Better Plants R&D
Better Plants R&D GmbH is a private Austrian research, development and service institute founded in 2018 that delivers Controlled Environment Agriculture consulting, laboratory analytics, and academic research cooperation to industry, horticulture, and phytopharmaceutical clients across the DACH region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersBludenz, Austria
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Better Plants R&D does
Better Plants R&D GmbH is an independent research, development and service institute founded in 2018 and headquartered at the Klarenbrunn factory in Bludenz, Austria. The firm specializes in Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA), operating at the interface between academic research and commercial implementation. Its portfolio is organized around three service pillars: a Plant and Light Laboratory covering R&D, process optimization, analytics, light measurement, and growth studies; Networking and Consulting covering industry and horticulture advisory, expertise, matchmaking, and a digital innovation platform; and Academic Research Projects covering university cooperation, joint studies, and student mentoring. The company is led by founder and CEO David Schmidmayr, who studied mechatronics at FH Vorarlberg and previously worked as a research assistant at the FHV Microtechnology Research Centre.
Technically, the firm combines physical laboratory capabilities (plant cultivation under controlled conditions, analytics, light measurement) with software-adjacent capabilities in machine vision and machine learning for plant data acquisition and processing. It holds a THC license, giving it legal standing to conduct cannabis and broader phytopharmaceutical cultivation research in Austria. The company services a horizontal mix of segments including vertical and urban farming, cannabis and phytopharmaceuticals, plant genetics, photonics, micro/nanotechnology and sensors, and emerging future technologies. Research is supported by a broad academic partner network that includes FH Vorarlberg, EPFL, Hochschule Osnabrück, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, and the vertical farm institute, alongside technology and medical partners such as Metamount AG, Galenus AG, vivit, superflux, and gutech.
Commercially, Better Plants R&D runs a B2B professional services model with quote-based engagements and no publicly disclosed pricing; customer acquisition is driven by direct inbound via a website contact form, industry networking, and its CEA innovation platform. The firm is privately held, operates with 1-10 employees, and serves the DACH and broader Western European region. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, or revenue disclosures were identified in the available data.
Better Plants R&D firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Better Plants R&D
- Legal name
- Better Plants R&D GmbH
- Website
- https://sanlightresearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Better Plants R&D GmbH is a private Austrian research, development and service institute founded in 2018 that delivers Controlled Environment Agriculture consulting, laboratory analytics, and academic research cooperation to industry, horticulture, and phytopharmaceutical clients across the DACH region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Better Plants R&D industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural Research Services
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls) (AFAAAHAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens) (AFAGAHAA), Tree & Shrub Fertilization & Plant Health Care (PHC) (HSAIAGAG)
Keywords
Where Better Plants R&D is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bludenz
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Better Plants R&D business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research and Development Services: R&D services for Controlled Environment Agriculture including process development, optimization, and product development for industry and horticulture clients.
- Laboratory Services: Plant and light laboratory services including analytics, light measurement, growth studies, and ingredient optimization for plants.
- Consulting and Expertise: Consulting services for industry and horticulture, expertise provision, and matchmaking services through their innovation platform for CEA.
- Academic Research Cooperation: Cooperation with colleges and universities including studies, product development, and mentoring services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Better Plants R&D product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Plants R&D GmbH is an independent research, development and service institute for crop production under controlled conditions (Controlled Environment Agriculture). It delivers Plant and Light Laboratory services (R&D, process optimization, analytics, light measurement, growth studies, ingredient optimization), Networking and Consulting (industry and horticulture consulting, matchmaking, and an innovation platform), and Academic Research Projects (cooperation with colleges and universities on studies, product development, and mentoring).
Product overview
Better Plants R&D operates as an independent research, development and service institute offering a unified portfolio of services centered on Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA). The portfolio consists of three interconnected service pillars: the Plant and Light Laboratory (providing R&D, process optimization, analytics, and light measurement services), Networking and Consulting (offering industry consulting, expertise, matchmaking, and an innovation platform), and Academic Research Projects (enabling cooperation with educational institutions for studies and mentoring). The company serves multiple vertical markets including vertical/urban farming, phytopharmaceuticals (particularly cannabis with existing THC license), plant genetics and technology, photonics, micro-/nanotechnology and sensors, and future technologies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plant and Light Laboratory
- Networking and Consulting
- Academic Research Projects
Companies that use Better Plants R&D
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Better Plants R&D technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Better Plants R&D partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FH Vorarlberg - University of Applied SciencecoreAcademic partner providing research cooperation and hosting the founder's educational background in mechatronics. David Schmidmayr studied mechatronics at FHV and worked as research assistant at FHV's Microtechnology Research Centre.
- EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)corePrestigious Swiss technical university partnership for academic research cooperation and product development in CEA space.
- Hochschule OsnabrückcoreGerman university of applied sciences partnership for academic research cooperation and studies.
- vivit – Medizinische Forschung im VorarlbergminorMedical research association in Vorarlberg for healthcare and phytopharmaceutical research collaboration.
- vertical farm institutecoreInstitute focused on vertical farming research and development, aligning with Better Plants R&D's CEA expertise.
- Galenus AGminorPartner in the pharmaceutical/healthcare space potentially supporting phytopharmaceutical segment activities.
- Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (CAU)minorGerman university partnership for academic research cooperation.
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Better Plants R&D competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Plenty: US-based vertical farming operator with internal CEA R&D. Relevant as a buyer of independent CEA research services; not a direct competitor to Better Plants' service institute model.
- Infarm: Berlin-based vertical farming operator representing the customer side of Better Plants R&D's target market. Indirectly comparable: Infarm is a buyer of CEA process optimization and yield-improvement services of the kind Better Plants provides.
- AeroFarms: US-based vertical farming operator and major CEA deployment. Adjacent to Better Plants R&D as a potential customer for growth studies, light measurement, and process optimization, but operating in a different geography and as an operator rather than a service provider.
Broad incumbents
- Fluence by ams OSRAM: Global horticultural LED lighting business of ams OSRAM, serving large-scale vertical farms and greenhouses. Overlaps with Better Plants' light measurement and CEA optimization services, but at much larger commercial scale.
- Signify Horticulture (Philips): Global broad-line horticultural lighting and CEA solutions provider from Philips. Comparable CEA focus and light-measurement capability, but operating as part of a much larger, publicly listed lighting conglomerate.
Direct peers
- Heliospectra: Swedish specialist in horticultural LED lighting and light control software for controlled environment agriculture. Comparable to Better Plants' lighting research, light measurement services, and CEA-focused technology work.
- SANlight: Austrian manufacturer of horticultural LED grow lights, co-located with Better Plants R&D at the Klarenbrunn factory in Bludenz and publicly linked via the company's LinkedIn profile. The R&D arm and the lighting manufacturer share resources, talent flow, and a CEA technology focus.
- Wageningen University & Research: Leading Dutch applied research institute for agriculture, horticulture, and CEA. Competes for the same applied CEA research, consulting, and grower-process-optimization engagements that Better Plants R&D targets.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME): German applied research institute with crop production and phytopharmaceutical capabilities. Comparable as a publicly funded but industry-facing CEA / plant production R&D partner that competes for industry service contracts.
Regional players
- Agroscope: Swiss federal agricultural research institute running CEA, horticulture, and phytopharmaceutical research programs. Comparable service offerings but operates in Switzerland rather than Austria / DACH as Better Plants does.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Better Plants R&D social profiles
Digital presenceBetter Plants R&D financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Better Plants R&D leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Better Plants R&D funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Better Plants R&D 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 Better Plants R&D
What does Better Plants R&D do?
Better Plants R&D GmbH is an independent research, development and service institute for crop production under controlled conditions (Controlled Environment Agriculture). It delivers Plant and Light Laboratory services (R&D, process optimization, analytics, light measurement, growth studies, ingredient optimization), Networking and Consulting (industry and horticulture consulting, matchmaking, and an innovation platform), and Academic Research Projects (cooperation with colleges and universities on studies, product development, and mentoring).
Is Better Plants R&D a public or private company?
Better Plants R&D is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Better Plants R&D founded?
Better Plants R&D was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Better Plants R&D based?
Better Plants R&D is headquartered in Bludenz, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does Better Plants R&D make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Research and Development Services are the primary driver. The others are laboratory Services, consulting and Expertise and academic Research Cooperation.
Who are Better Plants R&D's main competitors?
Others on record are Plenty, Infarm and AeroFarms. Broad incumbents are Fluence by ams OSRAM and Signify Horticulture (Philips). Direct peers are Heliospectra, SANlight, Wageningen University & Research and Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME). Agroscope is listed as a regional player.
Does Better Plants R&D have an API?
No public API is recorded for Better Plants R&D.
What industry is Better Plants R&D in?
Better Plants R&D's product category is Agricultural Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAAAHAC, Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls), with a secondary code of AFAGAHAA, Greenhouse Vegetable Production (Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Leafy Greens). Its NAICS code is 11511 and its SIC code is 700.