AGC Group boosts its stake in smart-tinting glass developer Kinestral Technologies
The AGC Group has consolidated its stake in the Californian start-up Kinestral Technologies, developer of Halio™, the world's most responsive smart-tinting glass. This product is currently the most advanced solution for management of natural lighting levels thanks to glass that switches electrically from clear to dark.
GC Leads Kinestral Series C Financing Round
The AGC Group led the 65 million US dollars raised in the C-series equity funding round aimed at launching Halio into the global marketplace (planned for early 2018). In addition to the financial aspect of this strategic partnership, AGC and Kinestral are further pursuing their technological and commercial collaboration, which has led to the product being presented for the first time in Europe to a selected audience at the Bau fair1.
Great new prospects for the building industry
Halio is the first-ever solution which looks exactly like ordinary glass while being able to uniformly darken within three minutes, affording protection against the glare and heat of the sun and against prying eyes. "As part of a building management system (BMS), Halio ushers in the age of interactive window glass, connecting the building occupants to their environment while neutralising all the excessive aspects of the sun," declared Jean-François Heris, President of Building & Industrial Glass Company, AGC. Moreover, Halio is the key stepping stone into the new business paradigm of the “Connected” IoT2 building window.
1: Munich (Germany), 16-21 January 2017.
2: Internet of Things.
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AGC Glass Europe
Benoît Ligot
Corporate Communication Manager
Glass.communications@agc.com
About AGC
AGC Asahi Glass (also called AGC, Registered Company name: Asahi Glass Co., Ltd., Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Takuya Shimamura) is the parent company of the AGC Group, a world-leading glass solution provider and supplier of flat, automotive and display glass, chemicals, ceramics and other high-tech materials and components. Based on more than a century of technical innovation, the AGC Group has developed a wide range of cutting-edge products. The AGC Group employs some 50,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales of approximately ¥ 1.3 trillion (€ 9.8 billion) through business in about 30 countries. For more information, please visit www.agc.com .
About Kinestral Technologies
Founded in 2010, San Francisco Bay Area-based Kinestral Technologies, Inc. develops technologies that transform glass into responsive, intelligent, and beautiful architectural elements. The company’s research and development efforts have resulted in a growing global patent portfolio in manufacturing, device processing, and smart window control systems. Halio™, the company’s first product, responds within seconds to begin delivering shade and glare relief. For more information, please visit www.kinestral.com.