• Holoeye Photonics AG: German manufacturer of spatial light modulators (SLMs) and holographic optical components for laser and photonics applications. Direct supplier-side overlap with Holodesign's holographic optical engine, which is also built around SLM-based beam shaping for laser processing.
• Santec Corporation: Japanese photonics company producing tunable lasers, optical components, and SLM-based test & measurement instruments for telecom and industrial laser applications. Comparable as a Japan-headquartered optical components specialist targeting similar industrial laser customers.
• LPKF Laser & Electronics: German specialist in laser micro-processing equipment for electronics, semiconductor packaging, and solar applications. Comparable end-customer overlap (laser-based precision manufacturing for electronics and energy) and equipment-level business model.

Broad incumbents

• TRUMPF: German global leader in industrial laser machines and laser-based manufacturing systems for automotive, electronics, and battery production. Holodesign's holographic optical engine is designed to integrate with TRUMPF-class machines, making it both a customer channel and a potential competitor via in-house optics development.
• IPG Photonics: US-based leading manufacturer of fiber lasers and laser systems for materials processing, semiconductor, and battery manufacturing. Adjacent in the laser processing value chain where Holodesign's optical engines would be deployed.
• Lumentum: US-headquartered photonics company producing lasers, optical components, and 3D sensing modules for industrial, communications, and semiconductor applications. Comparable in advanced optical componentry serving industrial laser customers.
• Hamamatsu Photonics: Large Japanese photonics incumbent offering SLMs, optical components, lasers, and imaging systems across semiconductor, medical, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Holodesign in SLM and laser processing componentry, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• nLIGHT: US-based manufacturer of high-power semiconductor and fiber lasers for industrial, aerospace, and semiconductor processing. Overlaps with Holodesign in industrial laser processing end markets and could integrate or replicate holographic beam shaping.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Holodesign