For the photonic part , I had experience working for a research center for microtechnology at the university , and I was involved in a three-year research project with a well-known lighting manufacturer . Focus there was on color conversion materials for white light generation with LEDs , as well as very new materials called QUANTUM DOTS , which were then very fancy and very interesting to do the research on . That is where I learned a lot about light , optics , LEDs , semiconductors , and all the physical principals behind this . That was the reason we decided to do something for illuminating the plants . We started building prototypes and soon saw there were already products on the market , but very bad ones . When we had our first prototypes , we found people that were interested in LEDs .
HOW DID YOU GAIN MARKET SHARE AND RECOGNITION ?
MARTIN : By giving interested people the opportunity to try our products free of any risks ; they received free samples they could test . They got very intense consulting from us because we feel this is very important ; the product must be good but also how you apply the product … That made them very happy .
HOW DID YOU BECOME SO SUCCESSFUL IN EUROPE ?
DAVID : I believe it is a combination of many things , but most important are good products . We didn ’ t promise anything that we could not deliver with our products . The other thing is the research we do . It is very important that we have our cultivation laboratory where we work with plants every day . We learn how the plants function , how they grow , what they need to grow , what nutrients , what pH , what climate , and , of course , the focus is always on the interaction of light and plants . With this research , we also learn a lot about botanical aspects and we talk to professional growers . We understand their problems and how their companies work .
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PROUDEST MOMENTS ?
DAVID : When we received the order from our first sales partner , which was paid in advance , that was great ! Another one was when we were able to move from Martin ’ s cellar to the Schruns office , where we had a lot of space and we were able to employ more people and scale up the production . Another proud moment was the introduction of the P-series , where we could go into the professional greenhouses , so not only focusing on research and hobby market , but also what was our goal from the very beginning : to develop the proper product for professional greenhouse growers . Also , getting the Born Global Champions award in Austria was a big highlight for us .
ANY WORDS OF WISDOM ?
DAVID : My advice would be , don ’ t promise things you are not able to deliver , especially with the products you do . Always staying fair , telling the truth , and speaking openly about the problems .
MARTIN : As an engineer , I see a lot of technical solutions on the market . You always try to come up with new ideas how already existing products could be improved or designed in a better way .
“ WE STARTED building prototypes and soon saw there were already products on the market , but very bad ones .”
WHAT ARE THE COMPANY ’ S STRENGTHS ?
MARTIN : Our strengths are the usage of the local resources , and we have very smart product development where we can guarantee that the manufacturing is still competitive if we do it here in Austria . We do not want to source it out , but we compensate by having a smart design that is easy to assemble and to keep costs lower .
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT PRODUCT LINE ?
MARTIN : SANlight S4 and P4 series , M30 , S2W , and Flex series . With our current product line , we cover a broad range of the market from hobbyist to professional growers . I think we have a good platform with the products we have now , but we are always working on current products to make them better , to implement the newest technology , which is very important to us . groundbreakers 139