women in lighting

What women in lighting does

Women in Lighting (WIL) is a global, community-driven digital platform founded on March 8, 2019 (International Women's Day) by Light Collective, a UK-based design agency co-founded by architectural lighting designers Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton. The platform profiles women working across the entire lighting industry — including architectural lighting design, entertainment lighting (stage, TV, concerts, events), light art, engineering, manufacturing, education, and research — through 100s of video interviews, written profiles, ambassador pages, events listings, and a sub-portal dedicated to entertainment lighting. WIL operates as a free-to-access non-profit community initiative with no membership or subscription fee, monetizing only indirectly through small Amazon Associates commissions on the Collected Light book series (Volumes 1-3) published by Light Collective.

The project's technology stack is a standard website-based content management system hosting the interview archive, ambassador profiles, events, and the Collected Light book catalogue. Social media is the primary growth and engagement engine, with 10K+ Instagram followers, 14+ regional Instagram accounts (e.g., @womeninlighting_india, @womeninlighting_australia, @womeninlighting_japan), regional Facebook groups, and the unifying #iamawomanoflight hashtag. The platform has no app, no API, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities.

WIL's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: a distributed ambassador network in 75+ countries creates local initiatives that partner globally, supplemented by presence at major trade shows (Light + Building Frankfurt, PLASA London, LDI Las Vegas, Light Middle East) and own-branded events (WIL Entertainment Sessions at Ayrton's Paris HQ, Global Gatherings, local meetups such as Way Out West in Gothenburg). The business is funded primarily through long-tenured sponsorships — formalighting has been the flagship sponsor since the project's inception (2018), Ayrton Lighting sponsors the entertainment vertical, and Archifos handles social media — alongside earned media through 30+ media partners and validated by the LIT 2020 Spotlight Recipient award. No venture funding, equity capital, or headcount data was disclosed.

Name

women in lighting

Legal name

Women in Lighting

Website

https://womeninlighting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Women in Lighting is a free, global digital platform and non-profit community initiative founded in 2019 by Light Collective to profile women across the lighting industry — architectural, entertainment, engineering, and light art — via video interviews, an ambassador network spanning 75+ countries, events, and the Collected Light book series.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Collected Light Book Sales: Light Collective publishes books profiling women light artists (Collected Light Volume One, Two, and Three), available as hardcover and eBook through Amazon and Mixam. The books are sold globally and earn a small commission via the Amazon Associates program. No direct revenue flows to WIL itself from these sales.
2. Platform Access (Free): The core Women in Lighting digital platform — including interviews, ambassador network, events, and community resources — is entirely free to access. There is no membership fee or subscription required.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Women in Lighting (WIL) is a free global digital platform and advocacy initiative that profiles women working in the lighting industry across architectural lighting, entertainment lighting, light art, engineering, manufacturing, and education. It maintains an archive of video and written interviews, supports an ambassador network spanning 75+ countries, publishes the Collected Light book series, organizes global events and surveys, and uses social activism to challenge gender imbalance in the profession.

Product overview

Women in Lighting is a digital platform and advocacy initiative, not a traditional software product. The core offering is the Women in Lighting platform (womeninlighting.com/site), which serves as a global directory and archive profiling women working in lighting and lighting design. The platform encompasses multiple sub-brands and modules: the main architectural lighting portal, the Women in Entertainment Lighting sub-portal (focused on stage, TV, and concert lighting), the Collected Light book series (Volumes 1-3 celebrating women light artists and entertainment lighting professionals published by Light Collective), a Project Interviews video archive, a community-submitted Your Interviews section, a Global Ambassadors network spanning 75+ countries, the #WILOnSite challenge promoting women on construction sites, the WIL Awards program, and various events and meetups. The platform uses social activism via strong social media presence to highlight and challenge unconscious bias in the lighting industry. The project was founded by Light Collective (Sharon Stammers and Martin Lupton) and is supported by formalighting (architectural lighting sponsor) and Ayrton (entertainment lighting sponsor).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collected Light: Book series profiling women light artists and women in entertainment lighting. Volumes include Women Light Artists and Women in Entertainment Lighting.
• WIL OnSite Challenge
• WIL Ambassadors
• Global Gathering

Products and services

• Women in Lighting Platform Free global digital platform at womeninlighting.com that hosts the project interviews archive, Your Interviews community-submitted archive, ambassador directory, event listings, and project pages for women working across all facets of the lighting industry.
• Women in Entertainment Lighting

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 800 survey responses from 73 countries on gender equity in the lighting industry (Global Gathering Survey 2023)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• formalightingflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018A family-owned Italian lighting designer and manufacturer with over 50 years and two generations of experience in architectural lighting, formalighting has been the primary sponsor of Women in Lighting since the project's inception in 2018. Based in Hong Kong with an inspirational woman in lead role (Sharon Maghnagi), formalighting has enabled the project through financial and strategic support, including sponsoring the #WILOnSite Utility Belt challenge and offering a 2-night trip to Milan Design Week 2027 as a prize. This is the project's longest-standing and most significant partnership.
• ArchifoscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerArchifos is a design agency that handles social media communications for Women in Lighting. Founded and run by Katia Kolovea (who is also WIL's social media curator), Archifos supports the project's social media presence and communications strategy, playing a central role in the project's social activism-driven growth.
• Ayrton LightingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAyrton Lighting, a French entertainment lighting manufacturer, is the entertainment lighting sponsor of the Women in Entertainment Lighting branch of the project. Their support has enabled WIL to expand its reach to include women working in entertainment lighting (stage, TV, concerts, events) and to host the annual WIL Entertainment Sessions at Ayrton's Paris HQ for five consecutive years. Ayrton's backing was instrumental in launching the dedicated entertainment section of the platform.
• LIT Lighting Design AwardsminorOthersThe LIT Lighting Design Awards named Women in Lighting a Spotlight Recipient in 2020, providing recognition and visibility for the project as an industry initiative.
• IALD (International Association of Lighting Designers)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIALD is listed as a supporter of Women in Lighting, participating in collaborative initiatives such as the IALD Enlighten Europe 2020 event. The relationship supports WIL's mission through joint advocacy for gender equity in lighting.
• darc awardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 50/50 Supporter, darc awards has committed to creating gender-balanced speaker and jury selections, aligning with WIL's mission to address gender equity in the lighting industry.
• Silhouette AwardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a 50/50 Supporter, committed to gender-balanced speaker/jury selection in line with WIL's equity goals.
• LDI ShowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLDI Show is listed as a WIL Supporter, hosting WIL Entertainment Sessions and presence at the annual LDI Las Vegas event.
• PLASAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPLASA is listed as a WIL Supporters member. The annual PLASA Show in London hosts WIL entertainment events, including the PLASA Social scheduled for September 2026.
• 50+ Media Partner OrganizationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOver 30 media organizations serve as media partners including arc magazine, darc magazine, A1 Lighting Magazine, stir, Lux Review, Lightecture, Lytei, TheatreArtLife, Total Production International Magazine, and others, providing press coverage and amplifying WIL's reach across the global lighting media ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• arc magazine: Architectural lighting design magazine with international reach. Comparable as a media outlet serving the lighting design community and a listed WIL media partner.
• Lux Review: Lighting industry publication covering technology, design, and business. Comparable as a media outlet serving lighting professionals and a listed WIL media partner.
• darc magazine: Independent lighting design magazine serving the architectural lighting community. Comparable as a media outlet serving lighting designers and a listed WIL media partner.

Others

• The Female Lead: Women's professional network and content platform celebrating female achievement across industries. Comparable as a women-focused community and content platform, though broader in industry scope than WIL.
• Light Collective: The parent operating entity of Women in Lighting, founded by the same principals (Sharon Stammers, Martin Lupton). Relevant as the design agency through which WIL operates and which produces the Collected Light book series.

Direct peers

• Designers Lighting Forum of New York: A lighting industry community organization running educational events, networking, and recognition programs for lighting designers. Comparable as a lighting-specific community platform, though focused on professional education rather than gender advocacy.
• Madame Architect: Community platform profiling women architects and built-environment professionals. Most directly comparable peer - similar mission (visibility for women in a design profession), content-led format (interviews and profiles), and community-driven GTM in an industry adjacent to WIL's lighting focus.
• Equity by Design: AIA-affiliated initiative advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in architecture. Comparable as a DEI-focused industry platform with similar advocacy mission, survey/research outputs, and event-driven community engagement.

Broad incumbents

• CIBSE Society of Light and Lighting: UK-based professional society for lighting within the building services engineering body. Comparable as a community and educational organization for lighting professionals, with a longer-established and broader remit than WIL.
• Illuminating Engineering Society: The established industry body for lighting professionals globally, with standards, education, and member community. Comparable as a broad lighting-industry community organization, though much larger, traditional, and not focused on gender equity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/womeninlighting
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCz6DaBONXqAJZ9iGtT3nL2w
• Facebookfacebook.com/womeninlighting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-in-lighting
• Instagraminstagram.com/womeninlighting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 women in lighting