Montreal-based Sollum Technologies, which offers greenhouse producers a smart LED lighting solution, is raising $2.7 million.

Investissement Quebec is leading the round with help from Real Ventures, Alter Ego Capital and BoxOne Ventures. A group of private investors including François Arbour and Jean-François Grenon also contributed. It follows a $1 million round the company gained in 2017.

Sollum says it’s the only company that can offer a smart LED lighting solution that dynamically recreates the full spectrum of the sun’s light. It’s an artificial light solution that “creates the sun where you need it, when you need it.”

The cash will enable Sollum to accelerate product development and establish its technology in North America. The company will launch the deployment of large scale tests and pursue its collaboration with research centres such as the Institute of Food Technology (ITA) in Saint-Hyacinthe, The Université du Québec in Outaouais and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Research and Development Centres of St-Jean-sur Richelieu, Québec and Harrow in Ontario.

Sollum is already working with independent greenhouse producers La Boîte Maraîchère (Québec/Canada), which cultivates fresh and organic produce, The Chef’s Garden (Ohio/USA), which cultivates produce with optimal nutritional qualities, and Ulysse Biotech (Québec/Canada), which specializes in the creation and development of eco-certified biostimulants.

‘Better taste… and extended lifespan after harvest’

Sollum was founded by ETS (École de technologie supérieure) engineering students François Roy-Moisan and Gabriel Dupras. The idea was part of a research project on creating artificial sunlight.

CEO Louis Brun officially joined Sollum in the summer of 2016. He said the company’s smart light solution platform will “revolutionize the way we produce our food and how we manage our natural resources.”

The tech company says its greenhouse lighting solutions have led to plants having a more balanced morphology and hormonal constitution. This makes them more resilient. “They have a better taste, more appealing appearance and an extended lifespan after harvest,” wrote Sollum.

“Sollum is exactly the kind of company we love to work with - built around unique intellectual property, led by solid founders, market-oriented, agile and resilient. Alongside our excellent co-investors, we’re very enthusiastic about the company’s future,” added Real Ventures’ Isaac Souweine.