Next wave of display technology set to be unlocked by University of Sheffield spinout

Pixel-Flo, a spinout from the University of Sheffield’s School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has secured £5.25 million funding to enhance MicroLED technology manufacturing, helping to reduce the cost and speed up current production methods.

MicroLED is the next wave of display technology, offering up to five times higher brightness and enables the use of up to four times less power than displays that are currently used on a range of consumer electronics, such as smartwatches, car dashboard displays, TVs and PC monitors. However, they are difficult to mass produce due to the challenge of moving the millions of microscopic LEDs from the wafer used to grow them to the display backplane - known in the industry as mass transfer. 

Pixel-Flo has developed an entirely new mass transfer process that could enable MicroLED displays to be manufactured at industrial scale and more cost effectively by unlocking economies of scale, making them much faster and significantly cheaper to produce. 

The funding, led by Northern Gritstone, an investment company dedicated to supporting ambitious science and technology businesses in the North of England, with additional investment from SCVC, the Parkwalk Northern Universities Venture Fund, and German investment firm, HTGF, will support Pixel-Flo’s transition from laboratory development towards industrial scale-up, expanding their team and relocating to new lab and office space.

Pixel-Flo was founded by Dr Rick Smith, Dr Suneal Ghataora, and Simon Jones. The company builds on novel semiconductor photonics research from Dr Ghataora in Dr Smith’s lab, drawing on long-running LED research from the University of Sheffield's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and Simon Jones's extensive display-industry commercial experience.

Pixel-Flo’s international expansion ambitions are underscored by its recent hiring of a Taiwan-based Business Development Vice President, Sanger Hsu, focused on early customer engagement in a critical market for display technologies. Last year, Pixel-Flo was part of the NG Studios cohort, Northern Gritstone’s deeptech venture builder.