Remarkable Youth · Venture Capital Record | Dasqi: Leading Holographic 3D Display Technology Innovation to Accelerate the "Cyber World" into Reality
In the summer of 2024, as dusk fell over Xuanwu Lake, the mythical beast "Azure Dragon" emerged from the water, stirring ripples of light and shadow. A high-tech naked-eye 3D holographic show attracted over a thousand onlookers every night.
This world’s first holographic light show project, jointly launched by provincial, municipal, and district authorities, adopted 10 sets of outdoor engineering-grade holographic display devices of the largest size (with a diameter of 3 meters). It brought the "Four Mythical Beasts" to life before tourists’ eyes, helping Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area gain widespread popularity.
The team behind this visual spectacle is Dasqi Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dasqi"), a local tech enterprise in Nanjing. As the inventor and leader of global rotating holographic display technology, Dasqi uses its core product—the holographic 3D "Xuan Screen"—to integrate metaverse scenes of virtual-real fusion into cultural and tourism landmarks and commercial spaces. It is also gradually exploring home-scene applications, redefining the dimensions in which humans perceive the digital world through technology.
In 2017, a "fan" capable of displaying holographic 3D images went viral on foreign social media platforms and quickly caught the attention of Chinese netizens. Later, this "black technology" product was reported by
CCTV.com and many other mainstream media, soon becoming well-known among Chinese people. Today, the "holographic Xuan Screen" has become a common carrier for video images, but few know that this technology was originally invented by the fledgling Dasqi team.
This team, which launched a globally acclaimed product shortly after its establishment, consists of "geeks" who are passionate about innovation and dedicated to technological research.
Zhou Quan, founder and CEO of Dasqi, was a "tech enthusiast" during his college years. By participating in the National Undergraduate Electronic Design Competition, he met a group of outstanding contestants from prestigious universities such as Southeast University, Nanjing University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Nanjing University of Science and Technology—all of whom shared a passion for technological innovation. Together, they founded the Hardware Manufacturing and Design Club at Southeast University, laying the groundwork for the R&D backbone that would later support Dasqi.
After the establishment of the Hardware Manufacturing and Design Club at Southeast University, the team, on one hand, actively participated in various innovation and entrepreneurship competitions and gradually made a name for themselves; on the other hand, they kept searching for a direction for sustained innovation.
"At that time, our entrepreneurial idea was to create something that didn’t exist on Earth yet. We thought of the holographic displays in sci-fi movies, and combined with the rotating display technology we had 接触 ed in college and the development foundation of the relevant industrial chain, we realized this was an opportunity for interdisciplinary and integrated innovation. So the team decided on our innovation direction: to invent a rotating holographic display solution," Zhou Quan explained. Initially, the team’s research focused on turning the wheels of vehicles into screens, which was later adjusted to a "fan" shape with four LED light strips. It was during this period that Zhou Quan and his team came to the attention of Nanjing Innovation Investment Group.
In 2015, while still a college student, Zhou Quan participated in the "Win in Nanjing" Youth College Student Entrepreneurship Competition. After winning an award, he received the first round of financial support from the Venture Capital Group, allowing the team to accelerate product R&D. In the subsequent development process, the Venture Capital Group linked multiple universities and the Nanjing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau to provide Dasqi with various resource connections such as exhibitions and thematic salons. It also maintained regular follow-ups and visits to ensure post-investment services for the enterprise.
In October 2017, Zhou Quan led the team to win the gold medal at the National Finals of the 3rd China "Internet Plus" College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. A group of Australian customers purchased Dasqi’s first holographic 3D intelligent Xuan Screen product at a Chinese tech expo and posted a video praising the "amazing Chinese 3D", making the product a global hit.
Today, Dasqi has become a leader in the rotating holographic display industry, holding nearly 100 core patents and receiving multiple honors and certifications, including being recognized as a National High-Tech Enterprise, a Jiangsu Provincial "Specialized, Refined, Differential, and Innovative" SME, and a Nanjing Innovative Leading Enterprise. As the only enterprise in Nanjing selected into the 2024 National Excellent Cases of Cultural and Tourism Equipment Technology Upgrading by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, its technological advancement and market share have long ranked first globally, with its products accounting for over 60% of the mid-to-high-end market.
The floating image effect presented by the holographic 3D Xuan Screen leverages the principle of Persistence of Vision (POV) in humans. It achieves enhanced holographic vision by forming images through the rotation of ultra-high-density LED light strips.
"The technical principle of the product itself is not complicated, but thanks to Dasqi’s over a decade of accumulation in rotating holographic display algorithms, not all rotating display manufacturers can match the quality of Dasqi’s products. The stability of the product, the matching degree between image content and the product’s rotating posture, and the expansion and integration of application scenarios all determine the effect presented by holographic 3D display devices," a relevant person in charge of the Future Industry Investment Department of Nanjing Innovation Investment Group said. Competition among mid-to-high-end 3D holographic display manufacturers mainly centers on three dimensions: hardware performance, content ecosystem, and scenario applications.
Dasqi focuses on three core elements—hardware, content, and scenarios—and has built a commercial service ecosystem for holographic vision centered on "3D holographic projection" technology.
In terms of hardware, Dasqi pioneered the global HDMI real-time holographic screen. Co-developed with the Purple Mountain Laboratory of Southeast University, it has broken through millimeter-wave 60G frequency band near-field communication technology, enabling zero-latency, zero-development transmission of images to the holographic screen. This has revolutionized the traditional development method of holographic screen products (which relied on 3D video content) by shifting to a design method based on smart devices. While reducing development costs and thresholds, it has also made the device’s stability, resolution, color consistency, and expandability reach the highest level in the industry.
The iterative upgrade of terminal hardware will also drive changes in the related content industry. To address the pain points faced by many small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry—high thresholds for content production and high usage costs—Dasqi has developed a public 3D content material mall and tools for quickly generating 3D content (covering PC, mobile, and web terminals). These tools help upstream and downstream customers quickly select universal materials and generate active transparent, 3D display-style intentional presentation content, breaking the bottleneck of content production across the industry. "The team hopes to build a content developer platform where talents such as designers, programmers, and digital artists can co-create and share profits on the platform, while empowering the industry in terms of content," Zhou Quan said.
As the equipment and content ecosystem are gradually established, the development of diverse application scenarios follows naturally. First, Dasqi is based in Nanjing, a famous cultural city. Its profound historical and cultural heritage and numerous cultural and tourism landmarks provide Dasqi with a highly potential innovative stage for "culture + tourism + technology". In addition, Dasqi’s products and services are widely used in scenarios such as exhibitions, stage design, retail business, art-tech installations, virtual interactions, and Party building for governments and enterprises. They have deeply penetrated overseas markets including Europe, North America, Japan, and South Korea, serving hundreds of well-known brands such as Volkswagen, Chevrolet, and Budweiser.
"Next, the team plans to fully enter outdoor scenarios," Zhou Quan said. The outdoor holographic market is relatively untapped, with a broad audience. It also has commercial value in terms of communication exposure and immersive interaction, which can further enrich the public’s cultural experience and enhance the company’s profitability.
The metaverse concept that went viral in 2021 rekindled people’s imagination of interaction between the virtual and real worlds. In recent years, products and technologies that integrate the virtual and real through digital technology and deliver immersive experiences have also attracted great market attention—such as Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which was hard to get last year.
Consumer products typically drive the rapid iteration of cutting-edge technologies through scenario-based implementation, user demand feedback, and industrial chain collaboration. Following this trend, Dasqi—having accumulated mature technology and market share in commercial-grade products—has turned its focus on product innovation to consumer-grade products. After two years of development, it has launched the holographic 3D speaker—Haloasis.
"Existing holographic display speaker products on the market adopt micro-projection solutions, such as Japan’s Gatebox. These have inherent flaws such as insufficient brightness, which imposes requirements and limitations on the brightness of the usage environment and cannot fully match the home usage scenarios of consumer-grade products," Zhou Quan explained. Different from projection speakers currently on the market, Haloasis applies Dasqi’s newly developed 360-degree Micro LED rotating holographic display carrier, achieving a high display precision of 70 PPI. It is also equipped with a holographic lyrics generative interactive visualization system, allowing users to view clear, bright, and vivid holographic images from a 360-degree perspective.
The Haloasis A1 is equipped with an independent DSP chip that provides multiple professional sound effect adjustment modes, compatible with most mainstream audio playback apps. It also features an artistic screen saver, allowing users to choose various dynamic artistic effects—such as holographic display of time, weather, and other information. In addition, users can connect to a mobile app to customize display effects and content, adjusting lyric animations, light effects, display fonts, sound styles, etc., to provide a personalized experience.
Notably, Haloasis also integrates AI into its product functions, enabling users to engage in AI avatar voice interactions through the holographic speaker. The Haloasis A1 can intelligently recognize the user’s music playback operations; its built-in independent computing chip can accurately identify music emotions. The transparent crystal-color Halo rings on both sides of the speaker feature 16 million dynamic ambient light effects. When music plays, the device automatically activates and adjusts the ring color and dynamic effects according to the music’s emotions, creating a more immersive music atmosphere and providing more families with a new option for AI hardware.
As a highly innovative smart hardware product, the Haloasis A1 has attracted global market attention since its launch. In May last year, the Haloasis A1 completed crowdfunding on the Kickstarter platform, raising $346,900 in just one and a half months—doubling the expected target. This not only demonstrates market recognition of the Haloasis A1 but also marks an important step for Dasqi’s consumer-grade products to enter overseas markets. Currently, the first batch of Haloasis products has completed mass production. As products are gradually delivered, they will lay a solid foundation for Dasqi’s global layout.
In the past, holographic technology mainly served commercial scenarios. However, the R&D and promotion of consumer-grade products pose challenges for manufacturers in terms of cost control and user interaction experience.
"Dasqi has always hoped to create a ‘holographic cyber earth’ through continuous innovation in holographic technology—bringing sci-fi experiences beyond imagination to users, whether in public spaces or home scenarios," Zhou Quan said. Currently, the first batch of Haloasis products has been mass-produced. Next, the team will further reduce costs and improve product experience by optimizing algorithms and supply chains, and launch products targeting high-end, mid-range, and other market segments. With more affordable prices, it aims to bring metaverse experiences into more consumers’ homes.
"In recent years, Nanjing has continued to promote the development of the metaverse industry. The Nanjing Action Plan for Promoting a Strong Industry City (2023-2025) identifies the metaverse as one of the six new future industry tracks for leading breakthroughs. As an innovation and entrepreneurship team nurtured locally in Nanjing, Dasqi has focused on technological innovation and scenario integration. Through long-term dedicated R&D, it has materialized the digital world with 3D holographic projection technology, opening the door to the metaverse," the relevant person in charge of the Future Industry Investment Department of Nanjing Innovation Investment Group said. With the launch of Dasqi’s consumer-grade products, the enterprise is expected to build a new business growth driver. Combined with the multi-faceted integration of existing B-end scenarios, it can contribute to the development of Nanjing’s metaverse industry and the innovative integration of application scenarios. In the future, the Venture Capital Group will continue to monitor developments in the holographic display industry and Dasqi’s growth, flexibly using its managed investment tools to provide long-term support for the company’s development.
Source: Nanjing Innovation Investment Group
Review: Xue Yao
Release: You Yi
