#vleadersTECH 2017: Meet Laurent Coulot from Insolight
15.03.2017
From March 27th to April 1st, 2017, 10 innovative Swiss startups will go international with the venture leaders Technology in Silicon Valley, as part of the Swiss National Startup Team. Learn more about their technologies and objectives before the trip in our short interview series, running from February 21st to March 24th, 2017, on venturelab.ch, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
 Laurent Coulot is the CEO of the EPFL spin-off Insolight
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You can see the whole campaign on twitter.com/venturelab_ch searching the hashtag #vleadersTECH.
Insolight developed a flat optical panel that directs sunrays on smaller and highly efficient solar cells, which are normally used in satellites. The technology can produce twice as much electricity for the same surface area than conventional panels. The yield (the quantity of electricity produced from the light energy received) of Insolight’s first prototype is of 36%, which could be considered as a world record, while solutions currently available on the market offer throughput of only around 18-20%.
We met Laurent Coulot, Insolight's CEO and co-founder, about his upcoming trip to Silicon Valley:
Why do you choose Silicon Valley as your business development destination?
Silicon Valley and California in general is one of the most dynamic place in the world in our field. The US were the second installers of solar panels worldwide in 2016, and this market fits well in our entry segment. There are a lot of potentials business partners present in the Valley for Insolight.
What do you want to achieve from the trip?
Our goal is to establish relationships with various partners: solar project developers, manufacturing partners or key suppliers. We also plan to get on the radar of several investors having expertise in our field, which is more seldom in Europe.
Why is venture leaders Technology beneficial for your company?
venture leaders can strongly help us in our first steps in the US, with introductions to targeted and relevant partners. Beside the business relations we can build during this trip, it will also be a great opportunity to gain visibility and network with other entrepreneurs, also learning from their experience.