FLEx Lighting

FLEx Lighting, now operating as Azumo, is an American display technology company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 2008 by Mike Casper, Dr. Tony Nichol, and Shawn Pucylowski, who initially set out to combine xenon light bulbs, fiber optics, and plastic film into a thin light source. That early work evolved into a compact system of LEDs and optical film, culminating in the FLEx front light panel — a light transmission system designed to illuminate reflective displays without the power penalty of traditional backlights. In early 2021 the company rebranded from FLEx Lighting to Azumo, a name derived from "azure" (a cloudless sky, the primary natural illumination source for reflective displays) and "lumo" (a nod to lumens). Azumo positions its technology as "LCD 2.0," a next-generation reflective LCD platform that delivers consistent contrast indoors and outdoors, sunlight readability, and ultra-low power consumption — up to 90% less energy than backlit LCDs, with figures as low as 15µW in 100k lux ambient brightness. The company emphasizes that its frontlit displays are 10x more energy efficient than backlit LCDs, are ultra-thin at 50µm, support high resolution and fast refresh rates, and are compatible with optically bonded cover lenses and touch panels. Target benefits include eye safety (a fraction of the blue light of traditional LCDs), intrinsic safety, extreme temperature tolerance, and RoHS compliance. Azumo sells frontlit reflective display modules in a range of sizes, many built around Sharp monochrome panels — for example 1.26", 1.28", 1.8", 2.7", 3.2", and 4.4" modules with resolutions from 128x128 up to 400x240 and PPI from 90 to 211. A 7.9" optically bonding (OB) capable module is listed as in development. The company also offers a new film that is optically bonding capable. Applications span wearables, industrial, automotive, medical, and other devices that need sunlight readability and long battery life. The leadership team includes co-founders Mike Casper (CEO), Dr. Tony Nichol (CTO), and Shawn Pucylowski (CFO), alongside Mo Azim (COO), Eric Blair (Director of Automotive, Innovation), and Shirley Gu (Managing Director, China). The company maintains a China presence and a broader engineering and R&D team. As a private company, Azumo does not disclose public financials. Its brand identity centers on energy-efficient, sunlight-readable reflective display technology for the next generation of devices.

FLEx Lighting was founded in 2008 in Chicago by Mike Casper, Dr. Tony Nichol, and Shawn Pucylowski. The three founders initially focused on combining xenon light bulbs, fiber optics, and plastic film into a thin light source. Over time, this approach evolved into a much more compact system of LEDs and optical film, leading to the creation of the FLEx front light panel — a breakthrough light transmission system intended to revolutionize the display industry by enabling reflective displays to be illuminated efficiently. The company's core technology addresses a fundamental trade-off in display design: backlit LCDs are bright and colorful but power-hungry and hard to read in direct sunlight, while reflective displays are readable in bright light and use very little power but are difficult to see in dim conditions. FLEx's front light panel guides light across the front of a reflective display, making it viewable in dark, dim, and direct sunlight environments while consuming a fraction of the energy of a backlight. The company claims its frontlit displays offer 10x more energy efficiency than backlit LCDs and can use up to 90% less energy, with power as low as 15µW in 100k lux ambient brightness. In early 2021, FLEx Lighting rebranded as Azumo. The new name combines "azure," referring to a cloudless sky — the greatest source of natural light and the primary illumination source for reflective displays — and "lumo," a nod to "lumens" for light. The rebrand accompanied the company's positioning of its technology as "LCD 2.0," a next-generation reflective LCD platform. Azumo emphasizes sunlight readability, ultra-low power, high resolution and refresh rate, thinness (50µm), cover lens and touch panel compatibility, simple driver integration, eye safety, intrinsic safety, extreme temperature tolerance, and RoHS compliance. Azumo's product line includes frontlit reflective display modules in sizes such as 1.26", 1.28", 1.8", 2.7", 3.2", and 4.4", many using Sharp monochrome panels with resolutions from 128x128 to 400x240 and PPI from 90 to 211. Some modules include RGB LED options or NVG (night vision goggle) secure variants. A 7.9" optically bonding (OB) capable module is in development, and the company offers an OB-capable film. The company serves applications in wearables, industrial, automotive, medical, and other markets requiring sunlight readability and long battery life. The leadership team includes the three co-founders — Mike Casper (CEO), Dr. Tony Nichol (CTO), and Shawn Pucylowski (CFO) — plus Mo Azim (COO), Eric Blair (Director of Automotive, Innovation), and Shirley Gu (Managing Director, China). The company maintains a China presence and a team of engineers and R&D staff. As a private company, Azumo does not publicly report financial results. Its brand identity centers on energy-efficient, sunlight-readable reflective display technology for the next generation of devices.

• 2021

  FLEx Lighting rebrands as Azumo, combining "azure" and "lumo".

• 2008

  FLEx Lighting founded in Chicago by Mike Casper, Dr. Tony Nichol, and Shawn Pucylowski.

Leader in low-power, sunlight-readable reflective display technology; "LCD 2.0" as the next generation of energy-efficient, eye-safe displays.

• 1.26" Monochrome Display 11655-06

• 1.26" Monochrome Display 11655-03

• 1.28" Monochrome Display 11049-06

• 1.8" Monochrome Display 12616-03

• 1.8" Monochrome Display 12616-06

• 2.7" Monochrome Display 11103-03

• 2.7" Monochrome Display 11103-06

• 2.7" Monochrome Display 13290-03

• 2.7" Monochrome Display 12655-06, NVG Secure

• 3.2" Monochrome Display 12936-01

• 4.4" Monochrome Display 12561-06 OB

• 7.9" OB Module

• 2021.01.28

  Reported2021.01.28

  FLEx Lighting announces rebrand to Azumo[6]FLEx Lighting宣布更名为Azumoeejournal.com

  FLEx Lighting announced that it is rebranding as Azumo.

Read more

1. 1Sunlight Readable & Low Power Reflective Displays | Azumoazumotech.com
2. 2About Our Front Light Guide Film Company | Azumoazumotech.com
3. 3Frontlit Reflective Display Module Products | Azumoazumotech.com
4. 4Our Team | Azumoazumotech.com
5. 5FLEx (United States) - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6FLEx Lighting宣布更名为Azumoeejournal.com