Prysm announces $100M-plus raise to start volume production

October 27, 2011 by Dave Haynes

Investment capital may be hard to come by for a lot of digital signage people – and business in general – these days, but the guys at Prysm just raised more than $100 million.

The company, which markets Laser Phosphor Display stackable display tiles, just announced new financing that will turn on volume production of the units.

The new money is on top of some $35 million initially raised by the Silicon Valley-based start-up firm.

Says the release:

This financing has enabled Prysm to commence volume production of the company’s groundbreaking Laser Phosphor Display (LPD) technology, and amass a global support team of more than 150 personnel worldwide and supported by more than 25 channel partners. With this impressive global and financial support, Prysm is able to significantly expand the availability of its patented LPD technology to bring engaging, life-size digital experiences from any viewing angle to a variety of commercial markets around the world.

“Surpassing $100MM in financing is a powerful vote of confidence in Prysm’s LPD technology and an indicator the company is well on the path to bringing this groundbreaking technology to markets around the world,” said Amit Jain, founder and CEO of Prysm. “We are now in volume production and investing in training and support for our solutions in major markets around the world.”

Prysm’s LPD technology is a breakthrough in the digital display industry, bringing large scale displays to retail establishments, broadcast studios, sports venues, company boardrooms, among other market segments. The LPD technology has already disrupted the large format commercial display segment because Prysm’s displays deliver unparalleled image quality, brightness and color, to create incredibly realistic virtual experiences. Prysm’s displays have been adopted by leading brands including American Eagle Outfitters and People’s United Bank in Boston, as well as by broadcast studios CNBC’s Mad Money with Jim Cramer and Dubai Sports TV.

The LPD technology empowers companies to create powerful brand messages through life-like, life-size visual experiences, customizable for any environment. Prysm’s LPD tiles are the building blocks for creating immersive, large scale video-displays that fit environments of any size and any shape, and are viewable from any angle. The technology also supports a full range of audience engagement solutions including touch, gesture and proximity detection.

The LPD platform also brings low cost of ownership to the display space. A 225-inch Prysm display consumes less power than a house hold hair dryer- up to 70% less energy than today’s alternative technologies. This low power consumption enables LPD displays to plug directly into standard 110v power outlets, with no additional requirement for power supply or expensive cooling infrastructure.

Prysm’s primary competitor is Christie Digital, which launched its MicroTiles roughly two years ago. The units have roughly the same form factor, but different technologies driving the display.