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About Us

Insolight was founded in 2015 in Lausanne (Switzerland) with an ambitious goal : bring to market the next generation of solar modules. We created THEIA, a very efficient translucent solar module and focused our efforts on a new goal : to combine Solar power and Agriculture on the same land. Our team is on a mission to enable farmers to protect their crops while producing solar energy and help them build resilience against climate change.

With more than 15 dedicated people combining technical expertise and business skills, we focus on commercialising our dynamic agrivoltaic solution – insolagrin.

Join us for the scale-up!

Our Team

Laurent is responsible for defining and executing the strategy of Insolight, driven by a genuine interest in solar energy and sustainable agriculture. Prior to founding Insolight, Laurent worked in biomedical (Biocartis), watchmaking (Rolex), electronics (Logitech) and automotive (Melexis) industries that have given him exposure to multiple business models and technologies. Laurent holds a Master in Micro and Nanosystems from EPFL (2012).

Laurent Coulot
Laurent Coulot
CEO & Co-Founder

Mathieu is responsible for supervising R&D and IP management at Insolight. Prior to co-founding Insolight, he gained a first entrepreneurship experience in web development, then worked for >4y as an application engineer at Melexis, where he developed a broad set of technical skills and co-authored several patents and publications. Mathieu holds a MSc. in Micro and Nanosystems at EPFL (2010) and has research experience on microfluidic devices for biomedical applications at UC Berkeley.

Mathieu Ackerman
Mathieu Ackermann
CTO & Co-Founder

Florian is responsible for the product architecture and module construction at Insolight. Prior to co-founding Insolight, he worked for Veolia Water Technologies (UK) where he took part in the development and production of water purification plants. In addition to his deep technical skills in robotics, programming and strong organizational sense, Florian is also fluent in three languages. He holds a MSc. in Robotics and Autonomous Systems and Space Technologies (2013).

Florian Gerlich
Florian Gerlich
Product Architect & Co-Founder

Céline is responsible for Finance at Insolight. She brings extensive experience as a finance professional in both large international companies and SMEs. Prior to joigning Insolight, she worked in various industries spanning from the energy, the host broadcasting to the software-as-a-service. She is experienced in building up and scaling finance functions internationally and managing multicultural teams. Céline holds an Executive MBA from St-Gallen University (2021), a MSc. in Management from EM Lyon Business School (2005) and a Master in Business Administration from University Pantheon-Assas in Paris (2002).

Celine Goetzelmann, Chief Financial Officer, Insolight
Céline Goetzelmann
Chief Financial Officer

David leads Insolight’s commercial development. Prior to joining Insolight, David was an associate at McKinsey & Co where he conducted a variety of projects across industries. He has academic research experience focused on solar energy harvesting and has worked in diplomacy at the Swiss embassy in Venezuela. David holds a MSc. in Physics from EPFL & LBNL. He speaks fluent English, French, Spanish and German.

David Schuppisser
David Schuppisser
Chief Commercial Officer

David is responsible for the industrialisation of Insolight’s modules. Prior to joining Insolight, David co-founded Composyt Light Labs who developed a new optical architecture for AR glasses. After the acquisition of Composyt Light Labs by Intel Corporation in 2014, David was leading the industrialisation of a novel type of optical component for Intel’s smart glasses project. In 2018, after a reorganization at Intel, David and his team transitioned to Magic Leap where he was responsible for the research and prototyping of novel types of diffractive optical components which would enable the miniaturization of AR displays. David holds a MSc. in Applied Photonics from EPFL.

David Ziegier
David Ziegler
Chief Operations Officer

Luiggino is responsible for Marketing and Partnerships at Insolight. He brings extensive international management and entrepreneurship experience. He designed innovative marketing strategies, signed and implemented major sponsorship deals. He co-founded Solar Impulse SA, “Flying around the world with a solar airplane”, as Director and Board member, developing successful marketing, communication and partnership programs. He worked at Caterpillar & Logitech, then in Sport International Federations (UCI & FIVB) as Marketing Director, becoming a recognized sports marketing expert. He co-founded, consulted and managed various innovative companies. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering (EPFL), Business Administration (HEC UNIL) & Sports Management (IDHEAP).

Luiggino Torrigiani
Luiggino Torrigiani
Head of Marketing & Partnerships

Kalina is responsible for the smooth running of marketing and communication at Insolight. Prior to joining the company, Kalina was a Production Manager in London, working on TV Commercials and Promos for the BBC, Red Bee and many others. She also has experience in Broadcast Design & Graphics producing various Rebrand Campaigns for TV Channels and managed projects of different scales. Kalina holds a BA in Music and Media, a B.Sc. in Economics and a DAS in Strategic Marketing & Communications from HEC Lausanne. Speaks fluent English and Bulgarian.

Kalina Koleva
Kalina Koleva
Marketing & Communications Manager

Gaël has been responsible for Research and Development at Insolight since 2018. He is managing hardware developments and agronomic trials, in collaboration with national and international partners. With a scientific background (optics, metrology and semiconductor materials), he has previously worked as an optical engineer for Intel Corp. and as a research scientist in the USA (NIST / Uni. Colorado) and Switzerland (EPFL). Gaël holds a MSc. in Physics and a PhD. in Photonics from EPFL.

Gaël Nardin
R&D Manager

David is responsible for developing and managing partnerships with key customers. He brings to Insolight his passion for renewable energy as well as his entrepreneurship mindset. Prior to joining Insolight, David worked several years as a project manager in the laser micro-machining industry where he was managing feasibility projects, final machine acceptance and after-sales support for customers worldwide. Beside his industrial experience, David also co-founded hiLyte, an impact-driven company developing innovative solar kiosks for the energy access market in Africa. His entrepreneurship activities has been recognized by the renowned Forbes 30 Under 30 list. David holds a MSc. in Microengineering and Energy Studies.

David Lambelet
Key Account Manager

José is responsible for the supply chain and manages the construction of agrivoltaic installations. Prior to joining Insolight, he worked for ten years in the automotive industry as a Manufacturing Engineer. He has wide international experience, having worked across Europe, Asia and USA. He brings extended experience with suppliers and project management. José holds a MSc. in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia and he did his final master thesis at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Jose Sanchis
José Sanchis
Production & Process Manager

Noé is responsible for the actuation within Insolight’s modules. Prior to joining Insolight, Noé worked for Altsom Energy (>2y) on a R&D project for energy storage. Noé is responsible for the design of AgriPV installations and oversees the integration of other technologies to address grower requests and streamline internal processes. He joined Insolight as its first employee in 2016. In addition to his strong technical skills in mechanical design and system optimization, Noé brings strong enthusiasm and a passion for products. Noé holds a MSc. in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in Energy Integration.

Noe Bory
Noé Bory
R&D Engineer

Alvaro is responsible for all the electronics design, layout and validation, ranging from power electronics to control boards. His dexterity and precision are key during module construction. Prior to joining Insolight, he worked 5+ years on automotive sensors at Melexis, mainly on tests, characterization and qualification. Alvaro holds a MSc. in Electronic Engineering from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Colombia.

Fernando Aguilar
Alvaro Fernando Aguilar
Electronic Engineer

Mathilde is responsible for the design, implementation and analysis of the characterisation of Insolight’s modules in the optical, mechanical and electrical domain. She successfully completed her master thesis at Insolight, redesigning the optical system using home-made computational optimization based on fundamental optical physics. Mathilde holds a MSc. from EPFL in Applied Physics specialised in renewable energies.

Mathilde Duchemin
Mathilde Duchemin
Characterisation Engineer

Tobias is responsible for developing and managing partnerships with key customers in German speaking areas. He brings to Insolight a strong background in agricultural topics and experience at consulting farmers to optimize production processes. He holds an MSc. in Agricultural science (focus on crop protection, ETH). And a MAS in Management, Technology and Economics (MTEC, ETH).

Tobias Beeler-insolight team
Tobias Beeler
Key Account Manager

Raphaël is responsible for developing and managing partnerships with key customers mostly in German and Italian speaking areas as well as other regions of interest. He brings to Insolight his civil engineering background in big infrastructure projects such as Tunneling and Hydropower plant as well as his humanitarian and diplomatic experience after many years spent in conflict areas with the ICRC and later the Swiss Development and Cooperation agency. Raphaël also has a strong experience in Management as he was leading teams of engineers in countries around the world and was in charge of the Swiss Humanitarian Office in Syria. He holds an MSc. in Civil Engineering with specifications in Geotechnics and Hydraulics.

Raphael Sonney
Raphaël Sonney
Key Account Manager

Board Members

Rainer is the CEO and President of Edisun Power Europe AG, a listed European solar energy producer that finances and operates solar power installations across Europe. He is also involved in several boards, including Insolight since January 2018. He formerly held senior managing positions at Georg Fischer, Stäubli or Fischer Söhne. Rainer brings strong industrial experience, a deep knowledge of the European solar market and a large network among EU PV players. He is also founder of VR group, an independent group of experienced board members.

Rainer Isenrich
Rainer Isenrich
Board member

Jodie joined the Board of Insolight at the Series A round, to strengthen and support our commercial strategy thanks to her strong solar energy track record. She brings 19+ years of international experience (US, China, Europe) in government affairs, business development and corporate strategy in the renewable energy industry. She co-founded the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) and was the executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Solar Energy (AFASE).

Jodie Roussell
Jodie Roussell
Board member

Alan is the Chairman of Griffin Growth Partners, a strategic advisory firm focused on growth markets, especially India. He is also a director of several technology driven companies, including Insolight since January 2018. He was previously Executive Director at Tata Sons and co-founder at Kiran Energy, one of India’s pioneering solar power developers. Alan brings key business and management experience to Insolight, knowledge of the solar market in Asia and a broad network of contacts internationally.

Alan Rosling
Alan Rosling
Board member

Cyrille is a Partner at Demeter Investment Managers, a French investment company involved in the energy and ecological transition. He is an experienced venture investor in the Agtech sector and involved in several European boards. He formely held finance, M&A and business development positions at Natixis, Adisseo and Legrand. Cyrille also founded Ecomeris, a start-up company specialized in biomaterials, and worked as an executive advisor for several Agtech start-ups.

Cyrille Cabaret
Board Member

Advisors

Daniel is Insolight coach at Innosuisse, the Technology and Innovation Commission from the Swiss Confederation. He has a 25 years of experience at acquiring, restructuring and managing sales, engineering and production organizations of several companies such as Bobst, Bühler, Outotec, mainly in China. His strong industrial background, management and sales experiences bring continuous advices to Insolight. Daniel is also fluent in Chinese and has connections with the Chinese PV industry.

Daniel Brandenburger
Daniel Brandenburger
Advisor

Marie is chairwoman and advisor of several technological startups, including Insolight since 2017. She was previously CEO Ruag Space Nyon, active in the field of electromechanical devices for space applications. Thanks to her strong space industry background and senior managing experience, she brings key advices to Insolight on the technology development, specially for the interactions with the solar cells suppliers. She also has a strong network among the startups and investors community in Switzerland.

Marie Ivorra
Marie Ivorra Grosse
Advisor