Insolight develops insolagrin, a dynamic agrivoltaic infrastructure that combines high-efficiency solar generation with adjustable light management to protect and optimize crops. The company’s modules enable electricity production on agricultural land while giving growers control over light exposure. Insolight has built partnerships through a Global Partnership Program that includes Migros and the SwissRe Foundation. The startup plans to deploy its first large-scale hectare/megawatt installations for berry growers in Switzerland and France and then replicate those installations globally across more crop types. The recent CHF 4.85 million financing will support commercial scale-up and development of the company’s project pipeline, with a target of multiple tens of millions of euros in the next two years. Insolight has previously received EUR 10.6 million in EU funding (HIPERION) and closed a CHF 5 million Series A in 2020. Insolight is a Swiss cleantech company founded in 2015 and based at the EPFL Innovation Park in Lausanne that develops next-generation solar PV panels using a patented optical technology. The technology was validated at 29% efficiency in a standard flat module and the company established a world-record efficiency for flat solar panels certified by IES‑UPM. Insolight has proven the robustness of its modules in real weather conditions and has built partnerships with major industrial players and world-class research centres. It is supported by multiple European and national programmes (H2020, Solar‑ERA.Net, Eurostars, Climate KIC, Innosuisse, Innovaud, SPEI, FIT, VentureKick, CleanTech Alps), as well as ESA BIC and EPFL Innogrant. Following a seed round in January 2018, the company aims to improve ROI of PV installations and reduce solar electricity costs. The Series A financing, together with a €10 million HIPERION grant from the EU, will enable Insolight to start producing and selling modules, with production outsourced to external manufacturers. Insolight's core product is a photovoltaic module that uses a planar optical micro-tracking system to concentrate sunlight onto tiny space-grade multi-junction cells placed over a conventional silicon back plane. The system is designed to fit standard rooftop or ground-mounted racks and can also overlay other solar panels. In pre-production outdoor testing the technology achieved 29% efficiency, substantially above typical mainstream panel efficiencies. The company plans to scale to large-scale production by demonstrating a pilot assembly line and showing manufacturers how to integrate a few extra assembly steps into existing lines. Insolight aims to license its technology to accelerate market entry and to validate reliability through qualification tests and commercial pilot sites across Europe. Financially, the company has secured an EU award of €10.6m via the HIPERION project and has received support from multiple EU and Swiss programs as well as ESA BIC and EPFL. Insolight has developed a flat optical panel that concentrates sunlight onto smaller, satellite-grade high-efficiency solar cells, enabling about twice the electricity production per surface area versus conventional panels. Its first prototype achieved a validated 36% yield in August 2016, a figure the article frames as a world-record compared with typical 18–20% market throughput. The company plans to finalize product development, run qualification tests to prove reliability, and deploy multiple pilot installations to demonstrate field performance. The newly raised funds are intended to expand operations and produce a blueprint solar panel ready for wider adoption on rooftops. Insolight’s stated ultimate goal is reducing solar electricity production costs to enable widespread rooftop solar adoption. The company was founded in 2015 and previously received CHF 130,000 from Venture Kick and support from ESA BIC Switzerland. Insolight is a Lausanne-based startup developing a flat optical panel that directs sunrays onto smaller, high-efficiency solar cells typically used in satellites. The company says its technology can produce twice as much electricity per surface area as conventional silicon panels. Insolight reported that its first prototype achieved 36% throughput, which the article notes "could be considered as a world record," versus typical market throughput of around 18–20%. The startup benefits from support and space-industry expertise through ESA BIC Switzerland. Insolight was awarded a CHF 130,000 cash prize by the Venture Kick competition jury and will use the funds to advance its technology. The CEO said the Venture Kick program stages, coaching and visibility helped transform the technical project into a real venture and improve business aspects.

Total raised

$25M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Dec 2022