Global Shaper 2011: L.E.S.S., better, brighter lights
29.11.2017
This summer we asked you to vote for your favorite of our supported startups from the past 10 years: those that you felt had the power to change the world. We announced our Global Shapers at our 10 year anniversary event on 29th November and will update you with them on our website throughout December.
 L.E.S.S.
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BETTER, BRIGHTER LIGHTS
Founded at EPFL in 2012, L.E.S.S. has developed a novel lighting technology which is far superior in many respects to the LED lights that have supplanted conventional light bulbs on the market. Indeed, LED technology takes up too much space and produces uneven light beams. Although they are more energy-efficient than light bulbs, they still leave much to be desired: 60 percent of the electrical power is converted into heat rather than light when integrated into an illumination system.
The alternative technology of L.E.S.S. (Light Efficient SystemS) is based on a single nanoactive optical fiber. This nanofiber is comparable to neon tube lighting – except that it is thinner than a human hair and provides brighter, more uniform light. Until now, L.E.S.S. has proven successful in the market of quality control, which is crucial in the manufacture of watch¬es or medical implants, for example. In these industries, it is critical to detect, measure and evaluate defects in the manufactured elements as effectively as possible, either with the naked eye or under the microscope. And there is currently no better tool available for this than the uniform light from L.E.S.S. Several Swiss watch manufacturers have turned to the new nanofibers from Lausanne, as have companies in Germany and Japan. “Thanks to our brighter lights, all our customers could reduce their inspection time and enhance the quality of their products” explains L.E.S.S. CEO Yann Tissot.
BREAK INTO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
And now this technology is making its way into our cars. The major benefits are that L.E.S.S. products use less energy and weigh only half as much as conven¬tional car lights. They thus open up completely new possibilities in relation to the design of car lightning. The unique combination of these assets make them particularly appealing to manufacturers of electric cars. A major breakthrough for L.E.S.S. was the unveiling of a concept car from a large German manufacturer at the Geneva International Motor Show 2017, and at the Frankfurt fair in September 2017. The manufacturer, which produces more than two million vehicles every year, also announced that this concept would go into series production. L.E.S.S. also works with additional car and headlamp manufacturers.
BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE INDUSTRY
The young company with 12 employees is now set to become a fully-fledged market player. In 2018, L.E.S.S. expects to produce several thousand quality control products in its first market. Yet this is just the beginning: now entering the automotive industry, the challenge will be to supply the necessary quantities to fill their customers’ needs. The production forecast is set to reach millions by 2022. For this the team plans a second round of financing in the double-digit million range (L.E.S.S. raised CHF 3m in 2015). Over 30 employees will work for L.E.S.S. next year, and more than 400 by 2022.
In 2015 and 2016, L.E.S.S. was ranked first in TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award, and the startup is still in the TOP 3 today. Things have taken off, with the support of Venture Kick: “Venture Kick trusted us at the very early stage, at a time when we didn’t have a lot of con¬crete results. It has just been an incredible support”, says CEO Dr. Yann Tissot. If everything goes as planned L.E.S.S. has the potential to achieve a turnover of “several hundred million francs” within the next five years and become a major player in the lighting industry.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers
Founded at EPFL in 2012, L.E.S.S. has developed a novel lighting technology which is far superior in many respects to the LED lights that have supplanted conventional light bulbs on the market. Indeed, LED technology takes up too much space and produces uneven light beams. Although they are more energy-efficient than light bulbs, they still leave much to be desired: 60 percent of the electrical power is converted into heat rather than light when integrated into an illumination system.
The alternative technology of L.E.S.S. (Light Efficient SystemS) is based on a single nanoactive optical fiber. This nanofiber is comparable to neon tube lighting – except that it is thinner than a human hair and provides brighter, more uniform light. Until now, L.E.S.S. has proven successful in the market of quality control, which is crucial in the manufacture of watch¬es or medical implants, for example. In these industries, it is critical to detect, measure and evaluate defects in the manufactured elements as effectively as possible, either with the naked eye or under the microscope. And there is currently no better tool available for this than the uniform light from L.E.S.S. Several Swiss watch manufacturers have turned to the new nanofibers from Lausanne, as have companies in Germany and Japan. “Thanks to our brighter lights, all our customers could reduce their inspection time and enhance the quality of their products” explains L.E.S.S. CEO Yann Tissot.
BREAK INTO THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
And now this technology is making its way into our cars. The major benefits are that L.E.S.S. products use less energy and weigh only half as much as conven¬tional car lights. They thus open up completely new possibilities in relation to the design of car lightning. The unique combination of these assets make them particularly appealing to manufacturers of electric cars. A major breakthrough for L.E.S.S. was the unveiling of a concept car from a large German manufacturer at the Geneva International Motor Show 2017, and at the Frankfurt fair in September 2017. The manufacturer, which produces more than two million vehicles every year, also announced that this concept would go into series production. L.E.S.S. also works with additional car and headlamp manufacturers.
BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE INDUSTRY
The young company with 12 employees is now set to become a fully-fledged market player. In 2018, L.E.S.S. expects to produce several thousand quality control products in its first market. Yet this is just the beginning: now entering the automotive industry, the challenge will be to supply the necessary quantities to fill their customers’ needs. The production forecast is set to reach millions by 2022. For this the team plans a second round of financing in the double-digit million range (L.E.S.S. raised CHF 3m in 2015). Over 30 employees will work for L.E.S.S. next year, and more than 400 by 2022.
In 2015 and 2016, L.E.S.S. was ranked first in TOP 100 Swiss Startups Award, and the startup is still in the TOP 3 today. Things have taken off, with the support of Venture Kick: “Venture Kick trusted us at the very early stage, at a time when we didn’t have a lot of con¬crete results. It has just been an incredible support”, says CEO Dr. Yann Tissot. If everything goes as planned L.E.S.S. has the potential to achieve a turnover of “several hundred million francs” within the next five years and become a major player in the lighting industry.
See what people are saying on Twitter using the hashtags #10YVentureKick for our anniversary and #VentureKickGS for our Global Shapers