INSOLIGHT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Chairman of Griffin Growth Partners
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.
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.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Partner at Demeter Investment Managers
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.
Pierre is responsible for Sales in Agriculture business. He brings deep knowledge in Agriculture, with 20+ years' experience in Agtech sector and international business development. Prior to joining Insolight, Pierre was the head of GEOSYS Europe Sàrl, a leading company in satellite and remote sensing technologies applied to Agriculture. Pierre is an entrepreneur and holds a Master's Degree in Life Science as well as a Master in Business Administration.
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.
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).
Job Titles:
- Product Architect & Co - Founder
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 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.
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.
Job Titles:
- Production & Process Manager
Laetitia is a Project Manager: she conducts feasibility studies for customers, writes technical documentation for each project and coordinates the construction of Insolight's installations. Prior to joining Insolight, she worked for a solar installer in Laos where she acquired skills on PV system design, monitoring and maintenance, and developed a passion for the field. She successfully completed her master thesis at Insolight, redesigning the actuation system and its control algorithm. Laetitia holds a M. Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, with a specialization in control and mechatronics, and a minor in Energy.
Job Titles:
- 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.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- R & D Engineer & Project 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. He joined Insolight aNoé is responsible for the design of AgriPV installations and oversees the integration of other technologies to address grower requests and streamline internal processes. Prior to joining Insolight, Noé worked for Altsom Energy (>2y) on a R&D project for energy storage. 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.
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.
Job Titles:
- 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.
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).
Job Titles:
- Characterisation 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.
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.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- CEO and President of Edisun Power Europe AG
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.
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).
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.
Sven is responsible for coordinating the partnerships program developed for corporates at Insolight, which involves valuing the electricity produced by the installations on the market and managing the environmental certification of Insolagrin. With a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering (specializing in thermal sciences) and a Master's degree in Management of Technology (MTE) from EPFL, he brings strong transversal and soft skills that are essential to convey Insolight's vision to partners within the broader value chain. Sven brings a high level of energy and enthusiasm to the team. He speaks fluent French, English, and German.