Episode 343

The Next Frontier: Integrating Holography and AI for Immersive Experiences | Darran Milne | 343

In this mind-bending episode of SaaS Fuel, Jeff Mains chats with Darren Milne, co-founder and CEO of VividQ, about the future of holographic displays and how true 3D experiences will revolutionize everything from automotive HUDs to the way we watch TV, work, and interact with AI.

Darren Milne unpacks his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, describes the defining moment when he saw a real hologram for the first time, and outlines how his team is making science fiction a reality—including progress toward room-scale “holodecks.” Along the way, you’ll learn practical lessons about bridging science and commercialization, building successful licensing models, scaling with partnerships, and staying grounded while pursuing world-changing innovation.

Key Takeaways

00:00 "Holographic AI Revolution"

05:15 From Academia to Business Shift

14:08 "Holographic Display Business Strategy"

19:31 Automotive HUDs: Future-Ready Adaptability

24:48 "VR Nausea Explained by Science"

29:41 Building-Sized Holograms Revolution

32:57 "Creating Our Own Category"

42:25 "Software-Driven Hardware Control"

47:05 "Challenges of Licensing Innovation"

51:59 "Rethinking Growth and Investment"

56:05 "Epic Holographic Display Project"

01:02:20 "Insights, AI Growth, and Holodecks"

Tweetable Quotes

“Sometimes, in the pursuit of knowledge, you need a lot more money—and the way to get that is to create things people want to buy.” — Darren Milne

“The cars are all different, but with holography, the HUD doesn’t have to be. Software solves what used to take an assembly line.” — Darren Milne

“Every time I show a real hologram demo, people still ask if it’s fake. Once you see it, everything changes.” — Darren Milne

“You don’t need to build all the hardware to win big—sometimes licensing your tech brings more scale and staying power.” — Darren Milne

“If money were no object, I’d build the holodeck—an entire room of interactive holograms for training, gaming, everything.” — Darren Milne

“We thought building-sized holograms required new tech, but turns out we could do it with off-the-shelf laptop screens…and a lot of them.” — Darren Milne

SaaS Leadership Lessons

Embrace Mindset Shifts

Moving from academia to entrepreneurship means valuing impact as much as knowledge. Sometimes, making ideas real requires leaving comfort zones.

Specialize, Then Delegate

You can’t be both the chief researcher and the chief executive for long. Recognize your strengths and trust your team to handle complementary roles.

Validate with Partners, Not Just Product

Early commercial traction can come from licensing and partnerships, especially when full-scale manufacturing or hardware isn’t feasible.

Solve for ROI, Not Just Coolness

Customers may love new tech, but recurring revenue comes from solving their biggest, most overlooked pain (e.g., HUD manufacturing savings).

Don’t Hire for Vanity, Hire for Necessity

Rapid hiring because “everyone else is scaling” can lead to layoffs and wasted resources if the technology isn’t ready for mass adoption.

Stay Resilient & Honest

Long sales cycles and the need to “build the category” require grit. When mistakes happen (such as premature scaling), own them, learn, and course correct.