As investors were busy making sense of the vertical farming hype, farmers worldwide were busy embracing a more horizontal future – greenhouses and polytunnels have sprawled at a momentous pace over the past decade. Now, the benefits of the controlled environment these structures bring to a grow operation, are offset by the less than ideal light conditions that plants face inside. This next startup shows us an elegant way to break that tradeoff: Lambda Agri.
This interview took place in January 2026 with Lambda Agri co-founders Dr. Monica Saavedra (CEO) and Boris Breiner (CSO).
Q. What does Lambda do?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
Lambda develops specialty greenhouse coatings and agricultural films. You’ll know if a greenhouse is using our chemistry because of the gentle, rosy red glow. Red because that is the wavelength with the highest efficiency of photosynthesis
Normally, greenhouse coatings or films are designed to block the UV spectrum to protect the film and plants. We do that too, but better.
Boris Breiner:
Because our chemistry doesn’t just block UV, it takes all that energy and downshifts it to visible red light, enhancing plant growth. This luminescent downshifting occurs because one end of our molecule is tuned to absorb excess UV, while the emitting part is tuned to emit photosynthetically active radiation.
No electricity or LED lights needed.
Q. Is this market big enough?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
Greenhouses and polytunnels are one of the fastest-growing segments in ag. The footprint of these structures is so vast that you can see them from space.
Worldwide, there are 5 million acres of polytunnels and greenhouses now. That’s 20 billion square meters. Which is already more than a $3B market opportunity for us!
Q. Why is controlled agriculture growing so fast?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
Yes, controlled agriculture is growing globally about 10% a year. While farmland is actually shrinking slowly.
The reason is, fruits and vegetables are a fit for domestic production. 55% of the world’s fruits and vegetables are NOT shipped or flown long distances. This has meant controlled ag is expanding to latitudes that are colder and have lower light. It also means produce needs to be grown year-round.
Boris Breiner:
Farmers are constantly pushing the limits of seasons and introducing crops to new geographies.
Think of what we do at Lambda as giving a farmer April light intensity, even though it’s February outside. Or giving a grower in Germany, the sunlight intensity of Italy.
Q. What’s your go-to market?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
We are presold for the year already with a top strawberry grower in the UK. To scale rapidly from there, we have lined up manufacturing partners with specialty chemical companies and we will leverage established distribution networks of our partners, Lumiforte and Plastika Kritis, who are among the world’s largest greenhouse players.
We know well that winning in ag requires the highest levels of performance at the lowest price!
That’s exactly what we can deliver with this asset-light manufacturing strategy: Selling at price points lower than a $1/m^2, at margins greater than 50% – we undercut fancy solutions like quantum dots.
Q. What crops have shown promising yield increases in beta testing?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
In 2023, our paint showed a 10% increase in basil yield in glass greenhouses.
In 2024, 33% increase in rocket and a 47% increase in beetroot yield in cold frames.
Last year, simulated transmission testing demonstrated that our prototypes outcompete dye-based films on the market. Over time, we will expand to every crop that can be grown in a greenhouse!
Q. Do you provide additional benefits beyond yield?
Dr. Monica Saavedra:
Red light is essential for nutrient uptake, metabolite regulation, and triggers morphological changes in plants. By finetuning red light, we enhance these plant signalling mechanisms, speeding up biomass growth, fruiting, and metabolite production – delivering the highest quality nutritious produce, not just more yield
In addition, we scatter light evenly inside a greenhouse, maintaining stable temperatures, and don’t forget we are UV shielding by design.
Lambda gives plants the glow up they deserve!
Q. UV energy also degrades solar panels. Are you in that market?
Boris Breiner:
Yes, greenhouses with intermittent solar panels on the roof have shown interest in our tech.
Luminiscent downshifting happens to be an active area of research in the field of solar energy, actually. But solar panels have much longer lifespans than greenhouses, and much tighter tech and regulatory specs you need to hit
Our next-generation molecule will have the specs to benefit the solar market.