Nanoleaf

Nanoleaf
Privately held
Industry Consumer electronics
Founded 2012
Founder Gimmy Chu, Tom Rodinger, Christian Yan
Headquarters Toronto, Canada, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, China
Products Nanoleaf One, Nanoleaf Bloom, Nanoleaf Gem
Services LED lighting, green technology, energy efficient lighting
Number of employees
 11-50 employees
Website nanoleaf.me

Nanoleaf is a green technology company that is currently specializing in LED lighting.[1] Founded in 2012 by three engineers, the company launched its first two products with crowdfunding campaigns on Kickstarter.[2] The company is focused on sustainable lighting solutions and is an official partner of the World Green Organisation.

History

Nanoleaf was founded in 2012 by three friends and engineering graduates Gimmy Chu, Christian Yan and Tom Rodinger.[3] They were each working in different industries while creating Nanoleaf on the side, but decided to quit their jobs to develop the company full-time. In January 2013, the three launched their first product on Kickstarter.[4] The crowdfunding campaign for NanoLight (later renamed Nanoleaf One) received $250,000 from the crowdfunding site, with an initial goal of $20,000. Following the success of this campaign, Nanoleaf received funding from Horizons Ventures, an investment company owned by Li Ka Shing[5] and Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins.[6] The company also opened their offices in Shenzhen, China and Hong Kong.[7]

Their second Kickstarter campaign for the Nanoleaf Bloom in July 2014 was similarly well received. The campaign generated $192,973 in funding with a goal of $20,000.[8]

Nanoleaf opened an office in Toronto, Canada in January 2015.

Technology

Nanoleaf utilizes patented technology that aims for energy efficiency and a sustainable manufacturing process.[9][10] The company's bulbs are made up of small LEDs on a folded circuit board and feature an origami-like design. The technology eliminates the need of a heat sink, keeping the bulb cool to the touch while reducing the amount of energy used during manufacturing. Nanoleaf bulbs also have overheat protection which allows the bulb to dim itself if it gets too hot, reducing the possibility of damage and increasing its potential life span. The bulbs are also shatter-resistant.

Products

Nanoleaf One

Nanoleaf One and Nanoleaf Bloom, Red Dot Design Award 2015 Winners

The company's first product is the Nanoleaf One. It was initially featured on Bloomberg Business.[11] Constructed of a folded circuit board with 360 degrees of uniformed light distribution, the bulb has a claimed 27-year life span based on 3–4 hours of daily use. The bulb uses 10-12 watts of energy and produces up to 150 lumens per watt.[12] It is shaped with an origami dodecahedron.

Nanoleaf Bloom

The Nanoleaf Bloom is a dimmable bulb that doesn't require a dimmer and can dim down using a regular on/off light switch.[13][14][15][16] It uses 10 watts of energy and produces 1200 lumens per watt at its highest brightness level. The bulb also has a feature called 'Night Mode' which sets the brightness at 5% and uses half a watt of energy.[17][17][18]

Nanoleaf Gem

Aimed at the design industry, the Nanoleaf Gem is an LED decor bulb made of shatter-resistant glass. It has been featured on Breakfast Television Canada, and Huffington Post Live.[19][20] In comparison to the first two products, the bulb produces a warmer light that is similar to incandescent bulbs, and is fully encased in a frosted glass body. The Nanoleaf Gem comes in two models of brightness, 470 lumens and 800 lumens, uses 5-8 watts of energy, with an efficiency of up to 100 lumens per watt.

Nanoleaf Ivy Smarter Kit

The Nanoleaf Ivy Smarter Kit is a voice-controllable lighting system that comes with two Smart Ivy light bulbs and one controller Hub. Featuring a similar origami-style design as the company's first two products, the Smart Ivy has a standard A19 size. The bulb uses 7.5W of energy to produce 800 lumens. Released in October 2015, the Ivy Smarter Kit has appeared on CNET, MacRumors and Men's Journal.[21][22][23] The Nanoleaf Ivy Smart Kit allows users to set lighting scenes within the Nanoleaf App or using voice control. The Smart Ivy is also equipped with the Dim+ Technology that was introduced in the Nanoleaf Bloom.[24]

Nanoleaf Gem Smarter Kit

The Nanoleaf Gem Smarter Kit is the company's first RGBW color-changing and tunable white lighting product. It will come with two Smart Gem light bulbs and one controller Hub. It is slated for release in summer 2016.

Nanoleaf Aurora

Slated for release in fall 2016, the Nanoleaf Aurora will be a smart modular lighting system. Made up of a set of lightweight triangular LED panels, the Aurora will be RGBW color-changing and tunable white using voice and app control. It has been featured on CNET, Digital Trends and PSFK.[25][26][27]

References

  1. ↑ "Lighting a Revolution". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  2. ↑ "Nanoleaf Bloom Dimming Bulbs Over $160,000 During Final Days on Kickstarter". Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Light of a New Age". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Toronto grads invent world's most energy efficient bulb". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Li Ka-shing Heralds LEDs as Key to Future Economic Growth". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. ↑ ""Asia's richest philanthropist," major Silicon Valley firm invest in alumni's Nanoleaf light bulb". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hong Kong: Perfect Launchpad for Overseas Green Tech Startups". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "Nanoleaf Bloom Smart Lightbulb – Needs no App – No Dimmer". My Tech Report. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  9. ↑ "Alumni launch "world's most energy-efficient light bulb"". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Hong Kong start-up Nanoleaf has created the world's most energy-efficient light bulb". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  11. ↑ "Alumni launch "The World's Most Energy-Efficient Lightbulb"". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "LEDs go origami with the Nanoleaf". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "Nanoleaf light bulb dims without dimmer switch". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  14. ↑ "Finally a Smarter Lightbulb That Doesn't Require An App To Control It". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  15. ↑ "This Lightbulb Doesn't Need A Dimmer to Set the Mood". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Nanoleaf Launches Bloo,, a Dimmable LED Bulb with no Dimmer". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  17. 1 2 "30 Days of Living with the Nanoleaf Bloom". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "New Nanoleaf light bulb saves energy and dims without a dimmer". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Check out new products from The Green Living Show!". Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "HuffPost Live Danny Seo and His Favorite Things". Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  21. ↑ "Nanoleaf Smarter Kit Review". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Nanoleaf Smarter Kit Features Smart HomeKit-Enabled Light Bulbs with a Unique Look". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  23. ↑ "59 Awesome Things for Your Next Adventure". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  24. ↑ "Review: Nanoleaf Ivy, a HomeKit lightbulb made from a foldable printed circuit board". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  25. ↑ "Nanoleaf's Next Smart Bulb isn't a Bulb at All". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "Nanoleaf's Triangular Panels Offer a New, Modular Take on Lighting". Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  27. ↑ "It's Time We Liberate Ourselves from the Immobility of the Lightbulb". Retrieved 21 April 2016.

External links

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