Osram acquires stake in plantCube developer agrilution

Osram has acquired a stake in Munich-based start-up agrilution. The lighting group holds a strategic minority interest in the company via its venture capital arm Fluxunit. The start-up has developed a smart indoor growing box, the plantCube, that serves as a salad, vegetable and herb garden for the home. Even users without any gardening expertise are now able to greatly increase yield due to a specially optimized LED technology and other innovations. "Thanks to its innovative business model, agrilution is the perfect fit for Osram. And Osram, with its lighting and horticultural expertise, can help to improve and enhance agrilution," said Ulrich Eisele, head of Osram's Fluxunit.

For horticultural applications, Osram supplies specially developed lighting solutions that can stimulate and manage plant growth and are designed for cultivating plants in greenhouses or indoor spaces. This special LED technology from Osram is also used in the plantCube developed by the Munich start-up. The smart home appliance identifies the seeds that have been planted and provides an optimal growing environment by automatically regulating temperature, watering, and lighting conditions. This makes it possible to grow herbs, salad and vegetables regardless of weather and climate.

Fluxunit, the venture capital arm of Osram, supports and develops in-house and external start-ups. Tengelmann Ventures and Kraut Capital also hold a stake in agrilution.

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