Startup uses software-controlled lights to cut farming costs

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Photosyntehtic

While developing advanced LED technology for cinema lighting, the founders of Photosynthetic discovered a secondary application for their hardware. They realized commercial agriculture could benefit from the efficient solution they had built.

This insight led them to spin out a dedicated company focused on horticultural technology.

😟 Problem

Commercial greenhouse and vertical farm operators face massive electricity costs to maximize crop yields. Lighting accounts for up to 30% of greenhouse operating expenses and 80% of power use in fully indoor farms.

Most existing horticultural lighting remains static. Growers use predefined schedules despite changing crop needs, daylight availability, and energy prices. This rigid approach wastes electricity and limits potential crop yields.

💡 Solution

Photosynthetic combines high-efficiency LED hardware with software-controlled, dynamically tunable light. The startup’s system gives growers precise control over crop yield, quality, and production consistency with several key capabilities. The system also:

• Delivers up to 4.05 µmol/J efficiency (a measure of how much usable light a fixture produces per unit of electricity) to lower overall electricity consumption.
• Allows independent adjustments for light intensity and spectral composition.
• Supports customized lighting recipes based on crop stage, time of day, and production zone.
• Features centralized software to deploy schedules across entire facilities.

Image credit: Photosynthetic

📊 Market size

The global horticultural lighting market sits at a value of approximately US$8.4 billion today. The sector is projected to reach US$29.1 billion by 2033, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 18.3%.

A one-hectare commercial greenhouse typically requires around 3,000 supplemental lighting fixtures. Capturing just 1% of the current market represents roughly US$84 million in annual sales.

🤝 Team

• Halvard Aagaard. Chairman and founder. A senior executive with over 15 years of experience leading global growth, mergers, and business transformation across deep tech and advanced manufacturing.

🚀 Traction

• Secured initial commercial contracts for its first paid customer installations.
• Established manufacturing partnerships in China to support commercial volume production.
• Conducting ongoing customer trials with commercial growers to validate crop performance.
• Completed technical validation and transitioned into commercial rollout for its G-Series platform.

🏆 Competition

💰 Financials

🚩 Risks