The CEO and Co-Founder of Waterloo startup VueReal envisions a world where screens do more than just display things like videos and photos.

And no this isn’t the same as another notorious Waterloo invention where the smartphone touchscreen clicked like one big button. VueReal has developed technology that will fuel the next generation of display screens.

“The display is the central interface of contemporary electronic systems, yet its capabilities and interactions have traditionally been constrained,” VueReal’s CEO and Co-Founder, Reza Chaji, explains. “Your display doesn’t need to be just a display.”

“When we observe the ever-evolving landscape of technology today, encompassing AI, augmented reality, immersive applications, and autonomy, we can discern a common thread: the increasing demand for an abundance of sensors, seamless interaction, and pervasive communication,” the CEO adds.

 Chaji notes that the current way of making display screens will not be able to handle all these new capabilities, and the current demand for innovation is only the beginning. “The integration of sensors is set to extend far beyond our current horizons, saturating our surroundings with a wide range of interconnected sensors,” he says.

VueReal is enabling this next generation of screens through what it calls pioneering advancements in micropixel technology. The startup’s patented MicroLED technology improves the quality and allows for more environmentally friendly manufacturing of displays and sensors. It does this while also significantly lowering power consumption in electronic systems.

“This breakthrough will enable the next wave of screen technology. It holds the potential to reshape our entire perception and interaction with visual information,” says Chaji.

VueReal’s technology-enhanced displays and sensors open new possibilities in industries that include healthcare, automotive, mobile devices and wearables, and more. VueReal’s early customers are automotive manufacturers that are integrating its MicroLED technology into vehicles that will come out in the next few years.

The market that VueReal is operating in is set to be a billion dollar one. However, Chaji argues it’s also niche. He notes there are only a few manufacturers around the world that can create these types of next generation displays. VueReal is making that happen right here in Waterloo.

Waterloo’s innovation sector has played a big part in VueReal’s success. VueReal works closely with the University of Waterloo on continual research and innovation of its technology. The idea for VueReal was actually born from work Chaji and the founding team were doing within the university.

To commercialize this research and get VueReal off the ground, it received its first funding from the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) through a program that has since become Collaborate 2 Commercialize (C2C).

“If we didn’t have those grants it would have been very hard for us to fund those activities at the beginning,” Chaji says.

Various grants from OCI over the years enable VueReal to connect with academic research groups and find the talent it needed to grow the company.

Since then, VueReal has raised nearly $50 million in grant and venture capital. Most recently, it received financing from the Government of Ontario’s Invest Ontario fund and the federal Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for a $40 million project to expand its team and commercial capacity. VueReal continues to work closely with the University of Waterloo. As it markets its current technology, VueReal also has eyes on the future and continual research and development (R&D). Funding from C2C is enabling VueReal to work on a couple of projects alongside university researchers that will allow it to create more advanced products for the future.