S4E46: Simon Deacon of Light Science Technologies on AI, Sensors & the Future of LED Technology in Vertical Farming

Episode Summary:

Join Harry Duran, host of Vertical Farming Podcast, as he welcomes to the show Simon Deacon, founder and CEO of Light Science Technologies, an organization that provides integrated solutions for the Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) market. A dynamic and forward-looking entrepreneur, Simon has founded and grown businesses in Lighting, Electronics and Display manufacture markets. Today, Harry and Simon discuss the intricate and exciting work Simon is doing to disrupt the vertical farming industry. Simon talks in depth about his lighting products, the research his company does and the future of his company, including sensor technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Simon speaks to how Light Science Technologies differentiates themselves from their competitors, the impact supply chain issues have had on his business and how they are approaching customer relations through a lens of partnership. 

Episodes Sponsor:

Freight Farms – https://www.freightfarms.com/ 

Global Vertical Farming Show – https://verticalfarmingshow.com/ 

Cultivatd – https://cultivatd.com/

What We Covered:

03:41 – Harry welcomes to the show Simon Deacon, who joins the show to discuss his roots growing up in Derby, his entrepreneurial spirit and what inspired him to launch Light Science Technologies 

09:55 – Milestone moments in lighting technology 

12:54 – Simon recalls some of the projects he worked on during his time at UK Circuits and Electronics Solutions 

18:07 – Defining what it means to truly be ‘organic’ 

20:33 – The inspiration to launch Light Science and growing more for less 

27:03 – Why sustainability is so vital now more than ever 

30:49 – How Light Science is differentiating themselves from their competitors 

34:30 – Supply chain issues 

37:31 – What’s next for Light Science 

40:32 – A tough question Simon had to ask himself recently 

45:50 – Harry thanks Simon for joining the show and let’s listeners know where they can learn more about Light Science Technologies and connect with Simon 

Tweetable Quotes:

“People talk about recipe of light to grow plants, which is obviously extremely important because there’s lots of different species of plants around. But generally there’s about a thousand that we might consume as humans to eat.” (15:39) (Simon) 

“I think we’re more conscious now of what we’re eating, where it comes from and how far it’s travelled to get to your plate. I think we abandoned quite some time ago that idea of being happy just to go to the supermarket and buy the produce without knowing where it comes from.” (18:48) (Simon) 

“One of our lines is, ‘Grow more for less.’ And that’s what we’re trying to do: grow more for less locally using our technology.” (23:14) (Simon) 

“When we talk to our customers and the general public, the most important thing to them is food security. And then the second thing is sustainability. So, where is it coming from, how far has it travelled, has it been in an aircraft and why has it been in an aircraft to get to us. So, we thought that we would make a range of products to suit 2021.” (29:20) (Simon) 

“A lot of our competitors were selling the lighting product. Others are just doing lab work. Others are just doing sensory work. We’ve got all of those, under one roof, where we manufacture our product, we design our own product, but we create that long-term partnership with you. We’re there for the next twenty, thirty, forty years of being in that partnership with you. And that’s what really makes us stand out from all our competitors is the uniqueness of our products and being reusable and recyclable.” (33:51) (Simon) 

“The sensor technology comes out in the first half of next year where we started to use that AI data, which really, I think, is the key to our growing success.” (40:02) (Simon) 

Links Mentioned:

Simon’s LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-deacon-6a7b3440/ 

Light Science Technologies’ Website – https://lightsciencetech.com/ 

Sponsor Info:

Cultivatd Website – https://cultivatd.com/

Cultivatd Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/cultivatdco/

Cultivatd’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/cultivatd 

Cultivatd’s Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/cultivatd/

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