What FUTURELED does

FUTURELED GmbH is a Berlin-based, founder-owned industrial company founded in 2010 by Oliver Arnold, continuing a four-generation family tradition in miniature lighting dating to 1929. The company designs, develops, and produces LED-based illumination systems for three end-markets: horticulture/greenhouse cultivation, photovoltaic and solar-simulation quality assurance, and specialized scientific/industrial applications (multi-wavelength light sources, UV curing, photochemistry). Its technology portfolio is anchored by proprietary water-cooled LED architectures (Apollo1 Hydro) that deliver over 120% increased usable output versus air-cooled systems, the SUNlike solar-simulation platform achieving AAA-class spectral accuracy per IEC 60904-9, the SPHERElight multi-wavelength system with microsecond switching across 265-1200nm, and a modular Plug & Grow platform (Modular X1) covering 250-850nm. Supporting component lines include the FL-LED 440/480/490 high-power LED series for OEM integration.

The business operates a B2B enterprise field-sales model, selling turnkey systems and customized LED solutions through direct consultation ([email protected]) to industrial customers, research institutions, and commercial growers, with a project-based, quote-driven pricing structure rather than published price lists. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of complete systems and modules, supplemented by custom engineering and consulting services enabled by in-house vertical manufacturing depth. Reference customers include Airbus | TUM Algentechnikum (a 700kW LED installation for algae research) and the ISS Space Calibration Module project. The company self-describes as the first 'green mechanical engineer' (grüner Maschinenbauer), positioning around holistic integration of light, nutrient, and climate factors in plant-science applications.

Name

FUTURELED

Legal name

FUTURELED GmbH

Website

https://futureled.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FUTURELED GmbH is a Berlin-based industrial company that designs, develops, and produces LED-based lighting systems — including water-cooled horticulture systems, solar simulators, and multi-wavelength light sources — for commercial growers, photovoltaic quality-assurance labs, and scientific/industrial R&D customers via a project-based, direct enterprise sales model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Horticulture and Industrial LED Lighting Systems

NAICS

Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Controlled Environment Lighting (LED Grow Lights, Controls) (AFAAAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lighting Controls & Building Integration (Drivers, sensors, dimming, lighting control panels, networked lighting) (IMAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Horticulture LED lighting
• Solar simulation systems
• Photovoltaic testing equipment
• Multi-wavelength LED sources
• Plant growth illumination

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. LED Lighting Systems Sales: Sale of LED-based illumination systems including horticulture lighting (Apollo1 series), sun simulators (SUNlike), and specialized industrial LED modules. Products are sold as complete turnkey systems or individual modules for integration. Revenue is generated through direct project-based sales to industrial, research, and agricultural customers
2. Custom System Development & Consulting: Customized LED solution development and consulting services for specific customer requirements. Through vertical manufacturing capabilities, FUTURELED develops and produces customer-specific solutions in-house, serving photovoltaic, semiconductor, chemical industries, and autotrophic organism research applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

FUTURELED develops, manufactures, and sells advanced LED-based lighting systems for three primary applications: (1) horticulture greenhouse lighting (Apollo1 Air, Hydro, TUNEable, Modular X1) with proprietary water-cooled and tunable multi-wavelength technologies; (2) solar light simulation systems (SUNlike Cell and Panel) for photovoltaic cell and module testing; and (3) special light products (SPHERElight multi-channel, UV LED systems) for scientific research, industrial curing, and disinfection. The company also offers custom LED module development as an in-house engineering service.

Product overview

FUTURELED is a turnkey Systems 4.0 provider offering LED-based lighting solutions. The product portfolio consists of three main categories: (1) Horticulture Systems including Apollo1 Air (air-cooled), Apollo1 Hydro (water-cooled), Apollo1 TUNEable (multi-wavelength), and Modular X1 (modular with interchangeable modules); (2) Sun Simulators comprising SUNlike Cell for photovoltaic testing and SUNlike Panel for modular solar simulation; (3) Special Light products including SPHERElight Multi Channel System, UV LED Systems, and Custom LED Modules. Supporting these are three LED component series (FL-LED-440, FL-LED-480, FL-LED-490) providing UV, VIS, and IR wavelengths. The company positions itself as the first 'green mechanical engineer' (grüner Maschinenbauer), providing holistic engineering that integrates all growth factors—light, nutrient solution, and climate—into unified systems for horticulture, pharmaceutical, and scientific plant cultivation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SPHERElight: Multi-wavelength light source for demanding applications requiring stable peak wavelength and high power output.
• SUNlike
• SUNtech
• VitaSpec
• Apollo1
• Modular X1

Products and services

• Apollo1 Air High-performance air-cooled LED system for greenhouse horticulture, delivering 73% more light output per watt than HPS systems, featuring SUNtech spectrum technology (400-700nm) for optimal plant growth and assimilation across crop types.
• Apollo1 Hydro Water-cooled high-performance LED system for horticulture achieving over 120% increase in usable output versus air-cooled systems, GACP-compliant for pharmaceutical and scientific plant cultivation.
• Apollo1 TUNEable Multi-wavelength LED module with five independently dimmable channels enabling precise spectral control and programming, designed for research and advanced horticulture applications as a replacement for HPS and CMH lamps.
• Modular X1 First modular high-performance LED lighting system with Plug & Grow technology, allowing spectral adaptation through interchangeable LED modules with wavelengths from 250 to 850nm, with fully replaceable components.
• SUNlike Cell System Solar simulator for photovoltaic cell testing with 22 wavelengths enabling perfect reproduction of sunlight per ASTM 1.5G standard, featuring integrated real-time flash control and AAA accuracy per IEC 60904-9.
• SUNlike Panel System World's first modular solar light simulator enabling reproducible, precise exposure results on any test surface size, featuring SUNlike technology with 5-25% improved measurement precision over other systems.
• SPHERElight Multi Channel System Multi-wavelength light source with six to twelve bands, microsecond-fast switching between wavelengths, spectral purity with no out-of-band light, thermal stabilization, and support for 265nm-1200nm wavelength range for scientific and industrial applications.
• UV LED System UV LED solutions for technical industrial applications including plastic curing, polymerization processes, disinfection of medical components, PCB manufacturing, chip industry, and surface/water/air disinfection.
• Custom LED Module Development Customized LED solutions developed and produced entirely in-house, enabling light simulation based on LED technology across photovoltaics, semiconductor, chemical industries, and autotrophic organism research applications.
• FL-LED-440 Series High power LED component series with 3.8x3.8x1.0mm size and 120° beam angle, covering UV (365-435nm), VIS (455-660nm), and IR (660-1140nm) wavelengths with silver-plated pads for integration into larger systems.
• FL-LED-480 Series High power LED component series with 6.0x4.6x1.1mm size and 150° beam angle, covering UV, VIS, IR wavelengths and broadband options, RoHS and REACH compliant.
• FL-LED-490 Series High power LED with glass lens, 6.0x4.6x4.3mm size, 20° beam angle, AlN ceramics substrate, gold-plated pads, covering UV, VIS, IR wavelengths and broadband variants, RoHS and REACH compliant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% more light output per watt compared to HPS systems
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LumiGrow: North-American horticultural LED lighting company focused on greenhouse and research applications with smart spectrum control. Comparable to FUTURELED's controlled-environment offerings for commercial growers and plant science researchers.
• Sciencetech: Canadian supplier of solar simulators, spectroradiometers, and custom light sources for photovoltaic and optical research. Comparable to FUTURELED's SUNlike solar simulation technology serving PV cell/module manufacturers and labs.
• Phoseon Technology: Specialist in UV LED curing systems for industrial applications including printing, coating, and disinfection. Directly comparable to FUTURELED's UV LED System product line serving PCB manufacturing and medical disinfection.
• Valoya: Finnish manufacturer of LED grow lights with strong research-grade spectrum offerings for greenhouses, vertical farms, and plant research. Comparable to FUTURELED's research-oriented Modular X1 and Apollo1 TUNEable lines.
• Gavita (by Hawthorne Hydroponics): Long-established horticultural lighting specialist offering HPS and LED fixtures for greenhouses and indoor cultivation. Comparable to FUTURELED's Apollo1 Air product positioning in the professional horticulture channel.
• Heliospectra: Swedish-listed specialist in LED grow lights for horticulture and controlled environment agriculture, with multi-wavelength tunable systems. Directly comparable to FUTURELED's Apollo1 platform and Modular X1 for greenhouse and research cultivation customers.
• Abet Technologies: Manufacturer of solar simulators and programmable light sources for photovoltaic testing and research. Directly comparable to FUTURELED's SUNlike Cell and SUNlike Panel product lines for the PV QA market.

Others

• Nichia: Japanese LED component manufacturer (chips, UV/VIS/IR LEDs) that supplies the upstream LED dies used in horticultural and scientific lighting systems. Comparable as a component-level peer to FUTURELED's FL-LED-440/480/490 series, although Nichia operates as an upstream supplier rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Fluence Bioengineering (by OSRAM/ams OSRAM): Global horticultural LED lighting leader backed by ams OSRAM, serving commercial greenhouses and vertical farms. Competes with FUTURELED's Apollo1 line at the high-performance end of the CEA lighting market.
• Signify (Philips GreenPower LED): World's largest lighting company with a dedicated GreenPower LED horticulture division. Competes with FUTURELED in greenhouse top-lighting and inter-lighting, particularly for large European commercial growers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/futureledgmbh

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FUTURELED