Heliograf
Heliograf is an Australian design studio that sells the award-winning Light Soy LED lamp (made from recycled ocean-bound plastic) and Holy Carp! compostable soy sauce dropper direct-to-consumer globally, targeting design-conscious consumers and sushi restaurants while funding ocean plastic cleanup via Seven Clean Seas.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSydney, Australia
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Heliograf does
Heliograf is an Australian privately held design studio (Heliograf Pty Limited, ABN 42 634 776 300) founded in 2020 by co-founders Angus Ware (Tasmania) and Jeffrey Simpson (New South Wales). The company designs and sells sustainable consumer products direct-to-consumer through its own Shopify storefront at heliograf.com, with worldwide shipping fulfilled from a workshop in China and returns centers in Australia, the UK, Germany, and Hong Kong.
The core product line is the Light Soy lamp family — a portable USB-C rechargeable LED lamp and a mains-power Flex variant, both designed in the iconic shape of single-use sushi soy sauce fish packets, with 3000K LEDs, touch-controlled dimming, and construction from certified recycled ocean-bound plastic, borosilicate glass, and powder-coated aluminium. A second product, Holy Carp!, is a plastic-free, home-compostable soy sauce dropper made from plant fibre including reclaimed sugarcane residue, targeted at both consumers and B2B sushi venues, with separate distribution for Australia/New Zealand (holycarp.com.au) and global B2B enquiry-led sales. The company funds 2kg of marine plastic removal per lamp shipped through a partnership with Singapore-based Seven Clean Seas, and reports 34+ tonnes of cumulative plastic recovered since 2020.
The business model is pure one-time-purchase DTC hardware sales with no subscription layer: the Light Soy Portable is priced at $219 USD, accessories at $29–$99 USD, with a 14-day return policy and 2-year warranty. Customer segments are primarily design- and sustainability-conscious individual consumers (with gifting as a secondary use case) and B2B sushi restaurants and foodservice operators — the latter especially relevant given pending Australian single-use plastic bans. Marketing is product-led and earned-media-driven, anchored by a 2020 Good Design Award Gold (Product Design Furniture and Lighting) and coverage in The New Yorker, Dezeen, Architectural Digest, Australian Financial Review, and other tier-one publications. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture or institutional funding.
Heliograf firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heliograf
- Legal name
- Heliograf Pty Limited
- Website
- https://heliograf.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Heliograf is an Australian design studio that sells the award-winning Light Soy LED lamp (made from recycled ocean-bound plastic) and Holy Carp! compostable soy sauce dropper direct-to-consumer globally, targeting design-conscious consumers and sushi restaurants while funding ocean plastic cleanup via Seven Clean Seas.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heliograf industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Designer Lighting
- NAICS
- Residential Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335131)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Task/Workstation Lighting (Inspection/task lights, cleanroom/food-grade, portable work lights) (IMAGAIAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Compostable & Bio-Based Flexible Packaging (PLA, PHA, Cellulose Films) (IMALABAO)
Keywords
Where Heliograf is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sydney
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices8 records
Markets served
Heliograf business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Lighting: Direct e-commerce sales of Light Soy lamps (portable USB-C rechargeable and mains-power flex variants) and accessories. One-time purchase model with global shipping.
- Product Sales - Holy Carp: Sales of Holy Carp compostable soy sauce droppers to sushi restaurants and consumers as a single-use plastic alternative.
- Accessories: Sales of compatible accessories including Universal Base ($29 USD) and Flex Cap ($99 USD) for Light Soy Flex products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Light Soy Portable lamp - one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Light Soy Flex - mains-power LED lamp |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Universal Base accessory |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Flex Cap accessory |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Heliograf product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heliograf designs, manufactures, and sells sustainable designer lighting — primarily the award-winning Light Soy™ lamp collection (a portable USB-C rechargeable table lamp and a mains-power Flex variant shaped like iconic soy sauce fish packets, built with 3000K LED, touch-controlled dimming, borosilicate glass, powder-coated aluminium, and certified recycled ocean-bound plastic). It also sells Holy Carp!, a plastic-free, home-compostable soy sauce fish dropper made from plant fibre including reclaimed sugarcane residue. For every Light Soy lamp shipped, Heliograf funds removal of 2 kg of plastic from the marine environment through its partnership with Seven Clean Seas.
Product overview
Heliograf is an Australian design studio offering a portfolio of sustainable lighting products and sustainable alternatives. The core product line consists of the Light Soy lamp collection (Light Soy Portable and Light Soy Flex), designed in the iconic shape of sushi soy sauce fish packets to raise awareness about single-use plastic pollution. These are complemented by accessories (Universal Base, Flex Cap) for the Flex model. The company also offers Holy Carp!, a plastic-free home compostable soy sauce dropper. All products are designed in Australia using sustainable materials like recycled ocean-bound plastic or fully compostable plant fibres, with the company funding ocean plastic cleanups through its partnership with Seven Clean Seas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Light Soy Portable Portable, USB-C rechargeable table lamp designed in the shape of iconic soy sauce fish packets to raise awareness of single-use plastic pollution. Built with a 3000K LED, touch-controlled dimming, frosted borosilicate glass, powder-coated aluminium, and certified recycled ocean-bound plastic. Sold direct to consumers worldwide; each unit sold funds 2 kg of ocean plastic removal via the Seven Clean Seas partnership.
- Light Soy Flex Mains-power smart LED lamp in the Light Soy family, intended for permanent installation. Shares the soy-fish design language, certified recycled ocean-bound plastic, borosilicate glass, and powder-coated aluminium construction of the portable version. Compatible with separately sold Universal Base and Flex Cap accessories.
- Holy Carp! Single-use soy sauce fish dropper designed as a plastic-free, home-compostable alternative to the iconic plastic soy fish packet used in sushi service. Made from plant fibre including reclaimed sugarcane residue, with no hidden plastic or added PFAS; spill- and leak-resistant for up to 48 hours, then composts naturally in weeks. Complies with regional single-use plastic bans and is sold both to individual consumers (ANZ) and to sushi restaurants / food-service venues globally via a B2B enquiry channel.
Quantifiable outcome
- 34+ tonnes of plastic recovered from environment since 2020
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Heliograf
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Heliograf technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Heliograf partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Seven Clean SeascoreOcean impact organization based in Singapore that removes plastic from coastlines, mangroves, rivers, and nearshore areas in Indonesia and Thailand. Heliograf partners with Seven Clean Seas to fund the removal of 2 kilograms of plastic from the marine environment for each Light Soy lamp shipped. Seven Clean Seas is certified under the Verra Plastic Waste Reduction Program and OBP Neutralization Certification, audited by Control Union. They provide formal employment to local crew members while addressing ocean plastic at the source.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Heliograf competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BioPak: Asia-Pacific leader in compostable food service packaging, supplying cafes, restaurants, and QSRs. Comparable to Heliograf's Holy Carp B2B foodservice channel as a sustainability-positioned food packaging supplier.
- Avani Eco: Indonesian manufacturer of compostable, plant-based cassava-starch packaging including bags and food-contact items. Comparable to Heliograf on plant-fibre compostable materials and Asia-Pacific sustainable packaging positioning.
- Tala: UK-based designer LED lighting brand selling sustainable, design-led lamps directly to consumers globally. Comparable to Heliograf on DTC e-commerce model, sustainability positioning, and designer-LED lighting category.
- Rich Brilliant Willing: NYC-based contemporary designer lighting brand with a portfolio of decorative LED fixtures. Comparable to Heliograf on premium designer-LED lighting positioning and focus on architectural/specifier channels.
- TIPA: Israel-based developer of fully compostable flexible packaging films for food and consumer goods. Comparable to Heliograf on the Holy Carp line as a high-end compostable alternative to single-use plastic packaging.
- Gantri: US-based designer lighting brand producing 3D-printed lamps from sustainable plant-based materials via a DTC model. Closely comparable to Heliograf on material innovation, sustainability narrative, and direct-to-consumer designer lighting.
- Pablo Designs: Modern designer lighting manufacturer selling premium LED lamps and pendants through design retailers and DTC. Comparable to Heliograf on the designer decorative lighting category and premium positioning of LED luminaires.
Broad incumbents
- Flos: Iconic Italian luxury designer lighting brand with global retail and contract distribution. Comparable to Heliograf on premium designer lighting category but at a vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
- Audo Copenhagen: Danish design house producing designer lighting, furniture, and home accessories with a strong sustainability narrative. Comparable to Heliograf on design-led, sustainability-positioned residential lighting and home objects.
Emerging players
- Pela: Canada-based DTC brand selling compostable phone cases and other sustainable consumer products. Comparable to Heliograf on a mission-driven DTC brand built around compostable/bioplastic materials and impact storytelling.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Heliograf social profiles
Digital presenceHeliograf financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heliograf leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Heliograf funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heliograf M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heliograf
What does Heliograf do?
Heliograf designs, manufactures, and sells sustainable designer lighting — primarily the award-winning Light Soy™ lamp collection (a portable USB-C rechargeable table lamp and a mains-power Flex variant shaped like iconic soy sauce fish packets, built with 3000K LED, touch-controlled dimming, borosilicate glass, powder-coated aluminium, and certified recycled ocean-bound plastic). It also sells Holy Carp!, a plastic-free, home-compostable soy sauce fish dropper made from plant fibre including reclaimed sugarcane residue. For every Light Soy lamp shipped, Heliograf funds removal of 2 kg of plastic from the marine environment through its partnership with Seven Clean Seas.
Is Heliograf a public or private company?
Heliograf is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Heliograf founded?
Heliograf was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Heliograf based?
Heliograf is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Heliograf make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Product Sales - Lighting is the primary driver. The others are product Sales - Holy Carp and accessories.
Who are Heliograf's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BioPak, Avani Eco, Tala, Rich Brilliant Willing, TIPA, Gantri and Pablo Designs. Broad incumbents are Flos and Audo Copenhagen. Pela is listed as an emerging player.
Does Heliograf have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heliograf.
What industry is Heliograf in?
Heliograf's product category is Designer Lighting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAIAK, Specialty & Task/Workstation Lighting (Inspection/task lights, cleanroom/food-grade, portable work lights), with a secondary code of IMALABAO, Compostable & Bio-Based Flexible Packaging (PLA, PHA, Cellulose Films). Its NAICS code is 335131 and its SIC code is 3640.