MicroShade

What MicroShade does

MicroShade A/S is a Danish technology firm headquartered in Glostrup that develops and supplies a passive solar shading solution integrated directly into insulating glazing units. Its core product is an ultra-thin microstructured film featuring a precision honeycomb geometry with an arched profile, laminated onto the inner face of the outer pane of a standard IGU; the aspect ratio of the micro-lamellas is engineered to deliver angle-dependent solar control — up to 97% beam shading at high sun angles, 50-60% visible light transmission, Ra 95+ color rendering, and an effective g-value of 8-15% — while remaining almost imperceptible visually and preserving unobstructed views. The product requires no power, controls, or maintenance and is rated for the ~30-year lifespan of the glazing unit itself.

The company operates a partner-channel hardware-sales model: MicroShade sells its microstructure film exclusively to established IGU manufacturers (including Glaseksperten in Denmark, Flachglas MarkenKreis GmbH in Germany, and FP Gruppen) who integrate it into their glazing products and deliver it as part of the standard glazing package to construction projects. End customers span architects, engineers, contractors, and building owners across museums, healthcare, education, cultural/heritage, and residential segments in 15 European countries, with 350+ completed projects since founding. The firm also offers SimShade, a free web-based calculator that lets specifiers model effective g-value, daylight autonomy, thermal performance, and cost of ownership across glazing configurations, and distributes BSDF-format data files compatible with major building performance simulation platforms (IDA ICE, IES VE, Climate Studio, BSIM, DIVA). MicroShade is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed external capital, and operates with 11-50 employees.

Name

MicroShade

Legal name

MicroShade A/S

Website

https://microshade.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MicroShade A/S is a Danish firm that supplies a passive, microstructured solar-shading film integrated into insulating glazing units, sold exclusively through European IGU manufacturers for use in museums, healthcare, education, and residential construction projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glostrup

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Microstructure Film Sales to IGU Manufacturers: MicroShade sells its microstructured film to insulating glass unit (IGU) manufacturers who integrate it into their glazing products. The product is ordered, produced, and delivered as part of the glazing package through established glass manufacturing partners.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MicroShade develops and supplies a precision honeycomb microstructured film that is laminated onto the inner face of the outer pane within standard insulating glass units, providing passive, angle-dependent solar shading with no moving parts, no power requirements, and a lifespan aligned to the glazing unit (~30 years). The film is sold to IGU manufacturers and specified into projects by architects and engineers across Europe. A complementary free web tool, SimShade, enables performance modelling of shading and glazing solutions.

Product overview

MicroShade offers a focused portfolio of two integrated products: MicroShade® is a passive solar shading solution built directly into insulating glass units using a precision honeycomb microstructure film that delivers up to 97% beam shading in summer while maintaining natural daylight and unobstructed views; SimShade® is a complementary free web-based calculator that enables architects and engineers to simulate and compare glazing/shading performance scenarios. These products work together to support specification decisions from early concept through long-term building operation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SimShade: Free shading calculator tool to assess the impact of different shading and glazing solutions on building performance.

Products and services

• MicroShade® Passive solar shading solution integrated directly into insulating glazing units. A precision honeycomb microstructured film is laminated onto the inner face of the outer pane, providing up to 97-100% beam shading in summer while maintaining 50-60% visible light transmission, colour rendering above Ra 95, and unobstructed views. No moving parts, no maintenance required, with a lifespan aligned to the ~30-year lifespan of the glazing unit. Sold to IGU manufacturers and specified by architects and engineers across commercial, cultural, healthcare, education, and residential projects in Europe.
• SimShade® Free web-based shading calculator that enables architects and engineers to model and compare the impact of different shading and glazing solutions on building facade performance. Calculates effective g-value, daylight autonomy, thermal performance, and cost of ownership across various configurations, and exports BSDF data for IDA ICE, IES VE, Climate Studio, BSIM, and DIVA whole-building energy models.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 100% beam shading during peak summer conditions while maintaining natural daylight
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Integration5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GlasekspertencoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDanish IGU manufacturer that integrates MicroShade microstructure film into their glazing products. Partner on multiple projects including Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM, Trangravshusene, Skovlunde Skole, and Privathospitalet Mølholm.
• Flachglas MarkenKreis GmbHcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGerman IGU manufacturer that integrates MicroShade film into their glass products. Partner on Deutsches Architekturmuseum DAM (Frankfurt) and Alte Waschhalle (Tübingen) projects.
• FP GruppenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner involved in delivery and installation of glazing facades with MicroShade integrated directly into the glass for the Trangravshusene project in Copenhagen.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AGC Glass Europe: AGC Glass Europe produces a wide range of solar-control and low-emissivity coated IGUs for the European commercial market. It competes with MicroShade's value proposition of integrated solar shading, though as a broad-line glass supplier rather than a specialist microstructure film.
• Pilkington (NSG Group): Pilkington manufactures high-performance architectural glass products including solar-control and low-e coatings across Europe. Its Suncool and Eclipse Advantage ranges compete with MicroShade at the glazing specification stage for the same commercial and institutional projects.
• Saint-Gobain Glass: Saint-Gobain is one of Europe's largest architectural glass manufacturers, offering a broad portfolio of low-emissivity and solar-control coatings (and owning SageGlass). It competes with MicroShade at the IGU specification level, with MicroShade typically riding inside Saint-Gobain-aligned IGU partners like Flachglas MarkenKreis.

Direct peers

• RavenWindow: RavenWindow produces dynamic, heat-responsive window films and IGUs for commercial buildings. It targets the same solar-heat-gain-plus-daylight problem as MicroShade, with a controllable but largely passive switching mechanism rather than a fixed microstructure.
• EControl-Glas (Eckelt Glas): EControl-Glas is an Austrian manufacturer of switchable, partially tinted IGUs that darken on demand. It competes with MicroShade in mid-European commercial and heritage projects seeking integrated shading inside the glazing rather than external blinds.
• Suntuitive (Pleotint): Pleotint's Suntuitive thermochromic interlayer darkens with heat inside an IGU, providing passive solar control without external devices. It is highly comparable to MicroShade in being a passive, glazing-embedded shading solution aimed at architects and engineers facing the same overheating-versus-daylight trade-off.
• Halio (Kinestral Technologies): Halio (formerly Kinestral) sells electrochromic smart-glass IGUs targeted at the same architect/engineer buyer as MicroShade. Both compete for specification in projects that need to reduce cooling load while preserving daylight and views, with Halio offering dynamic control versus MicroShade's passive film.
• ChromoGenics: ChromoGenics is a Swedish developer of electrochromic foil and laminate solutions for solar-control glazing. Its conductive polymer-based films compete in the same 'shading embedded in IGU' category as MicroShade, though driven by applied voltage rather than passive microstructure.
• SageGlass (View, Inc.): SageGlass, the electrochromic glass brand of View, Inc., offers dynamically tintable IGUs that compete directly with MicroShade in the architectural solar-control glazing category. Both address the same overheating-plus-daylight trade-off in commercial and institutional buildings, though SageGlass does so via controllable tint rather than passive microstructure.

Emerging players

• Heliotrope Technologies: Heliotrope Technologies develops nanoparticle-based electrochromic coatings for smart windows. It is an emerging competitor in the integrated solar-control glazing space where MicroShade operates, though its technology is still pre-commercial relative to MicroShade's installed base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/microshade

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MicroShade