Editor’s note: “Tech 2006”, one of the high-tech conference highlights every year in North Carolina, is set for Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. This year, the Council for Entrepreneurial Development has scheduled presentations from 27 companies as well as a number of speakers and panels.

To preview the conference, Local Tech Wire in conjunction with the CED will profile many of the companies scheduled to present. The first in the series appears today.If ImagineOptix proves successful with its technology, a new brighter, more efficient and less costly alternative for rear- and front-projection televisions and projectors may be at hand.

ImagineOptix, which was launched in 2004, has developed what it calls “HoloBright” imagers that the companies believe improve upon projection technology as it is used today.

“Current video imager technologies are either too expensive or too inefficient with light for many potential applications of video projection,” saidDennis Kekas, chief executive officer and co-founder along with his son Jason of ImagineOptix in a Q&A with WRAL Local Tech Wire. “With ImagineOptix HoloBright imagers, original equipment manufacturers and video projection device manufacturers can develop cheaper, more light efficient, and more physically scalable projection solutions for rear and front projection TVs and office projectors.

“As our core platform technology continues to be developed and introduced to lead users and first adopters, our technology will enable and create new markets such as the personal handheld projection market and marketplaces not yet imagined,” Kekas added.

The company has plenty of experience and expertise in imaging technology. The elder Kekas is a longtime IBM executive who now runs the NC State University’s Networking Technology Institute. Jason Kekas is a PhD candidate at NCSU and is an experienced engineer in optical products who has two patents granted or pending. Chief Science Officer Michael Escuti is an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NCSU. He also directs experimental and theoretical research within the opto-electronics and lightwave engineering group at NCSU.

If ImagineOptix is successful, rear-projection equipment could crack new markets as well, such as hand-held devices.

“Current projection imager applications are limited by the current technologies that cost too much, are inefficient with light and/or are difficult to significantly reduce in physical imager size,” Kekas said. “As a result, markets such as projectors for cell phones, iPods, and other portable devices are not possible and current proven markets such as rear-projection TVs cannot capture nearly $28billion in sales due to high prices limiting potential customers.

“ImagineOptix will disrupt the current markets and enable the new markets through its core platform technology,” he added.

The Q&A with ImagineOptix:

What makes your technology unique

Our technology eliminates the need for the polarization of light in the video projection imager process. In the imager marketplace, this means drastic increases in light efficiency compared to similarly priced technologies. This, in turn, reduces manufacturing costs associated with power management, heat management, the number of parts and the complexity of assembly. In conjunction with significantly improved physical scalability, our HoloBright imagers have distinct and sustainable competitive advantages over all the current imager solutions.

Companies are more than technology. How is your management team trying to mold the company into a winning venture beyond having a technical advantage or needed service?

ImagineOptix is focused on “imagining” new marketplaces and then enabling these marketplaces with our technology. Therefore, our firm strives to find new applications for the core platform technology. This will drive continued growth for years to come and add significant value to stakeholders.

What was the original inspiration (or invention) that led to the launch of your company?

ImagineOptix solves everyday frustrations shared between the founders of our company and the millions of potential end customers. These frustrations include the inability to share information quickly and efficiently, the lack of mobility in video imaging and the need to safely and effectively display information on a low cost basis.

What markets / needs are you seeking to address? (What is the size of those markets?)

Our initial target markets include the traditional projector device market (including rear projection TV, front projection TV, office / business projector) and the personal projector (handheld device) market. We have several additional marketplaces in mind as our firm develops. We also believe that new, innovative applications will continue to be discovered as our technology permeates our initial target markets.

What have been the primary challenges you have faced in launching and then growing your company?

We are currently addressing specific technical adjustments that will improve the overall performance of our technology. We are also assembling a team and preparing for our fundraising efforts. So we are facing very typical new venture challenges.

Was entrepreneurial spirit a real driver for your company’s founders and executive team to bring your firm to this point? Please explain.

Actually, the route driver for the founders of the firm was to bring this technology to market and see it transform the use of displays in everyday life. We really wanted to enable new uses of display that make people’s everyday lives easier.

Do you have patents or patents pending>

We have filed patents and made initial disclosures to begin the process of making additional patent filings. These filings are related to the core methodologies and know how that is necessary to build our projection imagers.

How is your company financed? Do you have plans to seek additional investors or venture capital? Do you have another exit strategy?

A combination of NSF grant funding, a grant from NCIDEA and personal investment has financed the firm to date. We intend to begin fundraising in the near future to enable a much more optimal development timetable. However, ultimately, we are determined to bring this technology to fruition through whatever financial means possible, whether it is venture capital, angel funding, grant funding or personal investment. The marketplace has a fundamental need for our HoloBright technology.

Fact box on ImagineOptix: www.localtechwire.com/article.cfm?u=15153