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Halion
Techstars '17Kitchener, CA · 8 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
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Halion develops color-changing nanomaterials that enable reflective displays with full color and video capability, as well as color-changing plastics. The company targets applications in outdoor displays and other industrial uses.
Also known as Halion Displays
Investors · 4
How we know: Saltagen Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Scout Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Scout Ventures's portfolio page · the VCSheet dataset · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Halion is a Kitchener, Ontario deep tech company developing advanced colour-changing nanomaterials for what it describes as intelligent surfaces. Its core product is a liquid ink material that rapidly switches between two colours when an electric field is applied across it, requiring very little power to change colour and less still to hold a state. The company positions the technology for low-power, outdoor- and sunlight-visible displays as well as colour-changing plastics and films.
The company's stated application areas include reflective displays for wearables, smartphones and tablets; switchable glass; heads-up displays delivered as highly transparent films laminated to windshields or helmets; digital way-finding displays for smart cities; and thin colour-changing films for tinted glass, architectural elements and vehicle wraps. Halion has described smart glass — glass that shifts from a dark to a light state at the push of a button — as a nearer-term product that can build revenue while the company works toward a broader vision in which surfaces act as displays.
Founding story
The company originated from a fourth-year engineering project at the University of Waterloo by Matt Lavrisa, on which Ryan Marchewka collaborated; the two became co-founders, with Marchewka as CEO and Lavrisa as CTO.
Business model
Halion develops and supplies materials and device technology to product companies, offering proof-of-concept device development, small-scale pilot production of units made to specification, and joint development programs in which its materials and engineering are combined with a partner's market requirements.
Traction
By March 2023 Halion had exited the Velocity incubator into dedicated lab space, reported reaching milestones that substantiate its technical claims, and cited market demand including letters of intent and companies wanting to buy its product. The company had about 10 employees at that time and stated a goal of reaching 15 by the end of the year.
Latest developments
In March 2023 Halion moved out of the Velocity incubator into its own lab space in the Kitchener-Waterloo area and identified hiring as a priority, aiming to grow from 10 to 15 employees by year end. It also described smart glass that switches from dark to light at the push of a button, which it said could improve vehicle fuel efficiency or electric vehicle range by more than 6 per cent.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Halion is an early-stage deep tech materials company commercializing electrically switchable colour-changing inks, with smart glass described by its CEO as a steppingstone product toward broader display applications.
Technology
Halion's ink contains charged particles carrying custom colour-changing molecules; the ink changes colour when the particles are in contact, and an applied electric field pulls the particles apart within a few milliseconds to reverse the change. The ink is typically applied between two conductive substrates, either simple conductive films or patterned TFT substrates, and changes colour only where an electric field is present. It works by selective absorption and can be applied to opaque or transparent surfaces. Stacking three ink layers, each switching between colourless and cyan, magenta or yellow, enables a subtractive full-colour scheme at refresh rates above 60 Hz. Claimed benefits include full colour, video capability, ultra-low power, daylight visibility, high transparency and high resolution.
Go-to-market
The company recruits partners directly through proof-of-concept, pilot and joint-development engagements, and has reported letters of intent and prospective buyers for its products.
Product manufacturers and integrators in areas such as consumer electronics and wearables, architectural and automotive glass, helmet and windshield heads-up displays, vehicle wraps, and smart-city way-finding infrastructure.
Geography
Halion is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, at Suite 199, 151 Charles St. W., and operates its own lab space in the Waterloo region.
History
Halion grew out of University of Waterloo research, beginning when co-founder and CEO Ryan Marchewka started working with co-founder and CTO Matt Lavrisa on Lavrisa's fourth-year engineering project. The company joined the Velocity incubator in 2014 and spent roughly seven years there, developing products for several different markets before moving into its own lab space in the Kitchener area, announced in March 2023 alongside fellow Velocity graduate H2nanO.
Compiled by commissioned research from 9 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsHalion exited the Velocity incubator and moved into its own lab space in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, joining Velocity's alumni community, and set a goal of growing from 10 to 15 employees.
Halion joined the Velocity incubator in Kitchener, Ontario, where it spent roughly seven years developing products for different markets.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 9
primary sources listed
- Halionhalion.ca · web
9 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Halion do?
- Halion develops colour-changing nanomaterials for reflective displays, smart glass and colour-changing films.
- Who are Halion's investors?
- Halion's investors include Saltagen Ventures, Scout Ventures, Scout Ventures, Techstars.
- Where is Halion headquartered?
- Halion is headquartered in Kitchener, CA.